Giving Compass' Take:

• Katharina Sommerrock explains why investment in the SDGs needs to happen and where progress has been especially slow. 

• Can you direct your philanthropy toward areas that will drive SDG progress? 

• Read more about how to address global issues in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.

At first glance, positive progress has been made on several fronts since the adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) four years ago: extreme poverty and child mortality are decreasing, access to energy and decent work is increasing.

But at the beginning of November last year, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, provided a rather sobering update in the «Financial Times»: «…overall, we are seriously off-track. Hunger is rising, half the world’s people lack basic education and essential healthcare, women face discrimination and disadvantage everywhere.

Guterres’s statements are based on the findings of the [Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019], which aims to determine whether the action currently being taken is creating the right basis for achieving the SDGs. The report shows that progress is being made in a number of critical areas and that several positive trends can be identified.

In addition to the successes mentioned above, it is worth mentioning that nations are taking concrete measures to protect our planet: since 2010, marine protected areas have doubled; countries are working together to combat illegal fishing, and 186 parties have ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change.

However, the report above all shows that much remains to be done and that many indicators have improved too slowly or even deteriorated in recent years. Urgent action is needed, among others, in the following areas:

  • The growing inequality between and within nations requires urgent attention.
  • 2018 was the fourth warmest year on record. The rise in carbon dioxide concentration continued in 2018.
  • The number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen from 36 percent in 1990 to 8.6 percent in 2018, but the pace of poverty reduction is beginning to slow due to entrenched discrimination, violent conflicts and vulnerability to natural disasters.
  • After an extended decline, global hunger has increased again.

Read the full article about why urgent investment is needed for UN Sustainable Development Goals by Katharina Sommerrock at finews.asia.