Gearing to meet SDG goals

Sustainable Development Goals’ state of play: Why humanity is failing on the journey to 2030

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The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 linked objectives adopted in 2015 to tackle the world’s most urgent issues by 2030. These targets include ending poverty and hunger, ensuring healthy lives and well-being, providing affordable, quality education, achieving gender equality, securing clean water and sanitation, delivering affordable and reliable energy and fostering sustainable economic growth. Each goal is supported by specific targets and indicators, offering a measurable framework for progress. The SDGs are universal, applicable to all countries regardless of income level, emphasise the interconnected nature of global challenges and therefore require comprehensive solutions.

2025 United Nations' SDG Report

Assessing progress toward the SDGs is a complex, ongoing process. Achievement of the SDGs varies significantly across regions and goals. The UN produces a comprehensive annual report on the journey to 2030. The most recent one, the 2025 SDG Report (published in July), highlights progress and challenges in achieving the SDGs by 2030. While significant strides have been made in areas such as social protection, education and access to electricity, only 18% of the SDG targets are on track, while 17% are making moderate progress - resulting in an overall success rate of a pitiful 35%! Even more disheartening, nearly 50% of the goals are moving too slowly and 18% are regressing.

Indeed, humanity is failing on the arduous journey to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Persistent issues such as poverty, hunger, gender inequality, climate change and limited access to essential services continue to impede global development. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasised, "We face a global development emergency," urging bold action across six vital transitions: food systems, energy, digital connectivity, education, jobs and social protection, and climate and biodiversity.