Goal of the Month – Socioeconomic Outlook
The July edition of Goal of the Month editorial looks at the social and economic dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. According to the World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2023, the global economy is projected to grow by 2.3 per cent in 2023, well below the average rate of 3.1 per cent during the two decades before the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring challenges for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In July, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (10-19 July) and the SDGs Report 2023: Special Edition (10 July) will be at the centre of global efforts to scale up action on the Goals.
Where are we?
Halfway to the 2030 deadline, the SDGs are in peril. The UN Secretary-General’s 2023 SDGs Report: Special Edition shows that about 12 per cent of targets are on track; more than half, though showing progress, are moderately or severely off track and some 30 per cent have either seen no movement or regressed below the 2015 baseline.
Unless we take urgent action now, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030 — and only about one third of countries will meet the target to halve national poverty levels. Shockingly, the world is back at hunger levels not seen since 2005 — and food prices remain higher in more countries than in the period from 2015-2019. The way things are going, it will take 286 years to close gender gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws.
Moreover, the gap between the rich and poor is expanding, with the most vulnerable countries bearing the brunt of global crises. Developing countries are grappling with exorbitant borrowing costs — up to eight times higher than those of developed countries. “It is clear that the international financial architecture has failed in its mission to provide a global safety net for developing countries,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the recent Paris Summit on New Global Financing Pact, stressing the longer-term need to reform the global financial system while calling for an immediate SDG Stimulus of $500 billion per year for investments in sustainable development and climate action.
Turning point
But there is hope. Early efforts after the adoption of the SDGs produced some favourable trends. To name a few examples, extreme poverty and child mortality rates continued to fall. Humanity made inroads against such diseases as HIV and hepatitis. The SDG Summit on 18 to 19 September 2023, preceded by the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July, aims to signal a fundamental shift in commitment, solidarity, financing and action to put the world on a better path.
In Focus
High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (10-19 July)
Governments from both developed and developing countries will gather together with business, civil society, thought leaders and influencers at the 2023 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council on 10 to 19 July at UN Headquarters in New York to scale up transformative action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The theme for this year’s Forum is “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels.” In addition to an in-depth review of Goals 6 (clean water and sanitation), 7 (affordable and clean energy), 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and 17 (partnerships), the Forum will also feature a general debate and thematic discussions.
Thirty-nine countries and the European Union will present their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) — the bold actions they are taking on the SDGs — on 14 to 19 July. The 2023 presenters are: Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chile, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, European Union, Fiji, France, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Mongolia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam and Zambia.
The Forum will feed into the SDG Summit and the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, as world leaders gather at UN Headquarters in New York during the General Assembly high-level week in September to turn the tide and kick-start a new drive for SDG achievement. As the main multi-stakeholder platform for reviewing progress on the SDGs, the Forum will serve as a pre-SDG Summit event to help identify substantive priorities, raise awareness and generate political momentum.
Curtain Raiser Press Briefing
When: 1:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday 7 July
Where: UN Press Briefing Room, S-237 (Live on UN WebTV)
Who: Lachezara Stoeva, President of UN ECOSOC
Key Reports
Join a media briefing on The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition that presents a candid assessment of the SDGs. While highlighting the existing gaps and urging the world to redouble its efforts on achieving the SDGs, the report also emphasizes the immense potential for success through strong political will and the utilization of available technologies, resources, and knowledge. Together, we can reignite progress towards achieving the SDGs and create a brighter future for all.
Press Briefing
When: 12:30 p.m. (EDT) on 10 July
Where: UN Press Briefing Room, S-237 (Live on UN WebTV)
Who:
Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs;
Francesca Perucci, Assistant Director, UN Statistics Division, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs;
Astra Bonini, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (TBC).
Following the media briefing, there will be a High-Level Event “Call to Action” at 1:30 pm EDT. Details on the Report and Event are here.
The report aims to provide a strategic response to the outcomes of the UN 2023 Water Conference, including the Water Action Agenda, and contribute to the discussions of Member States and relevant stakeholders at the 2023 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which includes a Special Event focused on SDG 6 and the Water Action Agenda. Find more information about the report here, and the pre-launch social media assets are found in the UN-Water annual Trello – June list.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) is an annual flagship report jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). It monitors and analyses the world’s progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition. It also provides in-depth analysis on key challenges for achieving these Goals in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The 2023 edition highlights the latest updates on the food security and nutrition situation around the world, including updated estimates on the cost and affordability of healthy diets. The report’s theme “Urbanization, agrifood systems transformation, and healthy diets across the rural-urban continuum” will explore how urbanization is shaping agrifood systems and the implications of this nexus for the availability and affordability of healthy diets, food security and nutrition.
A high-level launch will take place for the fifth SOFI report on 12 July from 10 am to 12 pm EDT. For registration and report details, please refer to the following links:
- Registration and live streaming: https://www.fao.org/new-york/events/detail/launch-of-the-state-of-food-security-and-nutrition-in-the-world-2023/en
- Report details and resources: https://www.fao.org/publications/home/fao-flagship-publications/the-state-of-food-security-and-nutrition-in-the-world/en
The Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth will release the 3rd edition of Youth2030 Progress Report, assessing progress towards the implementation of the UN’s first-ever systemwide youth strategy, Youth2030. Based on reporting from 55 UN entities and 130+ UN Country Teams, the report highlights: how the UN system is advancing global commitments FOR and WITH youth; the impact of UN strategic planning; the availability of funding and coherence; and coordination on youth work. It also describes how global stewardship is strengthening system-wide accountability, ensuring that no youth is left behind.
The full report will be available online here. The report will also be presented at a side event on 19 July as part of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development.
Also Coming Up
Women and girls make up 49.7 percent of the global population. Yet their desires for their lives, families and careers are often ignored in discussions on demographics and their rights violated in population policies.
On World Population Day 2023, the theme “Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities” highlights the need to advance gender equality to help realize the dreams of all 8 billion of us. This process starts by listening to the voices of women, girls and other marginalized people and introducing laws and policies that enable them to exert their rights and make meaningful choices. Only then will we be able to harness the power half the planet holds to take on the pressing problems of our day. A diverse, thriving world of 8 billion people – full of infinite possibilities – depends on it.
In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2023 is Skilling teachers, trainers and youth for a transformative future. It highlights the essential role that teachers, trainers and other educators play in providing skills for youth to transition to the labour market and to actively engage in their communities and societies.
Register for a hybrid event, “Empowering youth for a sustainable future: building skills for tomorrow,” taking place at 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (CEST) on 14 July in Bonn, Germany. Co-organized by UNESCO-UNEVOC and WorldSkills International, the event will showcase the positive impact of youth skills development on societies and economies and empower young people to meet the challenges of an evolving global landscape through technical and vocational education and training.
The UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment marks a pivotal juncture in our collective journey towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through transforming our global food systems. Taking place in Rome, Italy from 24–26 July 2023, on the premises of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), this meeting is convened by the UN Secretary-General, hosted by the Government of Italy, in collaboration with the Rome-based UN Agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP), the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and the wider UN system.
The UN Food Systems Summit +2 (UNFSS+2) Stocktaking Moment will build on the momentum of the 2021 Food Systems Summit and will create a conducive space for countries to review progress on the commitments to action that were made during the FSS and identify successes, enduring bottlenecks and priorities in order to close the implementation gap by effectively and efficiently utilizing the Means of Implementation for food systems transformation. It will also be an opportunity to further socialize the powerful role of sustainable, equitable, healthy and resilient food systems as critical SDG accelerators and advocate for urgent action at scale, building on the latest evidence that sustainable food systems contribute to better and more sustainable outcomes for people and planet.
For Summit registration, please find the details here.
More information and frequently asked questions are also available here.
During the official opening day of the Summit, winners and finalists for UN SDG Action Awards will be unveiled at a ceremony taking place on 24 July. The UN SDG Action Awards is a signature programme of the UN SDG Action Campaign, seeking initiatives and individuals that mobilize, inspire and connect people to drive positive change. Register to watch the UN SDG Action Awards ceremony here.