‘We Can Turn Tide’ on Imperilled Sustainable Development Goals with Reinvigorated Commitment to Multilateral Action, Secretary-General Tells German Council

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the German Council for Sustainable Development, held in Berlin today:

I am pleased to greet the annual conference of the German Council for Sustainable Development.  Thank you for your relentless commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.

I am grateful for Germany’s steadfast support for multilateral solutions.  You are a pillar of international cooperation, a champion of global health and climate action, and a vital development partner.

We need your support more than ever.  Our world is facing many perils:  conflicts; climate catastrophe; COVID-19; rising inequalities; soaring food and energy prices; spiralling inflation and more.

Each peril is pushing the 2030 Agenda [for Sustainable Development] further out of reach.  The upcoming SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] Summit and Summit of the Future are crucial opportunities to get back on track.

We can turn the tide.  By coming together across Governments, civil society and the private sector.  By reinvigorating our commitment to multilateral action in line with Our Common Agenda.  By delivering on our promises to realize the renewable energy revolution and end the use of fossil fuels progressively.

By renewing the social contract and ramping up investments in education, social protection and decent jobs for all.  And by doing much more to expand opportunities for women and girls in every walk of life.

At this critical time, I count on you to mobilize support, forge new partnerships, think creatively and act ambitiously.  Together, let us seize the opportunities ahead to build the safer, more resilient and inclusive world set out in the 2030 Agenda.  Thank you.