2023-09-21 03:30:00
Roberto Valent*
Our greatest aspiration as humanity is to achieve sustainable development by 2030, but unfortunately, this dream is in danger.
It is urgent to accelerate the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the achievement of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking into account that this agenda is both a development plan and a commitment to human rights.
The 2030 Agenda, established in 2015 by 193 countries, represents our roadmap to guarantee a dignified life for all people, promote an equitable, inclusive and peaceful society, promote prosperity and care for our planet. Despite having the knowledge, resources and technology necessary to achieve these ideals, we are moving at an insufficient pace to achieve them.
As we approach the interim date towards 2030, an unprecedented effort is required from all governments to revitalize and accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. The SDG Summit in New York, scheduled for September 18-19, offers a crucial opportunity to raise ambition and translate it into concrete action.
We find ourselves in a moment of “polycrisis,” simultaneously facing interconnected and prolonged crises that have serious repercussions on people, society and the environment. The alarm signals have already sounded: economic instability, the pandemic, conflicts in various regions, growing migratory movements, humanitarian crises, increasing poverty, destructive climate events and accelerated loss of biodiversity, among others. These crises have negatively impacted the progress of the 17 SDGs and their 169 goals, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, where an alarming 27% of the goals have been set back.
We are at a crossroads, but we still have the opportunity to correct course. The countries’ commitments must be more ambitious and urgent. At the SDG Summit, States must present credible plans with a sense of urgency to rescue the 2030 Agenda. At the national level, it is essential that governments collaborate with all actors, including the private sector, civil society, academia and the scientific community, and implement more integrated and transformative public policies.
To achieve real impact, countries must adjust national budgets and mobilize resources internationally. The global financial architecture must be updated and more equitable, especially for Latin America and the Caribbean. This includes increasing long-term financing and taking measures to alleviate the debt of countries in the region.
Among the key measures are investment in a just transition, sustainable resource management, energy efficiency, digitalization and the creation of inclusive and fair job opportunities. These actions are essential to meet the SDGs and the United Nations advocates for a deep global transformation that responds to current challenges.
At the national level, we identify six priority challenges with significant transformative potential: strengthening social protection systems, ensuring decent work, transforming education, driving digitalization, promoting access to clean energy, reforming food systems to improve health and well-being, and effectively address climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
The United Nations teams, present in the 40 countries and territories of Latin America and the Caribbean, are committed to supporting States and society in general to make these transformations a reality.
Our common future is at stake, and we have a period of seven years to rectify course. The risks of not achieving the SDGs are dramatic, which is why we need a significant increase in ambition and action. Future generations will judge us by the decisions we make today, and we cannot afford to disappoint them. We must act with determination to achieve a more sustainable and just future.
* Regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Coordination Office.
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