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Mr. Guterres was speaking at the opening of a high-level forum at UN Headquarters where world leaders adopted a political declaration to accelerate action to achieve the 17 goals, which aim to drive economic prosperity and well-being for all people while protecting the environment.

“The SDGs aren’t just a list of goals. They carry the hopes, dreams, rights and expectations of people everywhere,” he said.

Concerted, ambitious action

World leaders adopted the SDGs in 2015, promising to leave no one behind. The goals include ending extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring access to clean water and sanitation, as well as green energy, and providing quality universal education and lifelong learning opportunities.

UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis noted that despite commitments, 1.2 billion people were still living in poverty as of 2022, and roughly eight per cent of the global population, or 680 million people, will still be facing hunger by the end of the decade. The international community cannot accept these numbers, he said.

"With concerted, ambitious action, it is still possible that, by 2030, we could lift 124 million additional people out of poverty and ensure that some 113 million fewer people are malnourished," he said.

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Going backwards

Each of the 17 goals contains targets, with 169 overall, but the Secretary-General warned that currently only 15 per cent are on track, while many are going in reverse.

The political declaration "can be a game-changer in accelerating SDG progress," he said.

It includes a commitment to financing for developing countries and clear support for his proposal for an SDG Stimulus of at least $500 billion annually, as well as an effective debt-relief mechanism.

It further calls for changing the business model of multilateral development banks to offer private finance at more affordable rates for developing countries, and endorses reform of the international finance architecture which he has labelled "outdated, dysfunctional and unfair."

Millions still starving

The UN chief highlighted the need for action in six critical areas, starting with addressing hunger, which he called “a shocking stain on humanity, and an epic human rights violation.”

“It is an indictment of every one of us that millions of people are starving in this day and age,” he added.

The Secretary-General said the transition to renewable energy isn’t happening fast enough, while the benefits and opportunities of digitalization are not being spread widely enough.

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The 2023 SDG Summit

Education cannot wait

At the same time, too many children and young people worldwide are victims of poor quality education, or no education at all, he continued, before shining a spotlight on the need for decent work and social protection.

Finally, he called for an end to the war on nature and “the triple planetary crisis” characterized by climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

Ensure gender equality

“Cutting across all of these transitions is the need to ensure full gender equality,” he said. “It’s long past time to end discrimination, ensure a place at every table for women and girls, and to end the scourge of gender-based violence. “

Mr. Guterres highlighted UN response to each area, including initiatives to transform global food systems so everyone can have access to a healthy diet.

Other efforts focus on boosting investment in the renewable energy transition, promoting internet access for all, creating 400 million new “decent jobs”, and extending social protection to over four million people.

Testament to commitment

The President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Paula Narváez, was heartened by the adoption of the declaration, calling it a testament to leaders’ unwavering commitment towards implementing the SDGs.

ECOSOC is at the core of the UN system’s work on all three pillars of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental – and provides a platform for follow-up and review of the goals.

The two-day SDG Summit is the centrepiece of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week, the annual gathering of Heads of State and Government, and Ms. Narváez also pointed to two other events on the agenda.

Seize the moment

She said the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development will address the need for an international financial architecture that can respond to current needs and emerging challenges.

Meanwhile, the Climate Ambition Summit presents an opportunity for decisive progress on climate action and to raise the bar for more timely and targeted efforts.

“This week should serve as a turning point to rescue the SDGs,” she said. “We must not let this moment slip away.”

“I count on your Group, who have long been champions of multilateralism, to step up, to use your power, and fight,” he said.

“Champion a system rooted in equality; champion a system ready to reverse the injustice and neglect of centuries; and champion a system that delivers for all humanity and not only for the privileged.”

World failing developing countries

Mr. Guterres noted that although these countries have lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty in recent decades, they are now facing myriad crises, with rising poverty and hunger, rocketing prices, soaring debt, and surging climate disasters.

“Global systems and frameworks have let you down,” he told leaders gathered in the Cuban capital. “The conclusion is clear: the world is failing developing countries.”

He said change will require action at the national level to ensure good governance, mobilise resources and prioritise sustainable development. At the same time, this national ownership will have to be respected.

Science, technology and innovation

The Secretary-General upheld the need for strong, effective multilateral institutions as the international community moves to “a multipolar world”.

He recalled that many current institutions – particularly the UN Security Council, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank - were established “when many developing countries were shackled by colonial rule and had no say on their own affairs, or on global affairs.”

He said the summit’s theme of science, technology and innovation can promote solidarity, solve common problems, and help towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, today “they frequently inflame inequalities and entrench divisions”, he said, pointing to inequities between developed and developing nations in accessing COVID-19 vaccines and digital technology.

Mr. Guterres added that finance is another area for urgent global action. Many developing countries are unable to service their debts due to the lingering effects of the pandemic, the global cost-of-living crisis, and extreme climate impacts.

Deliver climate financing

“The world needs climate justice as it needs financial justice,” he said.

“Developed countries must deliver the promised $100 billion, double adaptation finance by 2025, and recapitalise the Green Climate Fund. Every person on earth must be protected by an early warning system by 2027 against natural disasters.”

Mr. Guterres expressed hope that next week’s Climate Ambition Summit, taking place at UN Headquarters in New York, “will be able to drive real progress”.

He also called for countries meeting at the COP28 UN climate conference this November to operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund, which the G77 and China has championed.

A fairer future

In his speech, the Secretary-General noted that he has proposed measures to make the global financial architecture more representative and responsive to the needs of developing countries.

He has also proposed an SDG Stimulus that would provide $500 billion annually in affordable long-term finance for sustainable development and climate action in developing countries.

The UN chief has convened the SDG Summit next week and a related Summit of the Future next year.

He said they represent “real opportunities to reshape the international system and international institutions to make them reflect today’s realities instead of the realities that existed after the Second World War to create a fairer future for developing countries."

The UN has also developed a Global Digital Compact aimed at securing a just transition to a digital economy, and that everyone benefits in the new technological era.

The Compact is being negotiated by countries ahead of the Summit of the Future, and Mr. Guterres urged the G77 and China to play a leading role.

“New rules for new technologies cannot just be written by the wealthy and the privileged,” he said.

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