Can we catch up by 2030?

By we, I mean the world, our country, and, us.

Can we all catch up and attain the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the world’s agreed-upon deadline?

In 2015, our country, together with all other United Nations (UN) member states agreed on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs --to promote and attain prosperity/peace for people/planet by 2030, through partnership.

This UN social agenda also promoted the “Leave No One Behind” advocacy.

How has the world fared in its pursuit of the 17 SDGs since 2015?

According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “halfway to the deadline for the 2030 Agenda, the SDG Progress Report: Special Edition shows we are leaving more than half the world behind.

“Progress on more than 50% of targets of the SDGs is weak and insufficient; on 30%, it has stalled or gone into reverse. These include key targets on poverty, hunger and climate.

“Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda could become an epitaph for a world that might have been.”

Some significant highlights presented in the Special Edition of the UN SDG Report, the only UN official report that monitors global progress on the 2030 UN agenda, include:

• The impacts of the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine, a weak global economy, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed weaknesses and hindered progress towards the goals;

• While lack of progress is universal, it is the world’s poorest and most vulnerable who are experiencing the worst effects of these unprecedented global challenges;

• The need for urgent action to rescue the SDGs and deliver meaningful progress for people and the planet by 2030; and,

• Failure to redouble global efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals --the promise of a better world for all-- may fuel greater political instability, upend economies and lead to irreversible damage to the natural environment.

According to the UN Special edition, “if present trends persist, by 2030, a staggering 575 million people will remain trapped in extreme poverty and an estimated 84 million children and young people will still be out of school.”

Data collected in 2022 in 119 countries showed that 56% of the countries lacked laws that prohibit direct and indirect discrimination against women.

Global temperature rise has already hit 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels and is likely to reach or surpass the critical 1.5°C tipping point by 2035.

Can the world catch up with its UN Agenda for SDGs by 2030? Li Junhua, UN undersecretary-general for Economic and Social affairs, however, remained hopeful: “The task ahead is daunting, but it is not impossible. With just seven years left to deliver transformational change, political leaders and public institutions will need to rally all stakeholders around the SDGs and strengthen collaboration, while building trust and accountability.”

Index scores for the progress of countries in attaining SDGs show that Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Austria have already significantly implemented SDGs with high index scores 82% up.

Can our country catch up? In 2022, out of 163 countries, the Philippines ranked 95, with SDG Index Score of 66.64. Ranking dropped in 2023 to 98 of 166 countries, with SDG index score of 67.14.

Data from the 2023 Sustainable Development Report further revealed that 34.7% of SDG targets for the Philippines have either been achieved or are on the right track. Approximately 37.5% have made limited progress, while 27.8% of the targets have shown a deteriorating status.

Can the Philippines still catch up with its SDGs commitments? No is not an option, as poverty and hunger will widen and deepen even further.

Can we catch up with our own contribution to stop global warming and achieve the SDGs by 2030?