UN Reports Only 35 Percent of SDGs Progress as Planned

(MENAFN) With just five years remaining, only 35 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are progressing as planned, while nearly half are stagnating and 18 percent have worsened, a UN report revealed Monday.

Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a decade ago, significant global progress has been recorded in areas such as health, education, energy, and digital access, according to The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025.

New HIV infections have dropped by nearly 40 percent since 2010. Malaria prevention efforts have prevented 2.2 billion cases and saved 12.7 million lives since 2000. Social protection coverage now extends to more than half the global population, a sharp increase over the past ten years. Education access has expanded, with 110 million more children and youth enrolled since 2015. The report also notes reductions in child marriage rates, rising school retention for girls, and increased female representation in parliaments worldwide.

In 2023, 92 percent of people globally had electricity access. Internet connectivity jumped from 40 percent in 2015 to 68 percent in 2024. Conservation initiatives have doubled the protection of critical ecosystems, bolstering biodiversity resilience.

Despite these gains, the overall speed of progress falls short of what is required to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

More than 800 million individuals continue to live in extreme poverty. Billions remain without access to safe drinking water, sanitation, or hygiene services. Climate change made 2024 the hottest year on record. Armed conflicts resulted in nearly 50,000 deaths last year, and by year-end, over 120 million people were forcibly displaced. Meanwhile, low- and middle-income nations faced historic debt servicing costs totaling $1.4 trillion in 2023, the report stated.

The report urges urgent action focused on six critical sectors: food systems, energy access, digital transformation, education, employment and social protection, and climate and biodiversity initiatives.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized at the report’s release, "We are in a global development emergency -- an emergency measured in the over 800 million people still living in extreme poverty, in intensifying climate impacts, and in relentless debt service, draining the resources that countries need to invest in their people."

He added, "Today's report shows that the Sustainable Development Goals are still within reach. But only if we act -- with urgency, unity, and unwavering resolve."

UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua, presenting the report, called for "urgent multilateralism" to combat the stalled progress on the SDGs.

He said, "The challenges we face are inherently global and interconnected. No country, regardless of its wealth or capacity, can address climate change, pandemic preparedness or inequality alone. The 2030 Agenda represents our collective recognition that our destinies are intertwined and that sustainable development is not a zero-sum game, but a shared endeavor that benefits all."

"This moment demands what I call 'urgent multilateralism' -- a renewed commitment to international cooperation based on evidence, equity and mutual accountability. It means treating the SDGs not as aspirational goals but as non-negotiable commitments to current and future generations," Li stressed.

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