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AGENDA 2030: SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR ‘ALL HANDS ON
DECK’, REINVIGORATED EFFORTS TO ENSURE SUCCESS OF

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
NEW YORK, 24 SEPTEMBER 2019

“High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development”

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We started this journey together in 2015 and we
know our destination: an end to extreme poverty and hunger; equality for women and girls and em-

powered young people; a low carbon, climate-smart economy with decent jobs, inclusive growth and
shared prosperity; peaceful and just societies, human rights for all, and respect for the rule of law;

[and] opportunity for all on a healthy planet.

In short, we have set our sights on a fair globalization. The good news is that the 2030 Agenda is
coming to life. Governments, north and south, have begun integrating the Goals into national plans

and strategies. The private sector is coming to understand that green business is good business. Ci-
ties, businesses, the international financial sector, civil society, young people and more are stepping

up and taking action.

And we are making progress. Extreme poverty and child mortality rates are falling. Access to energy
and to decent work is rising. The commitment to the 2030 Agenda is an unmistakable commitment.

But, let us be clear: we are far from where we need to be. We are off track. Deadly conflicts, the

climate crisis, gender-based violence, and persistent inequalities are undermining efforts to achieve
the Goals. Indeed, half the wealth around the world is held by people who could fit around a confe-

rence table.

Uneven growth, rising debt levels, heightened global trade tensions are creating new obstacles to
implementation. Youth unemployment remains at alarming levels. Global hunger is unfortunately

on the rise. No country is on track to meeting the goal of gender equality — without which none of
the others will be met, and in fact, the gap in several [of them] is growing. One million species are

in danger of extinction. And at the current pace, almost 500 million people could remain in extreme

poverty by 2030.
We must step up our efforts. And we must do it now. We must regain the trust of the people and re-

spond to perceptions and experiences of alienation and instability generated by the current model of
globalization. We have the best solution in the 2030 Agenda, our blueprint for a fair globalization.

We must transition our economies towards net zero emissions by 2050. We must boost the develop-

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