Every UN SDG ‘seriously off track’ reaching 2030 target

At the midpoint of the 2030 agenda for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) all of its goals are “seriously off track”, according to a new report from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

The SDSN stated that from 2015 to 2019, the world made some progress on the SDGs, although this was “vastly insufficient” to achieve the goals.

Launched in 2015, the UN SDGs are a set of seventeen interlinked targets on areas such as zero hunger, an end to poverty worldwide, and environmental goals related to curbing climate emissions and protecting biodiversity. 

Many financial institutions have incorporated the UN SDGs into their ESG approach, and UN SDG-linked bonds are a key part of the wider green and social bond sector.

The SDSN report in part blamed the delay in progress on the goals on the Covid pandemic, from which point development has become largely static.

Only limited progress was found to being made on the environmental and biodiversity goals, including SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land), even in countries that are largely to blame for the climate and biodiversity crises.

The disruptions caused by multiple crises such as Covid, the war in Ukraine, and tensions between the US and China, were also found to have aggravated issues in low-income countries, leading to a reversal in progress on several goals and indicators.

However, the SDSN also made clear in its report that, “despite this alarming development, the SDGs are still achievable. None of their objectives are beyond our reach.”

The SDSN is a non-profit launched by the United Nations in 2012 to promote the implementation of the UN SDGs.

In April this year, The Sustainable Development Investments Asset Owner Platform, together with distribution partner Qontigo, launched a tool for investors to analyse investment portfolios against the UN SDGs.