Only 16% of SDG Targets on Track to Be Met by 2030, Report Finds

“[T]he international community must take stock of the vital accomplishments and the limitations of the United Nations system, and work toward upgrading,” said Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, lead author of the report.

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Global progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been stagnant since 2020, with only 16% of the targets currently on track to be met by the decade’s end, a new report has found.

Released Monday by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the annual assessment of UN Member States’ performance on the SDGs found that progress has in some cases reversed, including on obesity, press freedom, sustainable nitrogen management, extinction rates, and life expectancy at birth. The latter, the report says, is due “in a large part” to the Covid-19 pandemic and other country-specific factors. Meanwhile, progress is particularly off-track on SDG targets related to good and land systems.

Overall, the pace of progress varies greatly from country to country, with Nordic regions outperforming the rest of the world. Finland ranked first on the SDG Index, followed by Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and France. Progress in BRICS and BRICS+ nations – which include Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – has been faster than the world average, according to the assessment, while poor and vulnerable nations – including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) – lag far behind.

Adopted in 2015, the SDGs consist of 17 goals and 169 targets to ensure human well-being, economic prosperity and environmental protection simultaneously. The set goals are interdependent and provide a blueprint for a global partnership between developed and developing countries to achieve economic prosperity, environmental protections and to safeguard the well-being of people around the world. 

Achieving sustainable development globally, the report argues, remains a “long-term investment challenge.” According to the SDSN, addressing the chronic shortfalls in SDG financing for low-income and lower-middle income countries requires new institutions and new forms of global financing, including global taxation on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, air and sea travel, financial transactions, among others. Priorities for global financing also need to be reconsidered to include quality education, universal health coverage, zero-carbon energy systems, sustainable agriculture, urban infrastructure, and digital connectivity, the network said.

Stalling global cooperation due to ongoing geopolitical tensions is further slowing down progress on the SDGs. The report ranked the 193 UN Member States based on their commitment to UN-based multilateralism, which include their engagement with treaty ratification, votes at the UN General Assembly, membership in UN Organizations, participation in conflicts and militarization, use of unilateral sanctions, and financial contributions to the UN. Barbados topped the ranking, followed by Antigua and Bermuda, Uruguay, Mauritius, and the Maldives. The US ranked the lowest.

“Midway between the founding of the UN in 1945 and the year 2100, we cannot rely on business as
usual,” said Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, President of the SDSN and a lead author of the report. “[T]he international community must take stock of the vital accomplishments and the limitations of the United Nations system, and work toward upgrading multilateralism for the decades ahead.”

The report’s first chapter, endorsed by 100+ leading scientists and practitioners worldwide, identifies priorities to “upgrade” the UN to meet the challenges of the 21st century, arguing it is time for te world to take stock of the accomplishments and limitations of the UN to date to “update and upgrade the UN institutions for the balance of the century.”

“We believe that the UN should be strengthened and empowered to underpin the new multi-polar world. Reforms include new UN bodies, such as a UN Parliament, new forms of global financing, and new strategies to ensure observance of international law and peace among the major powers. Ultimately, the UN Charter itself will need to be revised and updated to reflect our 21st century needs and realities,” the report read.