 The Sustainable Development Goals Summit opens in New York City on September 18, 2023. (Photo:Xinhua/Li Rui) |
The Summit, part of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78), marks a new phase of accelerated progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals with high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to 2030.
Their declaration embraces a 2015 "to-do" list of 17 SDGs that include water, energy, reducing inequality, and achieving gender equality.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the summit of leaders that only 15% of the targets are on track and that many are going in reverse. He said, "instead of leaving no one behind, we risk leaving the SDGs behind. The SDGs need a global rescue plan.”
 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at the Summit (Photo:Xinhua/Li Rui) |
The UN said this month that there are 745 million more moderately to severely hungry people in the world today than in 2015, and the world is far off track in its efforts to meet the ambitious UN goal of ending hunger by 2030.
The political declaration includes a commitment to financing for developing countries and clear support for his proposal of an SDG Stimulus of at least 500 billion USD annually, as well as an effective debt-relief mechanism.
Dennis Francis, President of the 78th session of the General Assembly, said it is still possible that by 2030 the world could lift 124 million additional people out of poverty and ensure that some 113 million fewer people are malnourished.