Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to present the Secretary-General’s 2025 progress report on the Sustainable Development Goals.
This report marks a decade of implementation of the transformative 2030 Agenda.
It reveals that only 35 per cent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress.
Nearly half are moving too slowly and, alarmingly, 18 per cent are in reverse.
While progress has been uneven, notable achievements across regions and countries demonstrate that change is possible.
Allow me to highlight a few examples:
? Millions have gained access to essential services. For the first time, more than half of the world's population is now covered by at least one social protection benefit.
? We have seen a significant decline in child marriage, and maternal and child mortality rates have fallen.
? An additional 110 million children and youth have entered school, with rising completion rates at all levels. More young people, especially girls, are also completing school.
? Women’s representation in parliaments has increased to 27%, up from 22% in 2015.
? 45 countries have achieved universal electricity access in the past decade; and access to clean cooking has expanded globally.
? Internet connectivity has increased by 70 per cent, opening new avenues for young people, communities, civil society and local leaders to deliver on the SDGs.
Despite these important gains, the convergence of conflicts, climate chaos, geopolitical tensions, and economic shocks continue to obstruct progress at the pace and scale needed to meet our 2030 commitments.
We face a global development emergency, with unprecedented challenges across multiple fronts:
? Over 800 million people remain trapped in extreme poverty.
? Carbon dioxide levels have reached the highest point in over two million years, with 2024 being the hottest year on record, surpassing the 1.5 degree threshold.
? Peace and security have deteriorated significantly, with more than 120 million people forcibly displaced from their homes —more than double the number in 2015.
? Debt servicing costs in low- and middle-income countries reached a record 1.4 trillion US dollars, squeezing resources vital for sustainable development.
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
This report is more than a story in numbers; it is, above all, a call to action.
We must pivot from assessment to bold and ambitious actions in six critical areas of SDG transitions:
1. food systems
2. energy
3. digital connectivity
4. education
5. jobs and social protection,
6. climate and biodiversity.
The 2030 Agenda remains achievable, but the window of opportunity is closing.
Building on the momentum of the 2023 SDG Summit and the 2024 Pact for the Future, we must leverage the key milestones of 2025, including the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, the High-level Political Forum, the Second UN Food Systems Summit and the Second World Summit for Social Development.
2025 presents critical opportunities to mobilize political will and financing required to get the SDGs back on track.
Let us act decisively now, and together, to secure a sustainable and equitable future for all.
Thank you.