The promise of the 2030Agenda is in peril: UN Chief

Addis Ababa, July 18, 2023 (FBC) – The world is “woefully off track” to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline, the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said at the  High-Level Political Forum 2023 Ministerial Segment.

The UN SG said that while ministers and policy makers across the world gathered in New York to examine how countries can get back on track and make the transformative development agenda a reality.

Mr. Guterres stated that “the promise of the 2030Agenda is in peril. We cannot afford such an outcome, and it is in our interest to choose a different path.”

“The annual Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) funding gap has risen from $2.5 trillion before the pandemic to an estimated $4.2 trillion. Governments are drowning in debt – with developing countries facing sky-high borrowing costs. And 52 nations are in default or close to it – with no effective system of debt relief in sight,” he said.

The UN chief called on countries to “make 2023 count” and to lay the foundations now for coordinated efforts to get the SDGs on track, referring to key meetings on food security, climate action, health, and sustainable development later this year.

He urged them to come to the SDG Summit, in September, with clear plans and pledges to strengthen action in their countries to 2030.

“We need ambitious national commitments and interventions to reduce poverty and inequality by 2027 and 2030. And clear policies, investment plans and partnerships to drive progress across major SDG transitions,” the UN chief said.

“Above all, we need the SDG Summit to send a clear message from world leaders through a strong political declaration,” he added, underscoring the need for civil society, businesses, and others “to throw their weight behind the goals” and strengthen “the global movement to deliver”.

The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development is the central global platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs, the blueprint adopted in 2015 by all 193 United Nations Member States for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.

The HLPF is convened annually by the Economic and Social Council for about two weeks, including a ministerial segment of three days, to undertake a comprehensive review of select Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, the Forum reviews SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17. It also prepares for the SDG Summit, which will be held on 18 and 19 September 2023 in New York.