The 2030 Agenda remains a shared roadmap. The Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, established in 2016 as a regional mechanism for follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the SDGs, and their targets, continues to be an essential space for dialogue to bring together commitments, actors, efforts, and successful experiences.

The Problem: A Changing Global Landscape

With less than five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda, Latin America and the Caribbean face a rapidly changing global landscape. Growing uncertainty, geopolitical fragmentation, and the weakening of multilateralism are slowing progress and making implementation more complex. 

The data underscores the urgency. At the current pace, only 19% of the targets are expected to be achieved by 2030, down from the 23% estimated the previous year. Meanwhile, 42% of the targets are moving in the right direction but at too slow a pace, and 39% are stagnating or regressing compared to 2015. These findings are highlighted in the document The 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean: Accelerating Implementation in a New Era of Uncertainty and Geopolitical Fragmentation, the ninth report on progress and challenges in implementing the 2030 Agenda, presented by  José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, the Executive Secretary of ECLAC to more than 1,000 representatives from governments, the United Nations system, the private sector, civil society, and academia who participated in the ninth meeting of the regional forum.

The Impact: Development is Not "All or Nothing"

The greatest risk is to give up and fall into despair. The 2030 Agenda has been ambitious since its inception. The underlying logic remains the same: to achieve inclusive and sustainable development, it is necessary to set ambitious goals and move in the right direction, even if not all targets are met. However, it is vital to remember that sustainable development does not operate in a binary way (all or nothing); it is a multidimensional process where every progress matters and can transform the lives of millions of people. The targets may not be fully achieved, but striving toward them can make a significant difference in the well-being of the region.

What are the solutions:

As the Executive Secretary of ECLAC noted in the opening remarks, “We have agency. We have assets and tools. We have the will.” To change the current trajectory, action must be taken on three fronts:

• Strengthening the National Level: Enhancing political leadership, institutional capacity, governance, resource mobilization, and monitoring.
• Reinforcing International Cooperation: No country can face development challenges alone. This was reflected in the document “Intergovernmentally agreed conclusions and recommendations of the ninth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development.” Multilateralism, global agreements, and regional coordination remain essential to sustain progress and avoid setbacks.
• Multistakeholder Partnerships: Coordination among governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, and communities is fundamental. The Forum is an example of such coordination. Strengthening these partnerships is a central condition for accelerating the achievement of the SDGs, as reiterated in the statements of the Forum of Children, Adolescents and Youth of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Interfaith Forum of the Ninth Meeting.

As the Civil Society Participation Mechanism emphasized in its declaration, “there is no sustainable development without equality, without recognition of diversity, and without participation.”