UN: Just 17% of Sustainable Development Targets Likely to Be Reached by 2030
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that just 17% of the 169 specific targets attached to the global goals for sustainable development are on track to be achieved by the end of the decade....
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Facts
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that just 17% of the 169 specific targets attached to the global goals for sustainable development are on track to be achieved by the end of the decade.1
- This comes as a newly released UN report titled 'The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024' revealed that nearly half of these targets have shown minimal and moderate progress, and more than one-third have stalled or regressed.2
- Goals off-track include those around climate change, gender equality, poverty, and education. Meanwhile, progress has been made in expanding access to internet and health treatments, gender parity in education, and renewable energy.3
- Guterres attributed the setbacks in many areas to the COVID pandemic, conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, climate disasters, and cost-of-living increases, which affected efforts to funnel money and attention to the targets.4
- As he addressed a press conference on the launch of the report Friday, Guterres urged countries to ramp up their efforts and accelerate action to achieve the goals.5
- Next week, the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development will kick off to review progress toward several goals, including ending poverty, achieving zero hunger, taking climate action, and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.6
Sources: 1Associated Press, 2United Nations, 3ABC News, 4France 24, 5Anadolu Agency and 6XINHUA.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by UN News. Given the current rate of progress, it's unlikely that the world will be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. With only six years left, world leaders must intensify their efforts to build a more resilient and abundant world. The UN cannot stress this enough — it's time for peace, dialogue, and diplomacy.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Heritage Foundation. Guterres has yet again sounded the alarm that the Sustainable Development Goals are off-track in an attempt to get more funding for an endeavor that has been doomed from the start. These imprecise goals are actually wishful aspirations with no sustainable development theory behind them. There's not even robust data to measure progress.
