Today marks the beginning of the The SDG Summit at UN Headquarters in New York. This will mark a turning point for turbocharging implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs — the roadmap out of current global crises — are in peril with only about 15 per cent of the targets on track to being achieved by 2030.
Heads of State and Governments will gather at the Summit together with political and thought leaders from international organizations, the private sector, civil society, women and youth and other actors to make global and national commitments and supercharge the breakthroughs needed to achieve the SDGs.
An action-oriented, concise and robust political declaration will be adopted during the opening of the Summit, highlighting the collective commitment of world leaders to build an equitable, sustainable, inclusive and prosperous world by 2030. With a strong focus on the means of implementation, such as financing for development, climate finance and science, technology and innovation, the declaration sends a clear signal that financing must be directed to the most vulnerable countries. It also stresses the need for deep reforms of the international financial architecture and the SDG Stimulus, proposed by the UN Secretary-General, which calls for an increase in financing to the tune of $500 billion each year to assist indebted countries.
Countries will present national commitments to SDG Transformation that includes priority transitions and areas for investment, setting national benchmarks for reducing poverty and inequality by 2027 and strengthening institutional frameworks to support SDG progress. In addition to these national commitments, developed countries and other countries who have the capacity, are encouraged to make global commitments drawing on the proposal for the SDG Stimulus and broader means of implementation such as scaling and fulfilling ODA commitments and suspending debt payments.
The opening of the Summit will feature statements by the President of the General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Economic and Social Council. A short plenary segment will follow to hear the actions and commitments delivered on behalf of groups of States. Six Leaders’ Dialogues will be held to allow Heads of State and Government to set out concrete national commitments to SDG transformation.
