In a world of “parallel realities” where stark inequalities seemingly divide people and challenge the promise of multilateralism, the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to bring people together and help them achieve a better reality.
President of key UN body ECOSOC, Lok Bahadur Thapa, reminded the international community on Monday that no country can achieve sustainable development on its own, and that political will and momentum is necessary to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the UN Economic and Social Council, addresses the Ministerial Segment of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development.
“Let us be judged by results,” Mr. Thapa said.
The speech marked the beginning of the top ministerial level meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the UN’s annual forum to assess progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which is convened by ECOSOC – the UN Economic and Social Council.
The High-Level Segment will conclude on Thursday with a negotiated declaration between government ministers and heads of State on concrete actions Member States will take to advance progress on the 17 Goals.
The latest draft of the 2026 ministerial declaration includes commitments to increase investment in the SDGs and develop international rules for transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence.
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By the end of the HLPF, 36 countries will have presented so-called Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) on their progress in achieving the SDGs and shared best practices with other Member States.
As the HLPF kicked off last Tuesday in New York, the UN simultaneously released its annual SDG Progress Report, finding that coordinated action on the goals has succeeded but governments must urgently accelerate action if they are to be met by their 2030 deadline.
Goals need financing
Opening Monday’s session, Mr. Thapa, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, admitted that the SDGs were not on track.
At the same time, they emphasized that the UN and its Member States know what works to create sustainable development, but that financing remains the biggest obstacle to quick and effective action.
In fact, the principal finding of the SDG Progress Report – that only 36 per cent of SDG indicators with trend data are on track or making moderate progress – reflects a lack of effective financing rather than a lack of goodwill, according to Mr. Guterres.
He noted that developing countries pay borrowing costs several times higher than rich countries, and that many spend more on debt service than national services, making them ill-equipped to implement the SDGs without assistance.
“We need to increase the voice and participation of developing countries, reforming the global financial architecture to ensure those countries receive the support they need,” Mr. Guterres said.
To increase SDG financing, Mr. Guterres stressed the need for reforms to the multilateral development banks to unlock private investment and ensure equitable access for developing countries.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Secretary-General António Guterres delivers remarks at the opening of the Ministerial Segment of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development.
Jaewon Choi, leader of the DMUN Foundation, a youth-led, non-governmental organisation that empowers young people to engage in multilateral processes, also weighed in, demanding that young people be included in initiatives to achieve the Goals.
“A revitalized UN must integrate meaningful youth engagement,” Mr. Choi told ministers.
Promise of multilateralism
The speakers urged Member States to prioritise SDG financing, debt relief, civil society partnerships and concrete collective action as they negotiate.
Mr. Guterres highlighted the Pact for the Future, Sevilla Commitment, Doha Political Declaration, High Seas Treaty and Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Development as evidence that multilateralism can still deliver.
“Development requires all hands on deck – businesses, development banks, innovators, civil society, community leaders and young people,” Mr. Guterres said.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock addresses the Ministerial Segment of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development.
The very first words of Ms. Baerbock’s address to ECOSOC – “We are not on track” – set the stage for the UN’s call to Member States at the HLPF: despite immense challenges, giving up on achieving the SDGs by 2030 is not an option.
On target
As a noted football fan, Ms. Baerbock ended her speech with a timely comparison between the SDGs and this year’s gripping football World Cup competition.
“It has told us very clearly one thing: to never give up at minute 80,” Ms. Baerbock said. “One goal at the right moment can change everything. And 17 goals at the same moment can change the world. It is up to us to play the last four years together.”