Sustainable Development Report 2024

Publication Date

June 17, 2024

Page Number

512

Link to Report

Download

Authors

Sustainable Development Report 2024

Provides a comprehensive assessment of the progress made by all 193 UN Member States towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Released on the eve of the UN Summit of the Future, it emphasizes the need for critical reforms within the UN system to address the challenges of the 21st century. It introduces a new index measuring countries’ support for UN-based multilateralism and explores long-term pathways for sustainable food and land systems. The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s recommendations for the Future Summit highlight the five P’s: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships.

Key Highlights:

  • Global Rankings and Performance: Finland, Sweden, and Denmark top the rankings for overall SDG performance. It includes a spillover index that tracks the positive and negative impacts of countries’ actions abroad.
  • Interactive Tools: Features interactive maps and a data explorer, allowing users to visualize and track countries’ performance on each of the 17 SDGs and 125 indicators, with historical data spanning up to 25 years.
  • Country Profiles: Dedicated profile pages for each UN Member State provide detailed performance and trend analyses by SDG and indicator.
  • Key Findings: Reveals that, on average, only 16% of SDG targets are on track to be achieved by 2030, with significant stagnation and reversals in progress since 2020. SDGs related to hunger, sustainable cities, life below water, life on land, and peace and justice are particularly off-track.
  • Recommendations: To accelerate progress towards the SDGs, enhanced global cooperation, robust policy frameworks, and increased investment in sustainable development are needed.

Overview

Part 1. Recommendations of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the Summit of the Future

Advocates for a focus on peace, security, technology, youth, future generations, and global governance transformation. It emphasizes diplomacy and international law for conflict resolution, with a nod to the UN Security Council, and discusses the shift towards shared prosperity in a multi-polar era, underscoring the need for effective multilateral institutions.

  1. Sustainable Development as the Guiding Principle: Underscores sustainable development as the cornerstone of the current era, encapsulated by the five Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships. This sets the tone for the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s recommendations.
  2. International Peace and Security: Underlines the role of diplomacy, negotiation, and international law in conflict resolution, emphasizing the UN Security Council’s key role. It advocates for peaceful resolutions and conflict prevention strategies to foster global stability.
  3. Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Cooperation: Acknowledges science and technology’s transformative power and stresses the need for innovative, digital cooperation to address global issues. It pushes for technological progress and collaboration for sustainable development and societal progress.
  4. Youth and Future Generations: Emphasizes youth’s vital role in shaping the future, advocating for their involvement in sustainable development. It proposes investment in youth education, participation, and leadership for a sustainable, inclusive future.
  5. Transforming Global Governance: Promotes effective multilateral institutions for global governance dynamics, aiming to boost international cooperation and decision-making for sustainable development through inclusive, transparent governance structures.

Part 2. The SDG Index and Dashboards

Evaluates progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This tool offers insights into country performance, target achievements, and regional dynamics. Analyzing SDG indicators and rankings enhances the dialogue on sustainable development and informs national and international decision-making.

  1. Global SDG Progress: Offers an overview of the progress made by countries worldwide toward achieving the SDGs. Analyzing indicators and data related to each goal assesses the overall advancement toward sustainable development on a global scale.
  2. The 2024 SDG Index Score and Ranking: Presents a detailed analysis of countries’ performance on the SDGs through the SDG Index. Scores and rankings are assigned based on various criteria, highlighting the leaders and laggards in sustainable development efforts.
  3. Progress by SDG Target: Delves into specific SDG targets to provide a nuanced understanding of achievements and challenges in each area. Gives a detailed assessment of progress towards specific sustainable development objectives by focusing on individual targets.
  4. International Spillovers: Examines the concept of international spillovers, highlighting the interconnected nature of global challenges and the impact of one country’s actions on others. Exploring spillover effects underscores the importance of international cooperation in addressing shared sustainability challenges.
  5. Regional Dashboards: Provides regional dashboards that offer a detailed analysis of SDG progress in different geographical areas. Presenting regional perspectives enables a more nuanced understanding of the diverse challenges and opportunities different regions face in achieving the SDGs.

Part 3. Government Support to UN-Based Multilateralism and the SDG

Delves into the level of support governments provide to UN-based multilateralism and how this affects the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This part provides an in-depth analysis of the subject, examining regional disparities, significant country contributions, and the Index of Government Support. It offers insights into international cooperation’s role in driving sustainable development efforts.

  1. Assessment of Government Support: Assesses government support for UN-based multilateralism and the role of international cooperation in achieving SDGs. It uses treaty ratifications and commitment indicators to gauge countries’ engagement with UN initiatives.
  2. Regional Disparities: Explores regional differences in government support, indicating varying commitment to multilateralism and the SDGs. It provides insights into the unique challenges and opportunities in promoting international cooperation.
  3. Role of Major Countries: Examines the contributions of G20 and populous nations to UN-based multilateralism, giving insights into their roles in global governance and sustainable development.
  4. Index of Government Support: Presents the UN-Mi index to measure countries’ commitment to UN initiatives, considering treaty ratifications and adherence to international agreements to evaluate support for multilateral cooperation.
  5. Implications for the SDGs: Emphasizes the role of government support in UN-based multilateralism and achieving SDGs. It underlines the importance of multilateral partnerships and international collaboration in tackling global issues and promoting sustainable development goals.

Part 4. Transforming Food and Land systems to achieve the SDGs

Underscores the vital role of sustainable food and land systems in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It delves into essential elements for transforming these systems to boost sustainability and achieve the SDGs. A section of the report features the contributions of the FABLE initiative, providing valuable insights and suggestions to foster sustainability in food production, land use, and biodiversity conservation.

  1. FABLE Report: References the FABLE (Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land Use, and Energy) report, which provides insights and recommendations on transforming food and land systems to align with the SDGs. The FABLE report is a collaborative effort involving experts and stakeholders in agriculture, biodiversity, and land use to drive sustainable development.
  2. Country Teams: Mentions the teams involved in the FABLE initiative, including teams from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Colombia. These country teams are crucial in providing localized insights and recommendations for transforming food and land systems within their respective regions.
  3. Achieving the SDGs: Emphasizes transforming food and land systems to achieve the SDGs. Promoting sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and efficient land use practices underscores how improvements in food and land systems can contribute to broader sustainable development objectives.
  4. Recommendations and Strategies: Includes recommendations and strategies proposed in the FABLE report to guide policymakers, stakeholders, and practitioners in transforming food and land systems. These recommendations cover sustainable agriculture practices, land management strategies, and biodiversity conservation efforts to support the SDGs.

Annex. Methods Summary and Data Tables

Presents the report’s methodologies and relevant data, providing transparency about the analytical approaches used. It offers detailed information supporting the assessment of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including data tables and references. This strengthens the report’s credibility, reliability, and understanding of the methodologies used in evaluating sustainable development efforts.

  1. Methodological Overview: Summarizes the methods employed in the report’s analysis, offering insights into assessing progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It includes details on data collection, indicators used, and analytical frameworks applied to evaluate sustainable development efforts.
  2. Data Tables: Presents a series of data tables offering detailed information on various SDGs and aspects of sustainable development. These tables may include statistical data, indicator values, country-specific information, and other relevant metrics to assess progress toward achieving the SDGs.
  3. Spillover Categories: Covers spillover categories related to environmental and social impacts embodied in trade. It involves indicators and data on issues such as exports of hazardous pesticides, water consumption embodied in imports, and other spillover effects associated with international trade and economic activities.

Part 5. Country Profiles

Offers detailed insights into individual countries’ progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and comprehensively overviews each nation’s journey towards these goals. It includes detailed assessments, comparative analyses, policy recommendations, data visualization, and stakeholder engagement insights to facilitate informed decision-making and action to enhance sustainable development outcomes at the national level.

  1. Individual Country Assessments: Presents in-depth assessments of various countries, analyzing their performance across different SDGs and indicators. By providing country-specific profiles, the report enables readers to understand each nation’s unique challenges, achievements, and priorities for sustainable development.
  2. Comparative Analysis: Includes comparative analyses of countries within the same region or income group, highlighting similarities and differences in their SDG performance. By juxtaposing country profiles, it offers valuable insights into regional trends, disparities, and best practices in advancing sustainable development agendas.
  3. Policy Implications: Discusses the policy implications derived from the country profiles, outlining recommendations for policymakers, stakeholders, and international organizations to enhance SDG implementation at the national level. The report aims to inform policy decisions and strategies for accelerating progress towards the SDGs by identifying areas for improvement and success stories.
  4. Data Visualization: Incorporates data visualization tools, such as charts, graphs, and maps, to present country-specific information in a visually engaging format. These visual aids help readers interpret complex data sets, trends, and comparisons more effectively, enhancing the accessibility and usability of the country profiles.
  5. Stakeholder Engagement: Emphasizes the importance of stakeholder engagement in driving sustainable development efforts at the country level. By highlighting the roles of governments, civil society, businesses, and other actors in SDG implementation, the report underscores the need for collaborative and inclusive approaches to achieve meaningful progress towards the goals.

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