The United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) urged all member states to implement greater affirmative actions to meet the targets and deliver the outcomes included in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) plan by 2030.
“Countries must integrate the SDGs into their national development plans, policies and strategies. A strong push must be made to accelerate progress, and aligning national priorities with the SDGs is paramount to ensure a coherent and comprehensive approach to sustainable development,” said UN ECOSOC President Lachezara Stoeva.
The call was made during the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development hosted by the UN ECOSOC that discussed the shortcomings of countries’ compliance and “collective failure to accelerate progress” on the SDG targets.
The SDGs, pertains to a universal 17-point plan of action that serves as the “blueprint for a more resilient, peaceful, and inclusive future,” continuing the efforts made for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
It includes steps and targets to eradicate poverty, promote sustainable development, uphold human rights, achieve gender equality, protect the environment, strengthen peace, build resiliency, and reduce inequality.
Overall, the agenda has 17 SDGs with 169 targets. Out of around 140 SDG targets that were evaluated given available data, only 12 percent of them are on track, based on the UN’s preliminary assessment.
The UN noted that 37 out of 69 of the world’s poorest countries are in debt or at high risk, 180 million people have been forcibly displaced as of December 2022, and a 50 percent surge in conflict-related civilian deaths was seen in 2022 due to the Ukraine-Russia war.
“We are halfway to 2030 and yet nowhere near to achieving the SDGs. The bad news is we’ve lost seven years. The good news is-we still have seven years and victory is within our reach,” said Stoeva.
Despite the hurdles, some progress has been recorded according to the SGDs Report 2023: Special Edition. For instance, 800 million people have gained access to electricity from 2015 and 2021. 146 countries have met or are on track to meeting the under-five mortality target, and effective HIV treatment has reduced global AIDS-related deaths by 52 percent since 2010.
Transformative action
The UN ECOSOC forum, which served as a precursor to the 2023 SDG Summit in September, brought together representatives from the business, civil society, and youth sectors of more than 100 countries to engage in meaningful dialogue for eight days, concluding on July 19.
It tackled current issues relating to sustainable energy, clean water, infrastructure and innovation, sustainable cities, and partnerships, resulting in all stakeholders agreeing on the “critical need for bold and transformative action at the local level.”
“As we cross the halfway mark to 2030, one overriding truth stands out in my mind: Change is possible. Backsliding is not inevitable. Poverty, pollution, and gender inequality are not pre-ordained,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
“They are trends that can be reversed, problems that can be solved, tragedies that can be averted, lives that can be saved. And together, we can deliver,” he added.
To ensure the successful delivery of the SDGs, countries will be meeting on Sept. 18 to 19 for the SDG Summit to renew their commitments to the goals.
The UN Secretary-General’s SDG Stimulus will be presented to the international community to mobilize investments for SDGs, wherein wealthy countries will be called to “scale up affordable long-term financing, by providing $500 billion annually, to help countries in need.”
““We need ambitious national commitments and interventions to reduce poverty and inequality by 2027 and 2030,” said Guterres.
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