 Global demand for food and animal source food in particular is increasing. The growing livestock sector brings new opportunities and challenges for food security and nutrition, livelihoods and economic growth, animal health and welfare and natural resources and climate change. For decades, agriculture and the livestock sector have tried to produce more from less and to maximize output sustainably. The UN 2030 Agenda raised the bar, introducing further dimensions to the goal of sustainability. However, the world is currently off track to achieve many of the sustainable development goals by 2030 and the COVID-19 pandemic has made this even harder. How can the livestock sector help to achieve the sustainable development goals? Livestock can help to end hunger and malnutrition by ensuring healthy and nutritious diets, contributing to incomes and providing vulnerable populations with adequate and reliable supplies of nutritious, affordable and safe food. Livestock can contribute to poverty reduction and economic growth by supporting the livelihoods of large numbers of rural people, helping to alleviate poverty, creating employment, stimulating demand for goods and services and feeding into other sectors of the economy. Livestock can contribute to ecosystem services by supporting biodiversity and key ecosystem functions, nutrient cycling and soil carbon sequestration. Livestock can increase resilience by helping hundreds of millions of people to survive in marginal areas due to their versatility. When integrated with crop, tree or fish farming, livestock help to increase their outputs, spread risks, withstand shocks and adapt to changing climatic conditions. The livestock sector is important for each SDG, but there are challenges that need to be managed. Livestock contributes significantly to climate change. They are the biggest agricultural land user, can cause biodiversity loss and draw heavily on natural resources. Intensification of animal production could compromise animal health and welfare. This also threatens human health through antimicrobial overuse and increased risk from zoonotic diseases. In a more competitive sector, it is difficult to ensure inclusive access to markets for small-scale farmers and pastoralists, women and youth. Due to these complex interactions, enhancing livestock's contribution to the 2030 agenda requires a holistic and inclusive approach. FAO is supporting members to integrate livestock policies and practices with sustainable development strategies around the world. Together with governments, international communities, the private sector, farmers and other actors, we can ensure growth is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. Promote inclusive and efficient livestock markets. Make sure animal products are safe. Prevent and respond to livestock-related emergencies like diseases or natural disasters. Promote best practices for animal health and welfare. Use evidence-based tools and guidelines to shape policies and practices. Food and agriculture are at the heart of solutions, for many of the challenges the world is currently facing and sustainable livestock can help to create a better life for billions of people. Together we can sustainably transform the livestock sector and contribute to the UN sustainable development goals.