"UN Sustainable Development Goals: A Call to Urgent Action for Humanity’s sake"

In September 2015, 193 member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which outlines 17 interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address global challenges and ensure a better, more equitable future for all. These goals represent a global commitment to ending poverty, reducing inequalities, improving health and education, securing access to clean water and sanitation, adequate housing, & tackling climate change. The declaration of the SDGs is centred around five key pillars: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships. Together, these goals form a comprehensive blueprint for tackling the most pressing issues facing humanity today.
However, with only six years left until the 2030 deadline, significant gaps persist in the implementation of these goals, particularly in regions where suffering is most acute. This requires an urgent recalibration of efforts, prioritizing benchmarks where intervention is most critical, and replicating proven solutions across nations to accelerate the SDGs' implementation. Across all 17 goals, the top five countries leading in SDG achievement are Finland (86.4), Sweden (85.7), Denmark (85.0), Germany (83.4), and France (82.8). At the other end of the scale, the countries with the lowest scores are Yemen (46.9), Somalia (45.4), Chad (45.1), the Central African Republic (44.2), and South Sudan (40.1). For India though it stands at 109 position in terms of ranking, the overall SDG score is 71 for 2023-24, significant improvement from 66 in 2020-21 and 57 in 2018 (Baseline report). While the above overall data needs more careful insight to truly understand the real progress on each benchmark, it is visible that the humanity’s most critical & pressing needs of today are not gaining that much attention as they deserve if any meaningful overall progress even is to be achieved by 2030. This leaves a big question mark for every nation, and for the UNDP, the agency mandated in 2015 to steer this vital mission for accomplishment by 2030. Considering less time available, prioritization becomes the key for everyone involved.