World not on track to achieve SGDs by 2030, warns UN Report; Calls the situation “more worrisome”

New Delhi: The overall progress towards the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals has been “severely” disrupted, in the last three years as per United Nations’ Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 (GSDR) on Friday.

The report said that the situation is much “more worrisome” at this critical juncture and warned that “incremental and fragmented” change is insufficient to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the remaining seven years.

The report tittle”Times of Crisis, Times of Change: Science for Accelerating Transformations to Sustainable Development”, the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), is the outcome of the document of the Rio+20 Conference, in 2012.

“Implementation of the 2030 Agenda requires the active mobilization of political leadership and ambition for science-based transformations” the report highlighted.

It also emphasised on the key transformations needed in different sectors and provides key findings from the literature, practical examples and tools for progress towards the SDGs.

It said, “Since 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report was published and even then, the world was not on track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”.

The report said since 2019, challenges have multiplied and intensified but the world has moved forward on some fronts, such as the deployment of zero-carbon technologies as one of many climate mitigation strategies.

“Progress has been halted in many areas, partly as a consequence of a confluence of crises – the ongoing pandemic, rising inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, and planetary, environmental and economic distress, along with regional and national unrest, conflicts, and natural disasters” it said.

Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, ” Despite impressive engagement around the Sustainable Development Goals, the world is far off track. Much more effort, investment and systemic change are required”

“When world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda, they committed to “Transforming our World” for people, planet and prosperity” he added.

Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, LI Junhua said, “This is no time to panic or lose hope. Instead, it is time to act, collectively, with a long-term vision and focus”

“The 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report highlights the significant contribution of science, and evidence-based actions, to counter uncertainty and address global
challenges – the eradication of poverty, ending hunger, tackling climate change, reversing biodiversity loss and reducing inequality, among others” he added.

The report said without urgent course correction and acceleration, humanity will face prolonged periods of crisis and uncertainty – triggered by and reinforcing poverty, inequality, hunger, disease, conflict and disaster. At a global level, the “Leave no one behind” principle is at “significant risk”.

In 2019, the previous Global Sustainable Development Report found that for some targets the global community was on track, but for many others the world would need to quicken the pace.

In 2023, the situation is much “more worrisome” owing to slow implementation and a confluence of crises. For Goals in which progress was too slow in 2019, countries have not accelerated enough, including food security, climate action and protecting biodiversity, the world is still moving in the wrong direction.