The title of the 2030 Agenda is often overlooked: transforming our world. This was the vision for the agenda agreed on this day 5 years ago. Never before had world leaders pledged common action and endeavor across such a broad and universal policy agenda.
In the midst of a global pandemic, it’s clear that we are up against enormous challenges, and progress in key areas is slow or regressing, as the recent Sustainable Development Goals report shows. Global Human development, measured as a combination of the world’s education, health and living standards, is set to decline this year for the first time since our measurements began in 1990. Lockdowns are leading to spikes in violence against women and girls. And the number of people facing acute food insecurity will rise to 265 million this year.