‘Pathway to 2030 Narrowing’, Deputy Secretary-General Warns, Urging ‘Course Correction’ as 2025 Forum on Sustainable Development Kicks Off
With only 35 per cent of targets on track or making moderate progress — while 47 per cent lag and 18 per cent have regressed, speakers warned a United Nations forum today that achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development remains possible, but the window of opportunity is rapidly closing, urging immediate action.
“We gather here not merely to measure progress but to reignite purpose,” said Lok Bahadur Thapa (Nepal), Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council, as he opened the high-level political forum on sustainable development — the UN’s central platform for assessing, steering, and strengthening the global implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Convened under the theme “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,” the 2025 forum runs through 23 July. Particular emphasis will be placed on trends and policies related to Goal 3 on good health and well-being; Goal 5 on gender equality; Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth; Goal 14 on life below water; and Goal 17 on partnerships for the Goals and their linkages to other Goals.
Mr. Thapa, speaking on behalf of Council President Robert Rae (Canada), warned that the annual financing shortfall has now exceeded $4 trillion to achieve sustainable development.
“It is high time we reflect upon the ways and means to bring the SDGs back on track,” he stressed, calling for renewed commitment to multilateralism and coordinated actions. Further, it is pivotal to address the unique challenges and vulnerabilities faced by African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States. “[We] need to uplift marginalized voices, especially women, youth and vulnerable communities,” he underscored, noting that their participation is essential for effective solutions. “Let's harness this high-level political forum to catalyse bold action to advance the SDGs and deliver on our promises,” he stated.
Echoing that in her keynote address, Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that, despite a “paradigm shift” integrating economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, “the SDGs seem out of reach”, with half of the world’s poorest countries yet to return to pre-pandemic income levels.
While progress on Goals has been uneven, “there is reason for hope”, she noted. Social protection and health systems are expanding, especially in middle-income countries, more mothers are surviving childbirth, and more children are living beyond their fifth birthday. Citing initiatives including the Pact for the Future, the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development and the Ocean Conference, she further noted a reignited political drive for gender equality.
Welcoming the tenth set of voluntary national reviews, presenting “a temperature check of every country’s journey”, she stressed: “We have much further to go if we are to honour the promise” of the Goals, as “the pathway to 2030 is narrowing.” The forum provides “an opportunity to reflect, exchange and course correct”, she emphasized.
Anatolio Ndong Mba (Equatoria Guinea), Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council, delivering his statement via video message, underscored the need “to set aside the mentality based on fragmentation” and, instead, promote coherence and harness the collective expertise of the Council and its subsidiary bodies. Climate action, sustainability and resilience must be central to all policy agendas, he stressed, calling for a just energy transition, the responsible use of critical minerals, strengthened ethical ocean governance and the meaningful inclusion of Indigenous peoples’ knowledge. Additionally, progress in universal health coverage, education, gender equality and decent work is essential for inclusive prosperity, he observed, calling for reform of the global financial architecture.
Interactive dialogues and panel discussions were also held throughout the day.
Panel Discussion on Goal 17
In a panel titled “Unlocking means of implementation: Mobilizing financing and STI for the SDGs”, panellists outlined strategies to bridge digital and technological divides by boosting investment, fostering technology and innovation, and enhancing international collaboration.
Presenting the Secretary-General’s report “Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals” (document E/2025/62), Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, emphasized that many targets are advancing too slowly, and a troubling number are regressing. Despite uneven progress, however, millions have gained access to essential services, with at least half of the world’s population covered by at least one social protection benefit. Child marriage, and maternal and child mortality rates have fallen, and 110 million children and youth have entered school, while women hold 27 per cent of parliamentary positions worldwide. Further, he noted, 45 countries have achieved universal electricity access, and Internet connectivity has increased by 70 per cent.
However, escalating conflicts, climate chaos, and economic shocks continue to roil, with 800 million people trapped in extreme poverty, and CO2 levels having reached a 2 million-year high, “with 2024 being the hottest year on record”, he stated. He emphasized that the Report is “more than a story in numbers” but a “call to action” in six areas: food systems, energy, digital connectivity, education, jobs and social protection and climate and biodiversity.
Sanda Ojiambo, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director for the United Nations Global Compact, called the Financing for Development Conference “a watershed moment for bringing together public and private sectors” around the key issue of finance. “We know the call to move from billions to trillions of dollars,” she acknowledged, while noting that capital exists worldwide but is under- or ill-invested. “The challenge is to move that financing towards where it needs to make that difference for the millions and the billions around the world,” she added. She noted that “every public dollar of financing can mobilize three to five times more in terms of private financing and private capital”.
Citing science, technology and innovation as “the most reliable source for optimism”, Robbert Dijkgraaf, President-Elect, International Science Council, said “knowledge is the only natural resource that grows when [used and shared]”. However, there is not only a financial gap but also an innovation gap, he observed, stressing that “too much research is done in silos, and not enough incentives are in the system to stimulate transdisciplinary research.” To close the innovation gap, science should be co-designed and co-produced with the people who will use that knowledge, he added. Accordingly, he emphasized the need to reset the financial instruments and integrate the innovation chain into the financial models. He suggested built-in rewards and incentives that actively stimulate this transdisciplinary kind of research.
In the same vein, Robert Kirkpatrick, Chairman of the Board of the United Cities Foundation, underscored that the innovation velocity gap is even more concerning than the funding gap. Noting the foundation’s focus on the use of data, he described the so-called “digital twin technology” as a replica of a physical system — “it could be a vehicle or an entire city”. The foundation is working towards designing a new platform called “open twin” — the first digital platform to function as a digital public infrastructure, he said, adding that Chile has offered to be its first living lab. “The idea is to have a digital public infrastructure that serves as a scaffolding to support private investment and the innovation we need to transform our cities,” he said, stressing that cities need to have a choice — to rent or to own their infrastructure — “digital colonialism or digital democracy”.
Panel Addresses Goal 3 on Health
The afternoon session featured a discussion on “SDG 3 and interlinkages with other SDGs — Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”.
Universal health coverage is “critical not only for achieving SDG 3”, but also as a driver of sustainable development, said Magda Robalo, Co-Chair of the International Health Partnership for UHC 2030 (UHC2030) and President and Co-Founder of the Institute for Global Health and Development of Guinea-Bissau. She underscored that science, evidence and innovation “must guide our efforts” as “we cannot solve today’s problems and future problems with the same tools from the past”. Calling for reform of global health and global financial architecture, she noted that globally in 2024, “3.4 billion people lived in countries that spent more on debt interest payments than on education and health combined”. Citing this as “an unsustainable burden”, she called on Governments to “demonstrate courageous leadership”, as increased taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages could generate $1 trillion in additional revenues over the next decade.
Meanwhile, gains in women’s health rights “are under threat globally”, she said, and should be prioritized “before, during and well beyond their reproductive years”. Health systems “remain gender blind” while too many women and girls continue to die from preventable causes due to lack of access to essential services — especially maternal and reproductive health care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Ibrahim Abubakar, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Dean of the Faculty of Population Health Sciences at University College London, emphasized that improving population health requires coordinated action across housing, climate resilience, education, migration and finance. He critiqued the reactive health model, which focused heavily on disease-specific programmes funded by wealthy donors but neglected equitable access to primary care and early detection. Instead, he called for innovative financing and international solidarity to support the poorest nations. It is crucial to rethink how health is valued, financed, and governed to achieve Goal 3 and build a more resilient world, he underscored, warning that future pandemics would occur “sooner than expected”. Accordingly, he urged inclusive health systems that guaranteed access to essential services for all, including migrants, refugees and displaced people.