UNCTAD's work in 2017 contributed in concrete ways to the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Just over a decade before the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are due to be met, the entire United Nations system is doubling down and UNCTAD is living up to its commitment to bringing prosperity for all.
The release of UNCTAD's annual report for 2017 signals that, while much has been achieved since the international community signed off on the 2030 Agenda in September 2015, there is still plenty of work to be done.
The report maps the mandate that was given by United Nations members in July 2016 against the blueprint provided by the Sustainable Development Goals, which form the core of the 2030 Agenda.
In this way, the report shows "where concrete UNCTAD results fit into this wider picture and deliver impact for the developing countries we serve," UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi wrote in his foreword.
"As the new development agenda is interconnected, UNCTAD work invariably touches on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals in one way or another," he underscored.
In May, the United Nations General Assembly gave the green light to a bold new plan to make sustainable development a reality, described by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as "the most ambitious and comprehensive transformation of the UN development system in decades".
Leave no one behind
The reform package "sets the foundations to reposition sustainable development at the heart of the United Nations," Mr. Guterres said.
"And it gives practical meaning to our collective promise to advance the Sustainable Development Goals for everyone, everywhere – with poverty eradication as its first goal, leaving no one behind," he said.
"In the end, reform is about putting in place the mechanisms to make a real difference in the lives of people."
The reform will strengthen national delivery efforts and put a premium on partnerships and coordination within the United Nations development system.
This is reflected in UNCTAD's annual report. It focuses on wide-ranging partnerships with multiple United Nations entities, as well as intergovernmental, non-governmental and private sector organizations outside the UN.
In the immediate future, UNCTAD is expected to have significant input in the upcoming meeting of the high-level political forum on sustainable development convened by the UN’s Economic and Social Council in New York on 9–18 July, including a three-day ministerial meeting on 16–18 July 2018.
Reviewing the goals
Participants at the meeting will consider "transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies" and review the following goals:
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Regular agenda item Goal 17, on "strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development", will also be reviewed.
This goal forms the backbone of UNCTAD's work on the 2030 Agenda and is highlighted in the 2017 annual report.
"Our perspective on the Sustainable Development Goals is principally focused on the economic dimension of sustainable development, especially the Goals and targets that address prosperity for all and global partnership," Dr. Kituyi wrote.
"The new format of the UNCTAD Annual Report 2017: So Much Done, So Much to Do aims at more clearly linking the work we do on trade, finance, investment, technology and sustainable development to the results we achieve for these specific Sustainable Development Goals."
The annual report is available as a downloadable pdf (see the download link, above), and also as an e-publication from iBooks and GooglePlay (search for “UNCTAD Annual Report 2017”).
