‘A compass towards progress’ – but key development goals remain way off track

Global life expectancy increased by an astonishing five years between 2000 and 2019. And then since the COVID-19 pandemic, it slid backwards by almost two. More than 110 million children have entered school since 2015 – but by 2023, 272 million children still had no access to the classroom.

The UN’s key Sustainable Development Goals Report released Monday by Secretary-General António Guterres, chronicles both progress and setbacks – showing that the world has made significant advances but is still drastically off-track to achieve its development goals by 2030.

Seize the day

“This report is more than a snapshot of today. It's also a compass pointing the way to progress. This report shows that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are still within reach, but only if we act – with urgency, unity, and unwavering resolve,” Mr. Guterres said.

The release of the report coincides with the first day of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development which will convene over the next ten days in New York in the hopes of answering the UN chief’s call to action.

‘A global development emergency’

In 2015, the General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda, which outlined 17 Sustainable Development Goals – including ending poverty and ensuring that everyone had access to healthcare and quality education.

The ambitious SDGs were to be achieved by prioritising future generations through sustainable and climate-friendly initiatives.

“The 2030 Agenda represents our collective recognition that our destinies are intertwined and that sustainable development is not a zero-sum game but a shared endeavour that benefits us all,” said Li Junhua, UN Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

Ten years after this commitment, the agenda is facing increasingly strong headwinds, including a $4 trillion funding shortfall for the developing world and increasing geopolitical tensions which are undermining multilateralism.

“The problem is that the Sustainable Development Goals do not include the instruments that would be necessary to make them happen,” Mr. Guterres said.

In light of these challenges, only 18 per cent of the SDGs are on track to be met by 2030. Around 17 per cent are experiencing moderate progress. But over half of the goals are moving too slowly – and 18 per cent of the goals have gone backwards.

“We are in a global development emergency, an emergency measured in the over 800 billion people still living in extreme poverty, in intensifying climate impacts and in the relentless debt service,” the Secretary-General said.

Real lives transformed – and left behind

Between 2015 and 2023, maternal death rates and death rates of children under the age of five dropped by approximately 15 per cent. During this same period of time, 54 countries eliminated at least one tropical disease, and 2.2 billion cases of malaria were averted as a result of prevention areas.

“These victories are not abstract statistics – they represent real lives transformed, families lifted from poverty and communities empowered to build better and more resilient futures,” Mr. Li said.

However, just as some have had their lives transformed, many people around the world have been left behind.

One in 10 people still live in abject poverty and one in 11 experience food insecurity. Over 1.1 billion people live in slums or informal settlements without basic services, including access to clean water and sanitation. And in 2024, one person lost their life to conflict every 12 minutes.

In short, while many lives were transformed in the past ten years, many lives were not – and some were actually worsened or lost.

“What we have learned since then is that sustainable development is not a destination but rather a journey of innovation, adaptation and commitment to human dignity,” Mr. Li said.

Data at the heart of development

Reliable data is what underpins sustainable development, according to the Secretary-General’s report. It is what enables the UN, State governments and civil society leaders to understand what progress has been made and how to target increased investments for areas which require more work.

When the 2030 Agenda was first adopted in 2015, only a third of the SDGs had sufficient data and over a third lacked internationally agreed upon methodologies. Today, 70 percent of the SDGs are well-monitored and all indicators have internationally established monitoring mechanisms.

However, the progress made in monitoring development progress is, like all parts of the development agenda, under increasing threat.

“This report tells the SDG story in numbers, but it is, above all, a call to action,” Mr. Guterres said.

Multilateralism is non-negotiable

The Secretary-General said that the SDGs cannot be achieved without significant reforms to the financial architecture, which must begin with an investment in multilateralism.

“This year’s HLPF is a crucial moment that gives us hope and encourages us to think collectively outside the box,” said Lok Bahadur Thapa, Vice President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the meeting which opened the HLPF.

This forum is an acknowledgement that the work is not yet done – the goals require more investment and more commitment in the next five years in order to ensure that the world does not leave more people behind.

“This is not a moment for despair, but for determined action. We have the knowledge, tools, and partnerships to drive transformation. What we need now is urgent multilateralism – a recommitment to shared responsibility and sustained investment,” Mr. Li said.

This story was first published in UN News.