STORY: UN chief warns sustainable development in peril, urges gov'ts to strengthen action
DATELINE: July 18, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:41
LOCATION: UN Headquarters
CATEGORY: POLITICS
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of UNGA Hall
2. various of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres walking to rostrum
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (French/English interpretation): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
4. various of Guterres speaking
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (French/English interpretation): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
6. various of Guterres speaking
7. SOUNDBITE 3 (French/English interpretation): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
8. various of delegates
9. SOUNDBITE 4 (French/English interpretation): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
10. various of delegates
11. SOUNDBITE 5 (French/English interpretation): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
 
STORYLINE:
 
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday issued a warning that sustainable development is currently at risk and urged all governments to intensify their actions in response.
 
Speaking of the progress of the 2030 Agenda, the UN chief said "that promise is in peril. Halfway to the 2030 deadline, the world is woefully off-track. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Progress Report Special Edition paints a stark picture."
 
Addressing the ongoing High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development at the UN headquarters in New York, the top UN official said the report shows that "progress on fully half of all SDG targets is weak and insufficient. That almost a third have stalled or gone into reverse."
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (French/English interpretation): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"It shows that progress on fully half of all SDG targets is weak and insufficient, that almost a third have stalled or gone into reverse, and that emissions continue to rise. Gaping inequalities persist. Hunger is back to 2005 levels. Gender equality is 300 years away. And on our course, almost 600 million people will still be mired in extreme poverty by 2030." 
Guterres warned that the world was off track well before these upheavals. "Ambition, urgency and solidarity have been lacking. So has finance. Many countries are facing a financial abyss. The annual SDG funding gap has risen from 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars before the pandemic to an estimated 4.2 trillion dollars."
 
The secretary-general expressed satisfaction with the ongoing HLPF, noting that "the world is crying out for high-level political action, action to make the Sustainable Development Goals a reality - for everyone, everywhere."
 
"Without it, the 2030 promise is in danger of slipping away: Sowing disillusionment, mistrust and resentment, imperiling the planet, failing women and girls, and denying opportunity and hope for millions of people," he added.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (French/English interpretation): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"It is in all our interests to choose a different path. So excellencies, the 2030 Agenda is that path. It is a route to bridging divides, restoring trust and building solidarity.  I urge every country to make 2023 count."
 
He urged the international community to "lay the ground now for coordinated efforts to get the Sustainable Development Goals on track", by making the most of the Food Systems Summit Stocktaking, the Climate Ambition Summit, among others.
 
The UN chief called on every government to come to the SDG summit with clear plans and pledges to strengthen action in their countries to 2030, adding that ambitious national commitments and interventions are needed to reduce poverty and inequality by 2027 and 2030.
 
On the much-expected SDG Summit scheduled in September, Guterres said that the world needs the summit "to re-energize civil society, businesses, and others to throw their weight behind the goals - strengthening the global movement to deliver."
 
SOUNDBITE 3 (French/English interpretation): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"We need the SDG Summit to send a clear message from world leaders through a strong political declaration. We need a political declaration that renews and revitalizes the SDG promise that lays a path for faster progress on key SDG transitions, from social protection and jobs, to energy, education and more."
 
Tuning to international financial architecture, Guterres said today's international financial system is failing. 
 
"I have called for a new Bretton Woods moment. And put forward a Policy Brief proposing how we can redesign the global financial architecture so that it operates as a global safety net for all countries and provides access to affordable long-term finance," he added.
 
Guterres called for efforts to provide immediate relief to developing and emerging economies.
 
SOUNDBITE 4 (French/English interpretation): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"That is why I have proposed the SDG Stimulus of 500 billion dollars per year for investments in sustainable development and climate action. We need a massive surge in finance, including through increasing the capital base of multilateral development banks. And through changing their business models so they leverage far more private finance at reasonable cost to developing countries."
 
Further elaborating on the SDG Stimulus, he said the initiative also calls for action on debt -- urging leaders to establish a timely and effective debt relief mechanism that supports payment suspensions, for countries facing severe shocks, longer lending terms and lower rates.
 
SOUNDBITE 5 (French/English interpretation): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"I am urging G20 countries to set a timeframe this year to establish a new debt resolution mechanism, and developed countries to honor their commitments on climate finance:  Deliver the promised 100 billion dollars this year, replenish the Green Climate Fund and double funding for adaptation. This cannot wait."
 
On climate action, Guterres said "every one of our SDG goals demands that we accelerate climate action."
 
"We face a bleak picture with challenges at every turn. But, as we cross the halfway mark to 2030, one overriding truth stands out in my mind:  Change is possible," the secretary-general stressed.
 
"Let's make this year count. Let's keep the promise," the secretary-general concluded.
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN Headquarters.
(XHTV)