The program will include the thematic reviews of Sustainable Development Goals 6 on clean water and sanitation, 7 on affordable and clean energy, 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, 11 on sustainable cities and communities, and 17 on partnerships for the Goals. It will address the special challenges faced by countries in special situations. It will explore the regional and local dimensions on recovery from COVID-19 and the situation regarding the SDGs. It will support the mid-term review of the SDGs and the preparations of the 2023 SDG Summit in September 2023.
The 2023 SDG Summit will be convened in September 2023, during the United Nations General Assembly high-level week. Heads of State and Government will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to follow-up and review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . They will carry out a comprehensive review of the state of the SDGs, respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to the target year of 2030 for achieving the SDGs.
You may well ask how are we doing? The answer is in the advanced unedited edition of Progress Towards the Sustainable Development Goals – Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet which was launched at the end of April 2023. It is a long document of 43 pages. When the Secretary-General launched the Report he made the following statement – a summary of what is in the document. The answer to the question is not very well!
Some points to consider: This is the halfway point to the 2030 deadline. Half the world has been left behind. Only 12 percent of the Sustainable Development Goal targets are on track, progress on 50 percent is weak and insufficient and more than 30 percent of the SDGs have gone into reverse. The COVID-19 pandemic and the triple crisis of climate, biodiversity, and pollution are having a devastating impact, amplified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is estimated that only 30 percent of all countries will achieve SDG 1 on poverty by 2030. Hunger has also increased and is back at 2005 levels. Gender equality is some 300 years away. Just 26 people have the same wealth as half of the world’s population. Our war on nature is accelerating. A financial crisis is looming due to increasing debt levels.
The 2030 Agenda is an agenda of justice and equality, inclusive, sustainable development, human rights, gender justice, climate justice, and dignity for all. The achievement of this agenda requires fundamental changes to the way power is exercised and the global economy is organized. The SDGs are the path to bridge both economic and geopolitical divides, restore trust and rebuild solidarity.
How can we move from aspiration to action and full implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals between now and 2030? Given adequate resources, strong political will, and determination to implement Human Rights, the paradigm shift could be launched. The proposal of the UN Secretary-General for an SDG stimulus plan calls for additional liquidity, effective debt restructuring, and the expansion of development financing. Let us recall this 75th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the mid-point on the road to 2030 as the year when no one was left behind.
The 2023 HLPF will bring together governments and civil society to discuss progress and challenges to achieving the SDGs. We call on world leaders to urgently accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development and ensure we “Leave No One Behind.”
We should all commit ourselves to promoting and implementing the development goals that are supported by our deepest religious and ethical values. – Pope Francis
Michelle Loisel, DC
NGO Representative at the UN
Company of the Daughters of Charity
This really points out the urgency of what needs to change to protect humans and the planet. Thank you, Michelle.