Reports from the United Nations (UN) and other international institutions have shown a significant decline in progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is despite an uptick in awareness of their importance and countries including them within their national action agendas.
The Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015, aim to achieve “peace and prosperity for people and the planet.” Their overarching mission is to address challenges related to poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, peace, and justice.
However, recent reports suggest that they are in jeopardy.
Last Year Saw 6,687 Megatons of CO2 Due to Forest Fires
One report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published on July 22, for example, revealed that the world’s forests are increasingly vulnerable to forest fires and pests due to climate change. This is an indicator that Goal 15, “preserving life on land,” is under threat.
The report outlined that forests and trees are essential ecosystems and warned that their destruction will increase temperatures, impact rainfall patterns, and, ultimately, exacerbate the climate change crisis. This, in turn, has potentially dire consequences for agricultural productivity.
It was also outlined that forest fires worldwide are becoming more intense and more frequent, even in areas that were previously unaffected.
Further, in 2023 alone, wildfires released an estimated 6,687 megatonnes of carbon dioxide.
The FAO outlined that fires in the boreal zone, found just south of the Arctic, reached a new high in 2021 and accounted for nearly a quarter of all wildfire emissions, up from 10 per cent previously.
Regions of North America are also expected to suffer devastating damage due to insects and diseases by 2027.
Further, the report detailed that this forest destruction comes at a time when demand for global timber production has reached record levels, at four billion cubic metres annually. Further, global demand for timber could grow by up to 49 per cent between 2020 and 2050, according to the report.
It was shared that nearly six billion people depend on non-timber forest products, and 70 per cent of the world’s poor depend on wild species to meet their basic needs.
“Zero Hunger” in Danger
Eliminating hunger—Goal 2—is also at risk, it has been found.
Indeed, a new UN report on the state of food security and nutrition showed that around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one out of every 11 people worldwide and one in five people in Africa.
The report was issued by five specialised agencies of the United Nations, including the FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization.
Considering the data, the report warned that the world is now far from achieving “Zero Hunger”.
In fact, it was revealed that the world has actually been set back 15 years, with food shortages reaching levels close to those during the period 2008-2009.
Although some progress has been made in some areas, such as stunting rates decreasing and exclusive breastfeeding rates increasing, the report indicated that a huge number of people still suffer from food insecurity and malnutrition, with global hunger levels plateauing for the third year in a row.
Between 713 and 757 million people faced hunger in 2023, an increase of nearly 152 million from 2019.
The report emphasised the need to transform and strengthen agricultural and food systems, address inequalities, and ensure healthy diets are affordable and accessible to all.
In a press statement, the directors and heads of the five agencies that prepared the report said that mobilising innovative financing methods is required to bridge the gap in funding allocated to food security and nutrition.
Measures to eradicate hunger, they said, may cost billions of dollars but constitute an important investment for the future.
Urgent Call for Action Launched
Indeed, on Monday this week, the UN launched an urgent call for reforms in the international financial system to strengthen efforts to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
In her speech before the Preparatory Committee for the Fourth International Conference on
Financing for Development, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed said that many developing countries cannot invest in their future because they struggle to meet their immediate needs, such as paying salaries and meeting debt service.
She added that international capital is “flowing out of developing economies, rather than in”.
“If we are to rescue the SDGs, we need much greater urgency, and much higher ambition,” she commented.
This, it was shared, includes addressing the debt and development crisis, enhancing access to long-term, affordable financing and closing gaps in the global financial safety net, as well as establishing a fair and effective international tax system, rethinking blended finance, and tackling global economic governance reform.
The Landscape in the Arab Region
At the same time, this month, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), whose membership includes 21 Arab countries, launched a report on the state of sustainable development in 2024.
This report is issued every four years in cooperation with United Nations bodies working in the Arab region.
It stated that countries in the Arab region are witnessing a decline or stagnation in many key indicators as they struggle to overcome chronic challenges that prevent stimulating economic growth, increasing labour productivity and creating decent job opportunities.
It was also found that countries in the region lack diversification and experience weak integration into international value chains.
Indeed, the report notes that although countries have introduced policies aimed at diversifying their economies and enhancing their competitiveness, these policies have not yet achieved the progress required to move towards more innovative and productive economies.
The report said that unemployment in the region has been recording the highest rates in the world for a long time, which has affected the achievement of other goals, including efforts to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and limit investment in key sectors.
At the same time, global crises have hit the region’s faltering economies, resulting in serious economic repercussions.
Most countries were affected by a combination of factors, including the debt crisis, currency depreciation, reduced price support, political instability or the outbreak of conflicts.
These factors greatly affected economic recovery and raised the cost of living, it was shared.
Globally, Only 17 per cent of Goals on Track
Last month, the United Nations launched a report to measure progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, which found that only 17 per cent of the goals are on track, and that progress on more than a third of these goals has either stopped or reversed.
At the time, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations said: “In a world of unprecedented wealth, knowledge and technologies, the denial of basic needs for so many is outrageous & inexcusable.”
The report found that nearly 60 per cent of countries faced moderately to abnormally high food prices in 2022.
Meanwhile, 55 per cent of countries lacked non-discrimination laws that prohibit direct and indirect discrimination against women.
Indeed, the report outlined that progress in education remains a serious concern, with only 58 per cent of students around the world achieving minimum proficiency in reading by the end of primary school.
That being said, amidst the many failures, there were some brighter spots.
For example, the report highlighted that there has been some movement on education equality, some improvement in women’s leadership and political participation, higher rates of internet access, and lower rates of HIV infection.
The global unemployment rate also reached a historic low of 5 per cent in 2023. That said, persistent obstacles remain to achieving decent work.
Meanwhile, in the energy space, the global capacity to generate electricity from renewable energy was also found to be expanding at an “unprecedented rate.” Indeed, it has grown at 8.1 per cent annually for the past five years. However, the world is still off track.
Commenting on the road ahead, against this backdrop of damning UN reports, Guterres said: “We must not let up on our promise to end poverty & protect the planet.”
By Hadeer Elhadary, Lead Journalist, ESG Mena – Arabic