Inclusive curriculum adaptations as a global strategy to guarantee the Sustainable Development Goals in Education

Introduction: educational inclusion and sustainability have historically developed as separate fields, but Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) highlights the need to integrate them to ensure equitable, quality education oriented toward global citizenship. In this context, inclusive curricular adaptations (ICA) emerge as an essential strategy to articulate inclusion and sustainability.Objective: to propose a theoretical–practical model that positions ICA as a global strategy for achieving SDG 4, based on mapping the state of the art, identifying research gaps, and systematizing substantive categories in recent literature.Methodology: an integrative systematic review was conducted, complemented by bibliometric analysis and conceptual meta-analysis. The search was carried out in high-impact databases (Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, SciELO, and Redalyc), considering publications in English and Spanish from the last ten years related to inclusive education, curriculum, and sustainability.Results: the bibliometric analysis showed a sustained growth in scientific production since 2020, with higher concentration in 2024 and 2025, mainly in journals specialized in education and sustainability. The conceptual meta-analysis classified the findings into four dimensions: equity, as a basis for reducing gaps; accessibility, as a condition for full participation; functional diversity, as recognition of student heterogeneity; and sustainability, as an ethical and formative horizon.Conclusions: ICA constitute a strategic pedagogical mechanism that integrates inclusion and sustainability. The proposed model provides innovative, replicable, and assessable guidelines that inform educational policies, strengthen teacher training, and contribute to the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda.