SDGs are still within reach if we act with urgency and ambition, says UN Chief |HLPF |United Nations

Opening the session, the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Bob Rae, said, “we need to reaffirm the relevance of the UN through results, by showing that multilateralism delivers real, tangible benefits for people at every level of society.”

This, he said, “means we have to work more closely with civil society, more closely with the private sector, with youth, indigenous peoples, and especially more closely with national and, yes, local governments. Because that’s where the goals we’ve set out are in fact implemented.”

Stressing the importance of multilateralism and cooperation Rae said, “the founding generation of the United Nations know perfectly well the consequences of depression, the consequences of excessive nationalism, the consequences of tariffs that keep out trade and don’t promote trade. These were all the consequences of that terrible dark valley of the 1920s and the 1930s. We must not return to that valley again from now on. We must learn the lessons of the past.”

Guterres, for his part said, “people win when we channel our energy into development” and highlighted the achievements on the SDGs since 2015.

He said, “millions more people have access to electricity, clean cooking, and the internet. Social protection now reaches over half the world’s population — up from just a quarter a decade ago. More girls are completing school. Child marriage is declining. Women’s representation is growing – from the boardrooms of business to the halls of political power. But we must face a tough reality; only 35 percent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress.”

Guterres said, “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. We cannot sugarcoat these facts. But we must not surrender to them either.”

General Assembly President Philémon Yang said, “we have the tools and ambition to deliver. We have the actions set out in the Pact for the Future and the promises made in the Sevilla Commitment.”

He said, “let us use this Forum to recommit to science, to solidarity, and to leaving no one behind.”

The HLPF is convening from Monday, 14 July, until Wednesday 23 July under the auspices of the ECOSOC. The three-day ministerial segment takes place from 21 to 23 July.

The theme of HLPF 2025 is “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind.”