EESC at the SDG summit 2023

The 2023 SDG Summit gathered the Heads of State and Government at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 18-19 September to review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Summit marked the halfway point for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, but the 2030 Agenda is off track. Alarmingly, the UN special edition of the SDGs Progress Report reveals that out of the 140 targets, roughly 12% are on track; close to half, though showing progress, are moderately or severely off track, and some 30% have either seen no movement or regressed below the 2015 baseline.

 The world leaders adopted a Political declaration to reaffirm their shared commitment to the 2030 Agenda, as the need to accelerate the agenda's implementation is urgent.

Peter Schmidt, President of the NAT section, attended the SDG Summit. As the civil society representative part of the EU delegation, he called on the EU to redouble efforts and accelerate the implementation. He also joined the SDG Action Weekend, which gathered civil society actors, UN entities, and Member States to generate engagement spaces and maximize the SDG Summit's impact.