SDG Summit sees political declaration for renewed action agreed by all

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit closed this week, with all nations agreeing to a political declaration highlighting their renewed commitment to achieving the SDGs by 2030.

The 17 SDGs – which cover health, prosperity, education, environment and global collaboration – represent a blueprint for governments to accelerate action towards a better world by 2030. The SDG Summit marked the halfway point to this target date.

Progress so far on the SDGs has been slow, with some countries even reversing their achievements in recent years (read more about global progress on the SDGs here). As such, many hoped the Summit would spark renewed enthusiasm and impetus for action. 

The Summit’s declaration reaffirms that the 2030 Agenda is universal and its Goals and targets are “comprehensive, far-reaching, people-centred, indivisible and interlinked”, balancing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development “in an integrated manner”. It recognises that the SDGs are in peril and commits Member States to “bold, ambitious, accelerated, just and transformative actions, anchored in international solidarity and effective cooperation”.

Notably, the declaration also urges immediate action to deliver an SDG Stimulus proposed by the UN Secretary-General, which calls for a massive increase in financing for the achievement of the SDGs, amounting to some $500 billion each year. It also conveys strong support from all countries for a much-needed reform of the international financial architecture to better reflect today’s global economy.

Despite this apparently successful outcome, however, some reports suggest an atmosphere of apprehension and muted enthusiasm at the event. The political declaration itself was described by UN General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi as the “broadest possible agreement”, while the Earth Negotiations Bulletin reports that there was “a notable sigh of relief” when the declaration was adopted without objections during the opening segment of the Summit. Furthermore, all Heads of State of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – were absent from proceedings.

Prior to the SDG Summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged world leaders to bring forward national and global commitments to drive SDG transformation. Next year’s ‘Summit of the Future’ – planned for September 2024 – will provide a key opportunity to assess how well nations respond to that call.