Inter Press Service: Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: The Sooner, the Better
“The first 1,000 days after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals are critical, according to a report published last week, urging U.N. member states to take action quickly. … The [Overseas Development Institute (ODI)] compared current progress on some of the development goals with the goals and targets and showed that a delay of six years in sub-Saharan Africa can almost double the effort that have to be put into achieving goals such as universal birth registration…” (Kaeding, 7/19).

Los Angeles Times: Hunger, poverty, disease … the U.N. takes a look at where the world stands. And it’s not pretty
“…On Tuesday, the U.N. released its inaugural report offering an overview of where the world stands. Some noteworthy progress has been documented since 2000, when the Millennium Development Goals were formally adopted, according to U.N. statistics. For example, the proportion of the global population suffering from hunger fell, the number of people living below the extreme poverty line dropped, [and] the mortality rate of children under age five went down … But as far as attaining the plan laid out for 2030, it’s going to be an uphill battle, judging by the data in Tuesday’s report…” (Simmons, 7/19).

U.N. News Centre: U.N. chief launches first report to track Sustainable Development Goals
“Launching the first-ever Sustainable Development Goals report on the new global development agenda adopted last year, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [Tuesday] said that the 15-year undertaking is ‘off to a good start’ but will require all parts of the U.N. family and its partners to work together. ‘We have embarked on a monumental and historic journey,’ the secretary general told the U.N. High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which opened on 11 July and ends on 20 July, at the U.N. Headquarters in New York…” (7/19).