UN says Sustainable Development Goals at risk in current political climate

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on Monday for the world to act "with urgency and ambition" as the current political climate puts sustainable development goals at risk. 

Guterres spoke to ministers of UN member states during the 2025 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York. 

The forum is the UN's platform for reviewing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

“The Sustainable Development Goals are not a dream. They are a plan. A plan to keep our promises to the most vulnerable people, to each other, and to future generations", Guterres said.

Only 35% of sustainable development goals are on track to meet their targets by 2030, according to a recent UN report.

The UN chief said the wars and perils of the world are pushing SDGs targets further out of reach. 

“The global economy is slowing. Trade tensions are rising. Inequalities are growing. Aid budgets are being decimated while military spending soars. And mistrust, division and outright conflicts are placing the international problem-solving system under unprecedented strain", he said.

The Secretary-General said the world "must not surrender." He pointed to recent commitments such as the Pandemic Agreement adopted at the World Health Assembly in May, and the pledges to expand marine protected areas that came out of the third UN Ocean Conference in June.

He said these achievements were "not isolated wins" but "signs of momentum."

World leaders adopted the Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 as a roadmap to end poverty, protect the planet and tackle inequalities. 

The 17 sustainable development goals are meant to reach their targets by 2030.