Summary
19-13792 (E)
In her summary of the high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council at its 2019 session (E/HLPF/2019/8), the President of the Economic and Social Council reported that, according to the review by the forum of progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the world is not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. While the 2030 Agenda and the Goals remain the best road map for overcoming the challenges to ending poverty and achieving sustainable development, a deeper, more ambitious, transformative and integrated response is urgently needed. The international community must move out of its comfort zones to pursue new ways of collective action at a much swifter pace.
Inclusive and equitable quality education for all is critical and demands new platforms for cooperation, new partnerships, more support for teachers and increased investment in universal quality education and lifelong learning.
Decent work and economic growth are dynamically interlinked in the Goals and are a means for achieving the 2030 Agenda. New technologies including artificial intelligence, automation and robotics offer both new challenges and opportunities in this area. Special efforts are needed to integrate youth, women and vulnerable groups into the labour market.
Inequality between and within countries remains a major obstacle to the achievement of the Goals, and inaction in that area risks derailing progress on the 2030 Agenda. Effective polices to reduce inequalities require partnerships and political will.
Progress on combating climate change and its effects is falling far short of what is needed. Achieving Goal 13 is still within reach, but implementation of existing commitments needs to be accelerated and the level of ambition raised substantially.
Peace, justice, and transparent, effective, inclusive and accountable institutions, as well as safe civic spaces, are critical to advancing all Goals. This demands responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. Efforts are also needed to improve data in this area.
Substantial gaps remain for financing the Goals. National resource mobilization is needed, including through an enabling environment for private investment, strengthening tax administrations and addressing illicit financial flows. Integrated national financing frameworks can support countries in addressing financing challenges. Significant resources can also be mobilized at the regional level.
Overall, the Goals must be more systematically incorporated in plans and policies, with a focus on prioritization and acceleration of progress through interventions that have potential multiplier effects. An ambitious decade of action will ensure a new trajectory for achievement of the Goals.
Partnerships and international cooperation are fundamental in supporting small island developing States to achieve their sustainable development goals, particularly in the areas of health and education. Development strategies in least developed countries and landlocked developing countries must target goals beyond economic growth and encompass aspects related to inclusiveness, equality, universal social services, resilience to climate change, and adequate financing.
In particular, investment in data and capacity is needed for adequate measurements to inform policies that ensure no one is left behind.
Strengthening the role of non-State actors is also vital, and meaningful stakeholder engagement should include broad, inclusive consultations and the establishment of formal mechanisms for sustained stakeholder engagement in implementation of the Goals, in preparations for and discussions of voluntary national reviews at the high-level political forum.
Science can guide Governments in shaping policies that address the interactions among the Goals – the co-benefits and the difficult trade-offs – in a way that will spur positive systemic transformations. The Global Sustainable Development Report is an important tool in that regard.
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Source: UN