The United Nations' annual Sustainable Development Report assesses how well its 193 member states are doing on 17 wide-ranging "Sustainable Development Goals" (SDGs), including improving access to education and health care, providing clean energy and protecting biodiversity.

The report found that none of the 17 goals are likely to be met by 2030. Progress on most goals is “limited or reversed”.

The report also assessed countries’ readiness for global cooperation through UN organizations. The United States ranked last in this ranking. “Most countries support cooperation… but there are some major powers that do not,” said Mr. Lafortune.

“What this report shows is that even before the pandemic, progress was already too slow,” said Guillaume Lafortune, vice-chair of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and lead author of the report.

The report identifies areas of weakness in tackling hunger, building sustainable cities and protecting biodiversity on land and water. Political goals such as press freedom have also seen “reversal of progress”.

Finland, Sweden and Denmark are leading the way in meeting the sustainable development goals, the report said. China is also making faster-than-average progress, but the world's poorest countries are lagging further behind.

Developing countries need more access to international finance, Mr Lafortune said, and institutions such as credit rating agencies should be encouraged to consider a country’s long-term economic and environmental well-being, rather than just short-term liquidity.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)