UN secretary general António Guterres has urged countries to recommit themselves to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Mr Guterres made the call in New York at the launch of a special edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) progress report.

He warned that their collective promise made in 2015 of a more green, just and equitable global future is in peril.

“Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been,” he said.

The report reveals that just 12 per cent of the 169 SDG targets are on track, while progress on 50 per cent is weak and insufficient. Worst of all, he said, is the fact that progress has either stalled or even reversed more than 30 per cent of the goals.

The 17 SDGs are in a sorry state due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating “triple crisis” of climate, biodiversity and pollution, amplified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According to him, as a result, the number of people living in extreme poverty is higher than it was four years ago.

“Hunger has also increased and is now back at 2005 levels, and gender equality is some 300 years away. Other fallouts include record-high inequality and rising greenhouse gas emissions,’’ Mr Guterres noted.

The UN chief noted that many developing countries could not invest in the SDGs because of burdensome debt, while climate finance is far below commitments.

Richer nations have not yet delivered on the $100 billion promised annually in support, he recalled, among other climate pledges.

“The 2030 Agenda is an agenda of justice and equality, of inclusive, sustainable development, and human rights and dignity for all. It requires fundamental changes to the way the global economy is organised,” he said.

The UN chief added, “The SDGs are the path to bridge both economic and geopolitical divides, to restore trust and rebuild solidarity. Let’s be clear: no country can afford to see them fail.”

Mr Guterres appealed for an SDG Stimulus plan of at least $500 billion yearly and for deep reforms to the international financial architecture, both key recommendations in the report.

(NAN)