With the world on track to achieve just 16 percent of its SDGs by 2030, a recent SDSN report calls for reinventing the UN with radical reforms to boost global development action
The latest SDSN report urgently underscores the need for a reformed United Nations, known as United Nations 2.0, before the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024. This is a critical step to bolster global cooperation and financing for sustainable development, as the current progress is alarmingly insufficient to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Sustainable Development Report (SDR) released by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) underlines the global nature of the sustainable development challenge. The report reveals that none of the seventeen SDGs for 2030 is on track, a sobering fact that demands immediate attention and action.
Only about 16 percent of the SDG targets are making progress, with the report outlining priorities to upgrade the UN to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, strategies to address chronic shortfalls in SDG financing, and rankings of all UN Member States on the SDGs.
The lack of progress has dire consequences, as the world is currently expected to achieve only 16 percent of its 2030 SDGs. The remaining 84 percent show limited or reversed progress. The stagnation since 2020 has thrown several targets well off course, including crucial ones like Zero Hunger, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Life Below Water, Life on Land, and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.
The report also highlights the varying levels of SDG achievement among different country groups. The Nordic countries lead in SDG achievement, with the BRICS countries making strong progress, while poorer and vulnerable nations are falling behind.
Reforming the Global Financial Architecture is an urgent long-term investment challenge. The report presents five strategies to reform the Global Financial Architecture, emphasising the need for affordable long-term capital for sustainable development goals in low-income and lower-middle-income countries.
The report also ranks countries based on their engagement with the UN system, with Barbados ranked first and the United States ranked last.
Furthermore, the report outlines the FABLE pathways, which aim to support sustainable food and land systems. Globally, 600 million people suffer from hunger, and obesity rates are increasing. The report emphasises the need for changes in overconsumption, protein consumption, productivity, and monitoring to achieve sustainable food and land systems.
The Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report has been providing updated data since 2016 to monitor and evaluate the performance of all UN Member States on the SDGs. A team of independent experts at the SDG Transformation Center authored it. It was led by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, the President of SDSN, and coordinated by Guillaume Lafortune, the Vice President of SDSN.