UN deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed has called for innovative solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stressing that the international community must urgently summon the commitment and investments needed to achieve these goals.

According to her, the international community must summon the commitment and investment needed to achieve the SDGs before the 2030 deadline.

Addressing the opening of the 2024 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development HLPF, Ms Mohammed called for transformative actions and bold policies to address pressing global challenges such as poverty, food insecurity, and climate change.

“Although the greatest challenges before us are daunting, together we can overcome them, achieve the peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future that all people not only need but deserve,” she told delegates at the UN Headquarters, in New York on Monday.

She also stressed the importance of inclusive participation, particularly of youth and marginalised groups, and the cross-cutting nature of gender perspective for achieving sustainable development.

Ms Mohammed highlighted the importance of reflecting on how to progress towards the 2030 Agenda in the context of the eagerly awaited Summit of the Future.

“The Summit is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to mend eroded trust and demonstrate that international cooperation – human solidarity in the face of opportunity but also threats – can carry us forward,” she said.

In that context, she noted the special event on SDG Acceleration next Monday, which will dive deeper into specific investments needed and showcase country-level examples of action.

Further in her remarks, Ms Mohammed highlighted the multifaceted challenges facing the global community, from poverty to climate change, from war to gender-based violence.

The deeply sobering fact that less than one-fifth of the SDGs are on track should be unacceptable for all of us, she stressed.

“But it is also fixable…this is what this Forum is about – finding the solutions and the political will to turn our words into actions in the lives of people in the billions,” she told the delegates. “Your presence, energy and ambition tell me that, although the greatest challenges before us are daunting, together we can overcome them, achieve the peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future that all people not only need but deserve.”

Also addressing the Forum, Paula Narváez, president of ECOSOC, highlighted the challenges faced by developing countries, particularly conflict-affected areas, stressing the need for peace and stability. She emphasised that the agenda includes local and regional actions, insights from regional forums, key intergovernmental discussions and 37 countries presenting their VNRs.

The forum’s general debate will bridge 2023 SDG’s Summit to this September’s Summit of the Future.

Under the auspices of the Economic and Social (ECOSOC), this year’s theme focuses on eradicating poverty through sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions amid various crises.

Running through 17 July, the Forum will review progress towards Goal 1 on ending poverty, Goal 2 on zero hunger, Goal 13 on Climate action, Goal 16 on peaceful and inclusive societies, and Goal 17 on strengthening means of implementation.

On the calendar are Voluntary National Review (VNR) Labs, where countries voluntarily report on their progress towards achieving the SDGs, their challenges, and their plans to overcome them.  

(NAN)