 Global Integration UpdatesCommon Ground for the Common Good
Special News--August 2019Progress Reports
Sustainable Development Goals
How are we doing?
“It is abundantly clear that a much deeper, faster and more ambitious response is needed
to unleash the social and economic transformation needed to achieve our 2030 goals.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres (SDG website)
Overview
In this Update we present the two new Progress Reports from the United Nations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Why are these Reports important? Because they both try to accurately convey the current status of the challenges, advances, and needs related to achieving sustainable development for all, as agreed upon by all countries in the UN's 2030 Agenda.
The first item is the Report from the Secretary-General (May/July 2019). The second is theSustainable Development Goals Report 2019 (July 2019). We've included some of the key findings below.
Is this our world's developmental dawn or our world's developmental dusk--and for whom? How are we doing?
Warm greetings from Geneva,
Kelly and Michèle
Featured Resources
Progress Reports--SDGs
How are we doing? Photo courtesy and ©2019 JMLOD
….progress has been made in a number of Goals and targets and a wealth of action has been undertaken by Governments and other stakeholders to respond to the 2030 Agenda more broadly…The report also demonstrates, however, that progress has been slow on many Goals, that the most vulnerable people and countries continue to suffer the most
and that the global response thus far has not been ambitious enough.”
(excerpts, Summary, Report of the Secretary-General, July 2019)
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Report One
Special Edition: Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals
Report of the Secretary-GeneralSome Key Findings
“This report on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals is submitted in response to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1) [2015]…the first cycle of SDG implementation and review comes to a close and Member States gear up for the High-Level Political Forum in July and five major sustainable development focussed meetings in September [2019]…” (excerpts from the Summary, page one)
“The adoption of the 2030 Agenda was a victory for international cooperation but most of all for the world’s people. The high-level gatherings in September 2019, including the SDG Summit, give us a moment to reflect on the first four years of this essential journey. Despite slow progress, I remain convinced that we can bring the Agenda’s inspiring vision to life.
On all fronts, multilateral action is essential. Only together can we find solutions to poverty, inequality and climate change – the defining challenges of our times. Only together can we bolster our rule-based global trading system and mobilize the technology, solutions and financing we need to achieve the SDGs. Only together can we transform our economies and societies to empower all women and girls, truly benefit all people and preserve the health of our planet.
The pressures of our era are mounting; the trust that binds us is fraying. Today’s generations and the next need us to do better. Fortunately, there is still time to achieve the future we envisioned together in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Let us find the wisdom, the solidarity and the will to move ahead to ensure a life of dignity and prosperity for everyone, everywhere”. (excerpts from the Conclusion, paragraphs 98, 99, 101)
Cover image from SDG Report 2019
Report Two
Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019
Some Key Findings
“The annual Sustainable Development Goals Report provides an overview of the world’s implementation efforts to date, highlighting areas of progress and areas where more action needs to be taken to ensure no one is left behind.
Four years since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, the 2019 Report notes progress in some areas, such as on extreme poverty reduction, widespread immunization, decrease in child mortality rates and increase in people’s access to electricity, but warns that global response has not been ambitious enough, leaving the most vulnerable people and countries to suffer the most.
Increasing inequality among and within countries requires urgent attention. Three quarters of stunted children live in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa; extreme poverty is three times higher in rural areas than urban areas; young people are more likely to be unemployed than adults; only a quarter of people with severe disabilities collect a disability pension; and women and girls still face barriers to achieving equality.
--The year 2018 was the fourth warmest year on record. Levels of carbon dioxide concentrations continued to increase in 2018. Ocean acidity is 26% higher than in pre-industrial times and is projected to increase by 100% to 150% by 2100 at the current rate of CO2 emissions.
--The number of people living in extreme poverty declined from 36% in 1990 to 8.6% in 2018, but the pace of poverty reduction is starting to decelerate as the world struggles to respond to entrenched deprivation, violent conflicts and vulnerabilities to natural disasters.
--Global hunger has been on the rise after a prolonged decline.
--Despite the threats, the report demonstrates that valuable opportunities exist to accelerate progress by leveraging the interlinkages across Goals. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, for instance, goes hand-in-hand with creating jobs, building more livable cities, and improving health and prosperity for all.
The United Nations will host the Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Action Summits as well as other crucial meetings during the high-level week of the 74th Session of the General Assembly in September, to reenergize world leaders and the global community, get the world back on track and kick-start a decade of delivery for people and planet.” (UN SDG website)
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Global Integration is a framework for actively and responsibly engaging in our world--locally to globally. It emphasizes connecting relationally and contributing relevantly on behalf of human wellbeing and the issues facing humanity, in light of our integrity, commitments, and core values (e.g., ethical, humanitarian, human rights, faith-based).
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