Halfway to 2030, world ‘nowhere near’ reaching Global Goals, UN warns

(United Nations News) The world is “woefully off track” to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline, top United Nations officials said on Monday, as ministers and policymakers gathered in New York to examine how countries can get back on track and make the transformative development agenda a reality.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that while ambition, urgency and solidarity have been lacking to overcome the myriad challenges, many countries are now staring into “a financial abyss”, strangling the resources needed to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“The annual 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.

Make 2023 count

Mr. Guterres 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.

Read more at: United Nations News

Source: CARICOM TODAY