The UN’s Midtown East Campus
on Saturday hosted a range of participants, including youth groups, women’s organizations and community activists, as well as mayors and business leaders, who were all looking to increase support for the Goals in advance of the SDG summit. The Summit will be held on 18-19th September and mark the halfway point between the SDGs’ launch in 2015 and their deadline of 2030
. 2030 Goals are off-trackAs things stand, the Goals and UN member countries’ promise when they adopted the 2030 Agenda to ‘leave no one behind’ are in serious trouble: despite some progress, over the years widespread implementation gaps have emerged across all 17 Goals, which aim to tackle everything from poverty, hunger and gender equality, to access to education and clean energy.
Lagging public interest in achieving the Goals, geopolitical friction and perhaps most critically, the global coronavirus pandemic, have left the SDGs in need of a global rescue plan. The Secretary-General said that only 15% of targets were on track today, and many are in reverse. He added that Monday’s SDG Summit would be a time for governments to present concrete plans to accelerate progress.
“They are about people’s hopes, dreams, and rights, and our natural environment. The UN chief stated that they are about redressing historical wrongs, healing divisions on the global scale and putting our planet on a course to lasting peace.
Everyone must step up to revive the Goals, and ensure that people and planet live better lives.
Mr. Mr. The Secretary-General said that women and young people joining us should continue to fight for change in their communities, as well as for their rights and a place at every table. Your communities will save them. Continue to listen to your community members and integrate their concerns and needs into your policies and investments.