The United Nations released a report in 2024 expressing concern about the slow progress towards achieving the 169 goals set in 2015 for improving global conditions. The United Nations released a report in 2024 expressing concern about the slow progress towards achieving the 169 goals set in 2015 for improving global conditions. Slow Progress and Setbacks: – Only 17% of the goals are on track to be met by 2030. – Nearly half of the goals show minimal or moderate progress. – Over a third of the goals have stalled or faced setbacks. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: – An estimated 23 million more people will be in extreme poverty by 2022. – Over 100 million more people will go hungry than in 2019. Specific Challenges: – Economic Inequality: GDP growth in half of the world’s most vulnerable countries is slower than in advanced economies. – Food Security: Nearly 60% of countries faced high food prices in 2022. – Quality Education: Only 58% of students worldwide achieved minimum reading proficiency in primary school. – Gender Equality: One in five girls still marries before 18, violence against women persists, and women are underrepresented in management positions. Glimmers of Hope: – Mobile broadband is now accessible to 95% of the world’s population. – The global capacity to generate electricity from renewable energy has grown at 8.1% per year in the past five years. – Increased access to treatment has prevented 20.8 million AIDS-related deaths. – Girls in most regions now achieve the same level of education as boys. – Some women are breaking glass ceilings in leadership roles. Call to Action: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for urgent action to: – End wars and invest in peace and people. – Combat climate change and promote green transitions. – Increase investments in developing countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. – Reduce debt burdens and expand access to emergency financing.
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations warned Friday that only 17% of 169 goals to improve the lives of the world’s more than 7 billion people are on track to be met by the 2030 deadline.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched the annual report with the words: “It shows that the world is getting a failing grade.”
In 2015, world leaders adopted 17 broad development goals, ranging from ending global poverty to achieving gender equality. In addition, they have set 169 specific goals to be achieved by the end of the decade.
According to the report, nearly half of targets are showing minimal or moderate progress and more than a third are stalled or set back; only 17% is on track to be achieved.
“The conclusion is simple,” Guterres said. “Our failure to secure peace, tackle climate change and boost international finance undermines development.”
The report also notes the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that by 2022, another 23 million people will be in extreme poverty and more than 100 million more people will go hungry than in 2019.
“In a world of unprecedented wealth, knowledge and technologies, the denial of basic needs for so many is outrageous and unacceptable,” Guterres said.
On the negative side, the UN reported that for the first time this century, GDP per capita growth in half of the world’s most vulnerable countries is slower than that of advanced economies, threatening gains in equality. And in 2022, it said, nearly 60% of countries faced moderately to abnormally high food prices.
The goal of quality education is far from being achieved. Only 58% of students worldwide achieved minimum reading proficiency by the end of primary school, and “recent assessments show significant declines in math and reading scores in many countries,” the report said.
On gender equality, the report said the world is still lagging behind: one in five girls still marries before the age of 18, violence against women persists, far too many women do not have the right to decide about their sexual and reproductive health. And if the current pace continues, it will take 176 years for women to be on equal footing with men in management positions.
Guterres said the report also contains “some glimmers of hope.”
Mobile broadband is accessible to 95% of the world’s population, up from 78% in 2015. The global capacity to generate electricity from renewable energy has grown at an unprecedented 8.1% per year over the past five years, the report said.
Increased access to treatment has prevented 20.8 million AIDS-related deaths over the past three decades. New malaria vaccines being rolled out could save millions of lives. Girls in most regions now reach the same level of education as boys. And many women are breaking glass ceilings, the report says.
“But the speed and scale of change needed for sustainable development is still far too slow,” Guterres said.
He called for action to end the wars from Gaza to Ukraine, Sudan and beyond, “and to shift from spending money on destruction and war to investing in people and peace.”
The Secretary-General also called for more action to combat climate change and for “the green and digital transitions.”
According to the report, there is a $4 trillion annual shortfall in investments needed to help developing countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Guterres called for greater efforts to make resources available and also to reduce debt pressures and debt service costs, to expand access to emergency financing for countries at risk of a cash flow crisis, and to increase the lending capacity of the World Bank and other development banks.
“We must not abandon our promises: to end poverty, protect the planet and leave no one behind,” the Secretary General said.
On the Internet: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2024/
