The UN’s report on global progress toward achieving the SDGs was published Monday, the opening day of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at UN headquarters in New York. It’s the 10th annual progress report since the 17 SDGs were included in the UN’s 2030 Agenda.
A mixed picture
According to the report, over the past 10 years, around 35% of the 17 SDGs have been on track. Improvements have been reported in some SDGs crucial to socio-economic development, such as decreases in extreme poverty and maternal and infant mortality, and increases in access to education for girls. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that these achievements would not have been possible before the SDGs were launched in 2015.
But there have also been setbacks. Half of the SDGs have seen very slow progress, and a few have lost ground. UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua said there are major challenges to public welfare, the environment, and global security.
“Over 800 million people remain trapped in extreme poverty. Carbon dioxide levels have reached the highest point in over two million years, with 2024 being the hottest year on the record. Peace and security have deteriorated significantly, with more than 120 million people forcibly displaced from their homes, more than double the number in 2015,” said Li.
UN officials said SDG progress was derailed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation has worsened in recent years due to escalating geopolitical instability and conflicts. One of the most affected groups is children. UN data released in late June showed that more than 41,000 cases of violence against or killings of children were recorded last year, the most in over two decades and a 25% increase from 2023.
The impacts of climate change have become more severe than earlier UN projections. The goal of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century was deemed "out of reach" as early as 2024.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said: “We're under pressure because the truth is expectations are really high. Trust is eroding and crisis is deepening everywhere as we strive to deliver on the promise of our 2030 Agenda.”
Six priority areas
To prevent further backsliding, the UN is calling for strong actions in six priority areas: food systems, energy access, digital transformation, education, employment and social protection, and climate action and biodiversity conservation. UN chief Guterres said the world is facing a global development emergency, and actions in these six areas could have transformative impacts across multiple sectors.
He urged governments and partners to swiftly implement the Medellin Action Framework, which was adopted at the UN World Data Forum last year, to strengthen key data systems that support policymaking and response.
Experts say that one of the most pressing short-term challenges is financing, which includes funding SDG-related projects in developing countries and addressing public debt burdens. Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said rising public debt is depleting the resources of developing countries, making it harder for them to pursue the SDGs and directly impacting their populations.
“Last year, developing countries paid 847 billion USD in debt service, this year is 921 billion. Last year, the financing gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals was approaching 4 trillion USD. This year, it has surpassed that mark. So these are not only worsening numbers, this is development going backwards,” said Grynspan.
Experts have recommended new ways to implement the SDGs, such as expanding public-private partnerships and promoting science, technology, and innovation. To further boost science, technology, and innovation, the UN emphasized the importance of ensuring equitable access and narrowing the technology gap between nations.