World Failing to Achieve SDGs
Experts warn that the world is failing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs – adopted through the Agenda 2030 in 2015 by world leaders – include fighting poverty, hunger and the climate crisis as well as achieving health and well-being for all and gender equality. At the time of adoption, the SDGs were hailed as a towering achievements and a promise to leave no one behind was made. However, four years after adoption, most countries are falling short of the SDG targets.
World leaders are meeting on September 24 and 25, 2019, to discuss the progress and challenges for the SDGs at the UN headquarters during the 74th UN General Assembly. This is the first meeting to evaluate the SDGs after a four-year cycle of implementation and annual review at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
The 2019 Social Progress Index, compiled by the US non-profit Social Progress Imperative, ranks 149 countries’ social performance over the past five years. The index uses indicators such as nutrition, shelter, safety, education, health, personal rights and inclusiveness.
The index offers a comprehensive snapshot of a country’s overall progress towards the achievement of the SDGs. It forecasts that at current trends the world will not meet the SDGs 2030 targets even until 2073, more than four decades past their target date.
Progress isn’t fast enough to achieve the ambition of the SDGs within my lifetime, and that’s a problem,” said Michael Green, chief executive of the SPI, as per The Week.
There are some countries that are going backwards and letting us down.”
Which SDGs are failing?
- The data shows the biggest areas of underperformance are on measures related to water and sanitation, nutrition and basic medical care, and shelter.
- Personal rights have particularly declined, with 91 of the 149 ranked countries recording a fall in rights, with freedoms of religion and expression deteriorating the most.
A recent report on the SDGs by leading scientists concluded countries must address vast gaps in wealth distribution and improve access to economic opportunities and technological advances that undermine innovation and growth.
The cost of implementing the SDGs has been estimated at $3 trillion a year.
UN chief calls for ‘a fair globalization’ with first-ever Global Goals Summit
We need more investment, more political action, more priority for a fair globalization”, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, when asked about his expectations for the first-ever Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit, as per the UN.
Mr. Guterres emphasized that, with just over 10 years to go, the world is not on track to hit targets related to sustainable development, and urged world leaders to “take the decisions necessary, in order to come together more effectively to make sure that the 2030 Agenda is successfully implemented”.
Alcohol and SDGs
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