At the Current Pace, Latin America and the Caribbean Will Only Achieve 19% of the 2030 Agenda Targets; Multilateralism, Regional Cooperation and International Partnerships Must[...]

Amid a new era of uncertainty and geopolitical fragmentation that poses major difficulties for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is fundamental that we strengthen multilateral action, regional cooperation and international partnerships in order to renew the collective commitment and accelerate progress towards fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda, according to the country representatives participating in the ninth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, which is being held through Thursday, April 16 at the main headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile.

Four years ahead of the deadline set for achieving the 2030 Agenda, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, ECLAC's Executive Secretary, sounded the alarm when he warned that the trend reflected in the SDG indicators is not positive in Latin America and the Caribbean, which entails redoubling efforts and bolstering regional and international cooperation to revert the lags and accelerate progress towards fulfilling this global agenda.

According to a report prepared by ECLAC, at the current rate of progress, in Latin America and the Caribbean just 19% of the targets are seen being met by 2030, which is below the 23% estimated last year. Meanwhile, 42% of the targets are moving in the right direction, but at too slow of a pace, and 39% are either stalled or moving backwards in comparison with 2015.

The United Nations regional commission's highest authority explained that these more adverse estimates are due to both external factors and domestic dynamics, which include the deterioration of institutional capacities, the lack of prioritization of some goals and targets, limited financing and fiscal space, the debt burden and most especially, the low level of growth in various countries of the region.

The ninth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development brings together senior government authorities from Latin America, the Caribbean and other regions of the world, along with officials and experts from the United Nations system, international and regional organizations, the private sector, academia and civil society, who will participate in a series of dialogues on global, regional and national action.

This intergovernmental gathering was inaugurated by José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, ECLAC's Executive Secretary; Jorge Félix Rubio, Director-General for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, the country that is serving as Chair of the Forum; Li Junhua, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations (UNDESA); and Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (via video message).

In his welcome remarks, ECLAC's Executive Secretary delivered a central message: "We are not just witnesses of this new era. We have agency, assets and tools. We have active platforms, like this Forum, and the will - such as the one that brought us here. We are backed by the power of civil society, the commitment of the private sector, academia, youth, social collectives, religious and secular movements. We have the will of national and also subnational governments. And we have the United Nations system, which was built on the ashes of the worst of wars and is more necessary today than ever, despite the challenges it faces," he affirmed.

"I invite you to undertake these sessions with conviction and a sense of possibility. That does not mean naivety or denial of reality, but rather the will to advance, even as the winds blow in dangerous directions. To move towards development, hope is not enough, but it is a necessary precondition," he emphasized.

José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs recognized that accelerating implementation of the 2030 Agenda is difficult in the current geopolitical context, but he stressed that it is precisely that context that makes this essential.

He underscored that cooperation and collaboration is the biggest counterweight in a world marked increasingly by power and force. "At ECLAC, we see proof of this every day: there are many more actors that want to move forward on collectively building an inclusive and sustainable world," he expressed.

"That is why we must coordinate more and better. Making progress on what is possible, forging pragmatic partnerships and helping others understand that the 2030 Agenda is, in the end, an agenda for transforming societies in order to achieve shared human aspirations: to live better, live in peace, live in a healthy environment, live free of injustice and excessive inequalities. This is not the time to throw in the towel, but rather to roll up our sleeves and keep working," he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Director-General for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Jorge Félix Rubio, pointed to the Forum as a key platform for forging alliances, fostering participation and dialogue between diverse actors committed to pursuing sustainable development. "More than ten years since the approval of the 2030 Agenda, and amid an uncertain geopolitical scenario, we must keep moving forward. I reaffirm my country's commitment to multilateralism and to an international agenda centered on social inclusion, sustainability and cooperation between our countries," he stated.

The Under-Secretary-General, Li Junhua, indicated that Latin America and the Caribbean faces ongoing structural restrictions, marked by high levels of inequality and growing exposure to climate shocks. However, he stressed that the region has shown leadership on social protection policies, climate resilience and strategies for inclusive development, adding: "ECLAC has played a critical role along this path, supporting those efforts through regional cooperation and the promotion of evidence-based policies."

In her message sent by video, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, urged the region's countries to be ambitious and further the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. "I know this region has the necessary potential. Latin America and the Caribbean's trajectory can still change, so please, use these days well," she advised.

Limited progress and the urgency of action to fulfill the SDGs in the region

The ninth report on regional progress and challenges in relation to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, entitled The 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean: Accelerating Implementation in a New Era of Uncertainty and Geopolitical Fragmentation, warns that just over a decade since the 2030 Agenda's approval, there is limited progress on achieving the SDGs in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The document - presented on Tuesday by ECLAC's Executive Secretary, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs - shows forecasts with different situations at the subnational level: the highest number of targets forecast to be achieved is seen in South America (19%) and Central America and Mexico (18%), which is 6 and 5 percentage points more than the Caribbean (13%). In the three subregions, around 40% of the targets are moving in the right direction; however, the pace of progress is insufficient to reach the established thresholds. At the same time, 39% of the targets in Central America and Mexico, 41% in South America and 45% in the Caribbean are forecast to stagnate or regress.

The report stresses that in 2025 and early 2026, the challenges for achieving the SDGs have intensified due to a new era of uncertainty and geopolitical fragmentation. In that regard, it calls for implementing greater coordination between governments, the private sector, civil society, the academic sector and other stakeholders, while also strengthening institutional and domestic resource mobilization capacities with the aim of accelerating the actions needed to advance SDG achievement.

Using the ninth report as context, country representatives at the meeting will participate in the dialogues on regional action, in which they will analyze in depth the extent of implementation on five of the 2030 Agenda's Goals: SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation; SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy; SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure; SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities; and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. In addition, they will review the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) through South-South cooperation.

Finally, the dialogues on national action will take place on Thursday, April 16, through learning sessions on successful national experiences in accelerating the achievement of the SDGs, and the sharing of good practices and challenges in the preparation of the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) that countries present each year at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum in New York.