Written by Milo Basak, Research Officer

The UN Agenda 2030, adopted in 2015, envisioned the achievement “a world of universal respect for human rights and human dignity, the rule of law, justice, equality and non-discrimination”. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a successor to the Millennium Development Goals, represented the practical framework to achieving the Agenda. Comprising 17 ambitious targets, the SDGs aim to eradicate poverty, promote equality, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by 2030. September 2023 represented the halfway point to this target. Across the board, progress was looking relatively bleak.

The Summit opened on the 18th of September with Antonio Guterres declaring the SDGs were in crisis and in need of a “global rescue plan”. At this moment, of the 169 specific targets of the SDGs only 15% are estimated to be on track for 2030 and 30% of the targets had seen either no improvement or reverse trends since 2015. Global crises such as the Covid-19 Pandemic and invasion of Ukraine have crippled economies across the world, encouraging nations to turn inward and prioritise immediate and short-term relief rather than long-term international goals. Meanwhile hunger is growing globally; wealth and gender inequality is markedly persistent, and the world is on track to surpassing the 1.5C climate threshold. The Summit therefore had the considerable task of committing the Assembly to a massive financing and policy programme whilst also bridging some of the gaping fissures in the international community.

Despite these obstacles, by the end of the summit a shared declaration was achieved. On the surface, the declaration offers some hope for the Agenda 2030 goals. The UN General Assembly declared “We will act with urgency to realise the vision as a plan of action for people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership, leaving no one behind”. All countries recommitted to each of the SDGs and the declaration even contained some detailed next steps on plans to mobilise capital from the international community and reform international financial institutions to better support the SDGs in the developing world. Given the scale of current overlapping world crises and divisions in the international community, such a declaration can be said to be a success for the SDG agenda.

The question, of course, remains as to how far the discourse of the United Nations General Assembly will translate into concrete material progress in financing and policy commitments over the next several years. The barriers blocking progress on the SDGs are considerable and will not be overturned by mere international declarations. Indeed, statements made by political leaders in UN fora do not always translate into guaranteed policy shifts at the national level. In a liberal institution such as the UN, political representatives often participate discursively to save face and demonstrate some sympathy to the pressures and challenges facing other states. Upon returning home, many leaders will often forget their promises and cater again to domestic interests. Take for example, the German Chancellor who at the summit stated the importance of “keeping the goals at the top of the international agenda”, worrying that “time is running out” on fulfilling the SDGs. Meanwhile the German development aid budget is expected to be cut by 15% in the upcoming federal budget. Notable too, was the absence of Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron at the summit, political leaders of two of the wealthiest nations in the world. Whilst the deputy Prime Minister for the UK was sent in Rishi Sunak’s stead to tout the UK’s commitment of 2 billion pounds to the Green Climate Fund, the Conservative government’s gutting of its development aid budget is indicative of their underlying indifference towards the SDGs.

Moreover, achieving the SDGs is not merely a question of financing, but fundamentally concerns the willingness of political leaders to push forward SDG-friendly policies at the domestic level. A recent report from UN Women that evaluates global progress towards SDG 5, Gender Equality, found that it was not a simple question of financing, but rather progress towards women’s empowerment and equality was hindered due to “deeply rooted biases against women” amongst national society and political elites, which manifest in “unequal access to sexual and reproductive health, unequal political representation, economic disparities and a lack of legal protection”. For instance, the report found that of the 120 countries they reviewed, more than half still have no laws prohibiting discrimination against women.

Nonetheless, at least on the question of finances, the strength of the declaration would suggest that development funding should grow in the run up to 2030. The European Union, for instance, has committed 93 billion euros to their development aid budget which represents an increase of 30% from 2022. They have also pledged to help funnel around 300 billion euros worth of private capital into developing countries through their so-called ‘Global Gateway Investment Plan’. Whilst this falls considerably short of what is by some estimates a US$ 4 trillion annual funding deficit for achieving the SDGs across the world by 2030, it still suggests opportunities for progress will expand. Furthermore, the discourse of the SDGs will continue to permeate international donor and financial institutions, ensuring some momentum is carried forward regardless of the commitments from nation-states.

Even without any hard enforcement mechanisms included in the international agreement, the boldness of the declaration also creates the space for softer forms of pressure and accountability for governments to deliver on their international promises. Domestic pressure groups, unions, charities and other NGOs can use the SDG framework to reinforce their own demands and provide their campaigns with international legitimacy. Problematically, public awareness of the SDGs – especially in countries from the Global North that rarely articulate domestic policy making in the language of the SDGs – remains considerably low.

Overall, the Summit achieved as much as can be expected of a United Nations General Assembly declaration. Whilst it has created the rhetorical space for progress, responsibility for realising the SDGs by 2030 ultimately lies with the whims and decisions of the political and economic elites from individual nations across the world.

References:

https://www.dw.com/en/un-sustainable-development-goals-losing-the-race/a-66879154

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/18/un-summit-sees-western-leaders-defend-slow-progress-to-end-global-inequality

https://www.orfonline.org/research/bridging-the-sdgs-financing-gap/#:~:text=It%20is%20estimated%20that%20developing,the%20SDGs%20for%20the%20world.

https://www.issuelab.org/resources/29778/29778.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/sep/07/women-and-girls-being-failed-by-lacklustre-commitment-to-gender-equality-says-un