UN 
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that only 17 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track, and progress has stalled or regressed in more than a third.
Guterres was speaking at a press conference at UN Headquarters on the Sustainable Development Goals 2024 report.
Noting that the report in question is known as the annual “SDG report card,” Guterres noted that the report shows that the world received a failing grade.
Guterres stated that the lesson to be learned from the report is simple: “Our failure to secure peace, combat climate change and increase international financing is undermining development,” he said.
Stressing that there is no time to waste, Guterres called for accelerated action on the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Only 17 per cent of the SDGs are on track,” Guterres said. “For more than a third, progress has stalled or regressed.
Noting that in a world with unprecedented wealth, information and technology, the denial of basic needs for so many people cannot be excused, Guterres said there are some glimmers of hope in the report.
Guterres noted that in most regions, girls have now reached parity with boys in education; many women have broken the “glass ceiling” in politics, business and more; internet access has increased; HIV infections have declined; new malaria vaccines have been introduced; and renewable energy sources are growing rapidly.
- “It’s time to silence the guns”
However, Guterres explained that the pace and scale of change needed for sustainable development is still very slow: “We need to go further and faster in three areas at once. First, we must act for peace. “From Gaza to Sudan to Ukraine and beyond, it is time to silence the guns, support the displaced, and move from spending on destruction and war to investing in people and peace,” he said.
Second, Guterres emphasized the need to take action on green and digital transformation, calling on countries to submit ambitious national climate action plans that cover the entire economy and meet the 1.5 degree limit in 2025.
Guterres stated that action should also be taken on finance, saying, “Many developing countries do not have the financial resources and the financial space to invest in their future,” he said.
Guterres noted that much more needs to be done to reduce debt pressures and debt servicing costs, and to expand access to emergency financing for countries at risk of cash flow crises.
Emphasizing that, as today’s report card shows, there is much room for improvement, Guterres called on countries to do more to accelerate the SDGs.
“We must not abandon our promise to end poverty, protect the planet and leave no one behind,” Guterres said.
- “There is progress in technological development”
The report, released today, found that in half of the world’s most vulnerable countries, per capita gross domestic product (GDP) growth is slower than in developed economies, highlighting the stark economic challenges.
The report notes that some 60 percent of countries will face abnormally high food prices by 2022, exacerbating hunger and food insecurity.
The report drew attention to gender inequality, noting that 55 percent of the 120 countries surveyed had no laws prohibiting discrimination against women.
The report noted that only 58 percent of students worldwide reached the minimum reading level by the end of primary school and that education was a major cause for concern.
It also underlined that while global unemployment will reach a historic low of 5 per cent by 2023, many barriers to decent work remain in all societies.
On the other hand, the report emphasizes that there are positive developments in renewable energy, which has grown by 8.1 percent annually over the past five years, and that significant progress has been made in technological development. (AA)
Photo: AA
