Countries Call for Revitalizing the Commitment to the 2030 Agenda and Fostering Renewed, Bold Policies and Actions for Accelerating Fulfillment of the SDGs

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean urged today for revitalizing the commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and fostering renewed and bold policies and actions to step up the pace towards fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at the inauguration of the seventh meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, which is taking place through Thursday, April 18 at ECLAC’s main headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

At the opening session of this event – which has brought together representatives of the region’s 33 countries, of United Nations agencies and regional, multilateral and civil society organizations – participants welcomed the call by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to redouble efforts to achieve the SDGs through increased collaboration and more effective multilateralism.

The seventh meeting of the Forum was inaugurated by Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); and Laura Fernández Delgado, Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy of Costa Rica, in her capacity as Vice-Chair of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development.

“Latin America and the Caribbean is on track to meet just 22 percent of the SDG targets – a trend we see in the world. But the SDGs were born in this region, and with clear focus, commitment and catalyzing action, the region can rise up stronger than ever and deliver on the vision of the SDGs,” the UN Deputy Secretary-General affirmed.

Minister Laura Fernández Delgado, meanwhile, emphasized that since the first meeting of the Forum, held in 2017, the region has made great progress. However, she said, it is very clear that pending challenges remain along with the obligation to redouble efforts to move forward faster.

“It is incumbent on all of us to make a greater effort to strengthen multilateralism. The Summit of the Future will be an opportunity for this,” she stated.

In his opening remarks, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, warned that just six years ahead of 2030, the target year for achieving the SDGs, “progress towards their fulfillment has not stayed apace with the implacable passage of the days in the calendar. On the contrary, we are seeing a strong misalignment in the indicators being monitored between the necessary trajectories for fulfillment and those currently observed. This demonstrates the urgency of picking up the pace,” he asserted.

ECLAC estimates that 22% of the targets have been achieved or will be achieved by 2030, while 46% of them are moving in the right direction but not at the speed needed to achieve them, and the remaining 32% are not expected to be fulfilled.

“I trust that over these three days of dialogue, exchange of experiences, best practices and learning between all stakeholders, the motto of the upcoming Summit of the Future – ‘multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow’ – will spur us to revitalize our commitment to the 2030 Agenda, as well as to foster renewed and bold policies and actions to accelerate progress and reach 2030 in a better position to continue working for a more productive, inclusive and sustainable future for the region,” José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs affirmed.

After the meeting’s inauguration, various prominent figures and authorities from the region exchanged perspectives ahead of the Summit of the Future, which will take place on September 22-23 at UN headquarters in New York.

During this Interactive session on the Summit of the Future: Multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow, participants shared their views and priorities along with their expectations regarding the action-oriented outcomes. They also urged for taking advantage of the positions of various Latin American and Caribbean countries in international negotiation processes to ensure that the region’s needs be taken into account.

Subsequently, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary presented to countries the document The Challenge of Accelerating the 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean: Transitions towards Sustainability, which constitutes the seventh report on regional progress and challenges in relation to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The document sustains that, in confronting the relative delay in achieving the SDGs, the region needs to pick up the pace in the conduct of public policies and implement transformative initiatives that would drive its development. In addition, a new governance of public policies is needed along with the effective participation of social actors and the use of strategic tools, such as planning and foresight.

It adds that it is also necessary to make progress on the six key transitions proposed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, which can have catalyzing and multiplier effects across the SDGs and a determining impact for achieving them. These transitions involve: (i) food systems; (ii) energy access and affordability; (iii) digital connectivity; (iv) education; (v) jobs and social protection; and (vi) climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The seventh meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development contemplates numerous sessions in which participants will be able to discuss the urgency of reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty at a time of multiple crises. They will also address key issues related to progress on implementing the 2030 Agenda in the Caribbean subregion.

The meeting includes five panel discussions that will specifically analyze SDG 1 (No poverty), 2 (Zero hunger), 13 (Climate action), 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).