President of ECOSOC,
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Dear Colleagues,
It is my honour to present the Secretary-General¡¯s 2026 progress report on the Sustainable Development Goals.
I will also conclude with a brief update on the linkages between the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the 2030 Agenda, building on updates to previous HLPFs.
The Secretary-General¡¯s progress report is both a testament to what is possible and an urgent call to do far more.
With less than five years to achieve the SDGs, the report offers a clear-eyed measure of our collective progress ¨C and the monumental, urgent work ahead.
The gains are real. Of the 139 SDG targets with available trend data, 36 per cent are on track or making moderate progress.
Behind that number are lives transformed.
Since 2015,
? Hundreds of millions have gained access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
? Social protection now covers over half of the global population.
? Disaster-related deaths have dropped by 65 per cent compared to the previous decade.
? Electricity now reaches 92 per cent of the world's population, with one-third powered by renewable sources.
? Internet access has surged from 40 to 74 per cent, connecting billions to new opportunities.
? The child mortality reduction target has been met by 134 countries.
? New HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths have each fallen by roughly one-third.
? Our capacity to observe and document progress has itself been transformed. In 2016, data existed for roughly half of all SDG indicators. Today, we have over 3.2 million data points ¡ªa ten-fold growth¡ªcovering nearly every indicator.
But stark gaps remain. Of those targets with trend data, about one in seven targets has fallen below its 2015 baseline.
Nearly half have made only marginal progress, moving far too slowly to achieve the targets by 2030.
? One in ten people still lives in extreme poverty.
? Food insecurity affects 2.3 billion people.
? Maternal mortality remains nearly three times the global target.
? Over 150 million children are stunted.
? And discrimination curbs the potential of one in five people worldwide.
These shortfalls are compounded by a convergence of crises.
? In 2025, global temperatures reached 1.43 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
? Violent conflict, at its highest level in decades, has forcibly displaced 118 million people.
? Official development assistance collapsed by a record 23 per cent in 2025 ¡ª eroding the financial foundations for improving lives in the world's poorest countries.
Amidst these crises, we must also navigate profound demographic shifts.
Across the world, changes in population size, age structure and spatial distribution are fundamentally rewriting the social and economic contract, with broad implications for sustainable development.
Ageing populations, large youth cohorts, rapid urbanization, and migration are reshaping our workforces, straining social protection systems, and testing the very fabric of our communities.
To turn these demographic shifts into dividends, our policy responses must empower people to make informed choices. These require sustained, life-long investments in human capital ¡ªfrom youth education to healthy ageing ¡ªbacked by stronger governance, cohesive societies, and the strategic use of demographic data and foresight.
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
The way forward is clear.
We must scale our proven successes and address the root causes of our setbacks.
This demands decisive actions for peace and stability, stronger institutions, and structural transformation.
We must restore fiscal space through meaningful debt relief and mobilize development finance at scale, strengthening food, energy, and water systems, expanding essential services, addressing inequalities, and empowering women and youth.
Modern technologies and stronger statistical systems have given us the evidence base we need to take effective action.
Let us use this data with a reinvigorated sense of urgency to finally deliver on the promise of the 2030 Agenda for a more equitable, peaceful, and sustainable future.
Excellencies,
I will now speak on behalf of the United Nations Network on Migration.
Just weeks after the second International Migration Review Forum, Member States reaffirmed their commitment to international cooperation, adopting a forward-looking Progress Declaration that further strengthens the link between implementation of the Global Compact for Migration and the 2030 Agenda.
The message is clear: the focus must shift 51ÁÔÆæ to implementation, supported by a strong level of engagement and a growing number of reviews and pledges.
Migration is integral to sustainable development. It is how we build inclusive societies, resilient communities and stronger labour markets, advance gender equality, and promote more effective international cooperation.
Our task now is to translate this into tangible impact ¡ª in our policies, our institutions and, most importantly, in people¡¯s lives.
The Network stands ready to work with Member States, the United Nations system and all partners to make this a reality.
The longer version of the Network¡¯s statement will be posted online.
Thank you for your attention.