Director-General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted to join you today for the third SDG Dialogue Forum to discuss how we can accelerate implementation of Agenda 2030.
I would like to begin by thanking the Austrian government and SDG Watch Austria. Austria’s support to the United Nations, as our host country and through its commitment to multilateral action on the SDGs, resonates deeply with our mission.
I would also like to thank former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, and his foundation for bringing us together.
His unwavering commitment and dedication to the SDGs as well as his enduring legacy continue to inspire us all, and the Ban Ki-Moon Centre has been vital in inspiring and empowering leadership among women and youth to advance sustainable development.
Such forums provide a valuable platform to bring together ideas, solutions, and evidence-based results – to create “innovationpools” as you call them – and to align these ideas with the SDGs and chart a path forward for a more sustainable future.
Today, as we pass the halfway mark of the 2030 Agenda, the world remains far behind on delivering on its promise for people, planet, and prosperity.
Global crises – born from wars, poverty, inequality, and climate-related disasters – are relentlessly eroding the development gains of the last decade at an alarming rate.
The most recent SDG Progress Report paints a bleak picture: only 15 percent of targets are on track.
Worse still, progress has either stalled or regressed on 37 percent of the SDGs.
SDG 16 in particular – a key enabler of all the SDGs – has seen little to no progress, as confirmed by a new report that UNODC launched together with UNDP and OHCHR.
Last year alone saw nearly 17,000 civilians killed in 12 of the world’s deadliest conflicts, while homicides reached a 20-year high.
But amidst this bleak outlook, there is reason to be optimistic.
During the recent SDG Summit in New York, world leaders adopted a landmark declaration reaffirming their commitment to achieving the SDGs.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed this global commitment and called on governments to turn words into action – “we have a rescue plan”, he said, and now is the time to invest in development like never before.
The declaration calls for bold, ambitious, accelerated actions.
Accelerated action on the rule of law, by ensuring equal access to justice for all and addressing factors that drive inequality, poverty, and injustice.
Accelerated action on preventing and combating illicit financial flows, by strengthening cooperation on asset recovery and combating corruption, so that countries have the resources to develop and build strong institutions.
Accelerated action on gender equality, by empowering all women and girls, and investing in education and opportunities for young people.
And accelerated action on the global digital divide, by harnessing the Global Digital Compact, so that everyone can benefit in today’s digital economy.
This blueprint provides a clear path forward to rescue the SDGs.
It also shows that even in today’s deeply polarized and fractured world, it is possible to come together and reach consensus in a multilateral forum.
We must embrace this opportunity and turn these commitments into action.
This will require a whole-of-society approach, from civil society, the private sector, indigenous communities, academia, women, youth, and marginalized groups.
It requires all of us, together, to breathe life into these commitments.
UNODC has already been doing important work in these areas together with the Ban Ki-Moon Centre.
We have been supporting its women empowerment programme through our Education for Justice Initiative, providing training workshops on crime, justice, and the rule of law in the Middle East and North Africa, helping to build the young female leaders of the future and advance SDG 5 on Gender Equality.
We have supported the Centre in engaging youth in crime prevention and criminal justice in Southeast Asia, and to incorporate young people’s voices to advance SDG 16-related projects.
And we are supporting Member States to take action, building on international frameworks such as the UN standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice and the UN Convention against Corruption, which this year marks its 20th anniversary.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The challenges are vast, but a path forward does exist.
It is up to all of us to take action.
And I am pleased that you will be having a presentation from the YouthForum to hear from them and their initiatives to achieve the SDGs – this is an excellent example of how young people can be engaged to call on governments to take action.
International collaboration is key. By sharing diverse ideas, practical knowledge, and innovative, transformative solutions – we can pave the way for a more prosperous and peaceful world.
We have just seven years left to rescue the Global Goals, so let’s ensure that each year counts, for a brighter, more prosperous, and sustainable future for all.
Thank you.