Access to safe drinking water and sanitation are established human rights. Yet, halfway through the Water Action Decade, billions of people are still denied them. This year, nations have pledged to drive transformation to a water-secure world, and must now urgently act on their promises
Over the last decade, numerous democracies have been eroded and populist leaders have dismantled the protections against authoritarianism. We need urgent action – at local, country, and international levels – to ensure that societies achieve equitable and sustainable development for all people everywhere
Global, US and Canada
The protests sparked by the death of George Floyd have shone a light on the human rights abuses still rife in even the most developed economies. In this Decade of Action, can we finally end racial inequality?
Inequality is undermining progress across the SDGs, distorting economies, politics, and societies alike. Tackling it will require structural economic transformation, political will, and stronger global coordination
Universal health coverage – a central target of the SDGs – seeks to guarantee access to essential health services without financial hardship. Achieving it, however, requires confronting the inequalities in access and quality that coverage alone cannot resolve
Education can be a powerful force for shifting unequal gender norms, but schools do not transform them automatically. Embedding gender equality in education systems at scale – and defending that work against growing backlash – requires sustained political commitment, institutional reform, and public support
Political polarization is pushing many democracies into mutually hostile camps with conflicting views of reality. Restoring democratic health will require citizens and leaders to shift the focus from what divides society to what binds it
As climate litigation gathers force, women are helping to redefine what accountability looks like – and exposing how far climate policy still is from delivering gender justice
Motherhood still comes with a pay penalty, and women continue to be paid less for work of equal value – not by accident, but by design. Tackling these injustices means changing how pay is set and progression is measured and rewarded – through transparency, enforcement, and stronger worker protections
“Leave no one behind,” the central tenet of the SDGs, underlines the importance of tackling inequality as countries strive to achieve the Global Goals. Rampant inequality is connected to setbacks in other areas, from democratic backsliding and the weakening rule of law to sluggish action on climate
