Inter Press Service: U.N.’s Development Goals Remain Largely Elusive
“The United Nations, in a new report to be released next month, has warned ‘there is no escaping the fact that the global landscape for the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has generally deteriorated since 2015, hindering the efforts of governments and other partners.’ And the commitment to multilateral cooperation, so central to implementing major global agreements, is now under pressure, says the 35-page report, due to be released ahead of the upcoming high-level political forum (HLPF) of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), July 9-18. The reasons for the roadblocks include a spreading economic recession, a decline in development aid, the diversion of funds into humanitarian emergencies, the widespread military conflicts, the growing economic losses from natural disasters, the downsizing of operations by cash-strapped U.N. agencies, the rise of right-wing governments, and the increasing challenge to multilateralism, among others…” (Deen, 6/18).