End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

There is an escalating issue of hunger and food insecurity worldwide, with the number of affected individuals rising steadily since 2015, exacerbated by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, climate change, and inequality. Despite global efforts, projections suggest that by 2030, approximately 670 million people will still face hunger, equal to the number in 2015. Challenges persist in reducing malnutrition among children, necessitating a 2.2-fold increase in the current rate of reduction in stunting to meet global targets. Urgent action is required to transform food systems, enhance food security, and invest in sustainable agricultural practices to achieve zero hunger by 2030. Additionally, various targets address issues such as the increase in food insecurity due to the pandemic, the stagnation in reducing overweight children, declining investments in agriculture, the elimination of agricultural export subsidies, and the ongoing challenge of fluctuating food prices, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and least developed countries.

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

It is noted that the challenges facing the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3), exacerbated by the pandemic and ongoing crises, lead to a rise in health inequalities and threatening universal health coverage. Notably, there's an alarming increase in the number of un- or under-vaccinated children, especially in low- and middle-income countries, alongside a slow decline in maternal mortality rates and under-5 mortality rates, with urgent efforts required to meet the 2030 targets. Progress towards ending communicable diseases remains off track, with setbacks observed in reducing HIV infections, TB, and malaria cases. Additionally, there's a need to bolster health systems and address the shortage of health workers, especially in regions with high disease burdens. Efforts to enhance family planning services and childhood vaccinations also require immediate attention to ensure universal access to healthcare services.

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

The existing challenges in achieving education targets, is worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has further disrupted progress. Without additional measures, only a small fraction of countries will meet Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) by 2030, leaving millions of children without access to quality education and lacking essential numeracy and literacy skills. Despite some improvements in school completion rates, progress has slowed, and learning levels have stagnated, with documented losses due to pandemic-related school closures. Access to pre-primary education remains limited, and participation in education and training for youth and adults is insufficient. Basic school infrastructure and teacher qualifications are also highlighted as areas needing attention. Reimagining education systems and prioritizing education financing are crucial for achieving SDG4 effectively.

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

The illustrated stark reality that the world is far from achieving gender equality by 2030, with none of the 18 indicators being on track to meet targets. Progress in closing gender gaps in various areas, such as legal protection, representation in leadership roles, and ending child marriage, remains slow, with estimations suggesting it could take centuries to achieve parity. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing gender inequalities, particularly in healthcare, education, and economic opportunities. Comprehensive policy reforms and strong political leadership are deemed essential to dismantle systemic barriers to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) and advancing gender equality globally.

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Despite some progress, billions of people still lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, with water scarcity worsening due to conflicts and climate change. Achieving universal coverage by 2030 requires substantial increases in current rates of progress, particularly for drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene. Challenges include water pollution, wastewater treatment, and water use efficiency, compounded by inadequate frameworks for sustainable water management and decreasing ODA disbursements to the water sector. Addressing these issues necessitates boosting infrastructure investment, enhancing cross-sectoral coordination, and prioritizing climate change adaptation efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6).

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Despite improvements in access to electricity and clean cooking fuels globally, significant challenges persist, with 675 million people still lacking electricity access and 2.3 billion relying on unsafe cooking fuels. The war in Ukraine and economic uncertainty contribute to energy price volatility, prompting mixed responses with some countries investing more in renewables while others increase reliance on coal, jeopardizing the green transition. If current trends persist, millions will remain without electricity access and clean cooking fuels by 2030. Accelerating electrification, ramping up investments in renewables, and enhancing electricity grid infrastructure are essential to achieve universal energy access and mitigate climate impacts. However, decreasing international financial support for clean energy in developing countries poses a significant challenge, highlighting the need for concerted global efforts to ensure equitable energy access and sustainable development.

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Progress toward achieving SDG8 faces significant challenges exacerbated by various crises including the aftermath of COVID-19, trade tensions, and the conflict in Ukraine. These factors are predicted to slow down global economic growth, jeopardizing advancements in equitable pay and decent work. While global real GDP per capita increased in 2021, forecasts indicate a slowdown in growth, particularly impacting LDCs. Informal employment remains a prevalent issue with around 2 billion workers lacking social protection, and productivity growth has been declining globally. The global unemployment rate has slightly decreased but remains a concern, especially among young people, with nearly one in four not in education, employment, or training. Additionally, child labor has increased, and while tourism's economic contribution is recovering, challenges persist in achieving sustainable development goals related to finance access and digital solutions. Addressing these issues will require comprehensive reforms in the financial system to tackle rising debts and promote equitable pay and decent work for all.

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

The recovery of the manufacturing industry from COVID-19 is varied, with high-income regions reaching record levels of manufacturing value added (MVA) per capita in 2022, while levels in least developed countries (LDCs) remained close to the 2015 baseline. Higher-technology industries recovered faster, indicating the importance of promoting innovation and technology transfer. To achieve Goal 9 by 2030, it is crucial to support LDCs, invest in advanced technologies, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance global mobile broadband access. Despite global manufacturing employment returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2021, the share of manufacturing employment in total employment continued to decline. Additionally, while global CO2 emissions reached a new all-time high in 2022, access to mobile broadband, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and LDCs, remains a challenge.

Reduce inequality within and among countries

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the incomes of the bottom 40% of the population were increasing faster than the national average in many countries, contributing to a reduction in income inequality. However, the pandemic and subsequent uneven recoveries across regions threaten to reverse this trend and exacerbate global inequality. Record numbers of people are fleeing conflicts and economic hardship, with one in 251 people worldwide being a refugee by mid-2022, the highest proportion ever documented. Achieving SDG 10 requires addressing the root causes of wage disparities and access to resources within and between countries. Despite some progress, challenges remain, such as the persistence of a high share of people living below half the median income in many countries and a decline in the share of economic output earned by workers over the past decade. Additionally, the global average cost of sending remittances remains high, exceeding the SDG target.

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant shifts in migration patterns, impacting urban areas disproportionately and hindering progress towards sustainable cities. The number of people living in slums or slum-like conditions in urban areas has been steadily growing, exacerbating the housing crisis, particularly in developing countries. Access to public transportation remains inadequate for over half of the world's urban population, and the physical expansion of cities outpaces population growth, highlighting challenges in urban planning. Waste management also remains a concern, with a significant portion of municipal solid waste left uncollected, contributing to pollution and health risks. To achieve SDG 11, efforts must focus on strengthening urban planning capacities, improving public transportation access, enhancing waste management systems, and increasing the proportion of open public spaces in cities. Additionally, increasing the number of countries with local governments equipped with disaster risk reduction strategies is crucial for building resilience in urban areas.

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

The world is falling short of its target to reduce per-capita food waste and losses by 2030, exacerbated by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which have altered consumption and production patterns. There is an urgent need for responsible consumption and production practices to be integrated into the pandemic recovery efforts, alongside accelerating the decoupling of economic growth from resource use. While reporting on corporate sustainability has increased significantly since the start of the SDG period, there is room for improvement, particularly in reporting activities contributing to the SDGs. Key policies supporting the transition to sustainable practices have been implemented, but there are regional disparities in reporting and progress. Despite efforts, post-harvest food losses remain stagnant, far from the goal of halving them by 2030. Additionally, fossil fuel subsidies have risen, posing a challenge to sustainability efforts. To achieve SDG12, robust policies promoting sustainable practices and reducing resource use are essential.

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

The world faces an imminent climate crisis, with current actions insufficient to prevent catastrophic impacts. Urgent and transformative measures are needed within this decade to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors to meet the 1.5°C target. Failure to act risks the lives of billions of people, leading to worsening heatwaves, droughts, floods, wildfires, sea-level rise, and famines. Emissions must be nearly halved by 2030 to combat climate change effectively. Despite some progress in disaster risk reduction strategies and climate finance, global temperatures have already exceeded 1.1°C, and emissions continue to rise, surpassing pre-industrial levels. Furthermore, climate change education remains inadequate, with a significant portion of national curriculum frameworks lacking mention of climate change, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive climate action and education.

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

The health of the ocean, the world's largest ecosystem, is in danger due to rising acidification, eutrophication, declining fish stocks, and plastic pollution. Despite some progress in expanding marine protected areas and combating illegal fishing, more concerted efforts and acceleration are needed to advance towards SDG14. Urgent and coordinated global action is required to protect the ocean, which continues to be endangered by destructive trends. The UN Ocean Conference 2025 and other events are planned to address these issues, including the Civil Society and Other Stakeholders Forum-SIDS4 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States and the Second Preparatory Committee Meeting for the SIDS4 Conference. Additionally, more robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are needed to assess progress accurately and identify areas requiring intervention.

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Terrestrial ecosystems are under immense pressure from human activities, leading to biodiversity loss, deforestation, desertification, and land degradation. Despite efforts to expand protected areas and combat illegal wildlife trade, global biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. Urgent and transformative action is needed to reverse these trends and achieve SDG 15 targets. However, current progress remains insufficient, with biodiversity loss continuing unabated, and over 25% of species assessed are at risk of extinction. Additionally, deforestation rates have increased in some regions, and desertification and land degradation are ongoing challenges. Concerted efforts are needed to restore degraded ecosystems, protect endangered species, and promote sustainable land use practices to safeguard terrestrial biodiversity and achieve SDG 15.

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Despite progress in some areas, significant challenges remain in achieving peaceful, just, and inclusive societies worldwide. Conflict, violence, and insecurity continue to threaten progress, with over 22 million people displaced due to conflict or persecution by mid-2022. Additionally, progress towards reducing homicide rates and ensuring access to justice remains slow, particularly in conflict-affected regions. Strengthening the rule of law, promoting accountable institutions, and fostering inclusive governance are essential for achieving SDG 16 targets. However, civic space continues to shrink globally, with increasing restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Upholding human rights, promoting gender equality, and combating corruption are critical for building peaceful and inclusive societies and advancing sustainable development.

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires effective implementation strategies, robust partnerships, and sufficient financing. Despite some progress, global efforts to mobilize resources for sustainable development have been inadequate, with developing countries facing significant challenges in accessing finance and technology transfer. Strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development are crucial for accelerating progress towards the SDGs. However, ODA disbursements have declined in recent years, and the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has further strained limited resources. Enhancing international cooperation, promoting innovative financing mechanisms, and fostering inclusive partnerships are essential for achieving the SDGs by 2030. Additionally, addressing systemic barriers, such as debt sustainability and trade restrictions, is necessary to ensure equitable and sustainable development for all.