• Summit aims to address crises facing vulnerable nations.
• SDGs, adopted in 2015, include ending poverty and hunger by 2030.
• UN Secretary-General seeks a “global rescue plan” for lagging SDG targets.

World leaders gathered at the United Nations on Monday in an effort to salvage their ambitious commitments to improve the lives of the world’s poorest people. This development summit took place just ahead of the annual UN General Assembly opening on Tuesday, but its focus on addressing global crises risked being overshadowed by increasing geopolitical tensions, symbolized by the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the New York meeting.

In 2015, United Nations member states adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), consisting of 17 targets aimed at transforming the world by 2030. These goals include the complete eradication of extreme poverty and ensuring that none of the planet’s eight billion people suffer from hunger.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that the summit would seek a “global rescue plan” for these targets, acknowledging that only around 15 percent of them were currently on track to be achieved, with some even regressing. Guterres highlighted that these goals are not just about numbers but also about the hopes, dreams, rights, and well-being of people, as well as the health of our natural environment. They are meant to address historical injustices, bridge global divides, and pave the way for lasting peace.

Efforts to allocate resources and attention to the SDGs have faced setbacks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, climate disasters, and rising living costs. The UN summit provides a crucial platform for change, according to Abby Maxman, President of Oxfam America, who emphasized the need for leaders to be held accountable and to listen to those most affected by these issues. She called for wealthy nations to support reforms of international economic institutions to address the overwhelming debt burdens faced by many developing countries, highlighting recent progress in this regard at a Group of 20 summit in New Delhi.

However, Noam Unger, a development expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, expressed concerns that rising authoritarianism, democratic challenges, and global geopolitical competition could overshadow discussions on climate change and global development at the summit.

Developing countries’ leaders were well-represented at the summit, with the United States seeking to demonstrate its commitment to development alongside its military aid to Ukraine. US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, emphasized the importance of supporting the world’s most vulnerable, recounting the story of a young woman who had fled violence in Sudan and was now relying on the international community for assistance during her time of need.

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