The world is halfway to the 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but progress is lagging badly. At a two-day summit in September 2023, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be trying to kick-start action to achieve the 17 goals, which include ending extreme poverty, ensuring quality education for all children, and tackling climate change.
The summit declaration, which will be adopted by world leaders, recognizes that the goals are “in peril” and reaffirms their commitment to achieve them. However, the declaration is short on specifics about how this will be done in the next seven years.
Guterres has called on governments, businesses, activists, and other stakeholders to join forces to achieve the SDGs. He has said that the summit is “the moment for governments to come to the table with concrete plans and proposals to accelerate progress.”
In simpler terms:
The world is behind on its goals to make the world a better place by 2030. Leaders from around the world are meeting to try to get back on track. The summit declaration is a statement of commitment to the goals, but it doesn’t say exactly how they will be achieved. Guterres is calling on everyone to work together to make the SDGs happen.
