SDG-related initiatives are increasingly under attack from the more right-wing, populist parts of the political spectrum, who portray the Goals as misguided, wasteful, vain, and coercive. How can cities and local governments enhance their policymaking and implementation, and – crucially – secure buy-in to ensure initiatives achieve their intended outcomes?
Economic development
Technology transfer is fundamental in developing countries’ aspirations to decarbonize, yet the flow of green tech from developed nations is far below what’s needed. How can we shift investment and political incentives to truly enable the proliferation of sustainable technology worldwide?
Data and monitoring
As momentum on the SDGs stalls, AI’s promise of exponential growth could offer much-needed rapid acceleration across the 2030 Agenda. To harness AI effectively, we must ensure it serves those most in need, and that all countries – not just those in the Global North – can tap into its development benefits
Data and monitoring
Deep-rooted digital divides within and between countries are currently increasing inequalities, with huge disparities in access to technology, infrastructure, and digital literacy. How can the proposed Global Digital Compact create a more inclusive and equitable digital landscape?
Financing
Figures on official development assistance volumes are silent about ODA results. To support progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we urgently need new data and holistic evaluation methods to assess the effectiveness of ODA
Cyberspace
In a global digital age, is protecting national sovereignty compatible with upholding human rights? How can the international community protect vulnerable populations from the external forces seeking to use digital infrastructure to control them?
The pandemic revealed how rapid crisis spending creates profiteering opportunities for exploitative and corrupt actors. Strengthening anti-corruption measures is urgently needed to ensure that the anticipated investment surge toward achieving Agenda 2030 truly benefits the planet’s most vulnerable
Economic development
When the SDGs were adopted in 2015, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda set out a vision for how the Goals would be financed. A decade on, the numbers remain woefully short of requirements. Next year’s follow-up conference must enable rapid acceleration of development finance if the 2030 Agenda is to retain any hope of success
Economic development
Landlocked developing countries face unique development challenges, from high trade transportation costs to reliance on neighbors’ infrastructure. A new cooperation strategy implemented in four West African countries could serve as a development blueprint for other regions
Peace and security
The war in Ukraine, the displacement of virtually the whole Palestinian population of Gaza, and Haiti’s spiral into anarchy have vividly exposed the UN’s inability to avert and resolve conflict. How might a changed UN apparatus be more proactive and effective in resolving disputes and bringing peace?
