The United Nations 2030 Agenda with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals promises to leave no one behind in delivering its ‘inclusive’ and ‘transformative’ vision to end poverty for all by 2030. Given the speed and scale and population ageing, it will not be possible to achieve the SDGs without integrating ageing in all its dimensions into social and economic policies, and adjusting local, national, regional and global planning frameworks to include ageing. In a world beset with uncertainty, where few things in economic and social life are predictable, global ageing is exceptional, being both predictable and not a matter of chance. This session will explore the opportunities and limitations of Agenda 2030’s response to global ageing and consider the value of the active engagement of older people to ensure progress towards the 2030 Agenda’s transformative vision.