On implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals in view of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

on implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals in view of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum

(2025/2014(INI))

– having regard to Article 3(5) of the Treaty on European Union and Article 208(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to Decision (EU) 2022/591 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 April 2022 on a General Union Environment Action Programme to 2030,

– having regard to the joint statement by the Council and the representatives of the governments of the Member States meeting within the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission of 30 June 2017 on the New European Consensus on Development – ‘Our world, our dignity, our future’,

– having regard to its resolution of 8 September 2015 on the follow-up to the European Citizens’ Initiative Right2Water and its resolution of 5 October 2022 on access to water as a human right – the external dimension,

– having regard to its resolution of 28 November 2019 on the climate and environment emergency,

– having regard to its resolution of 9 June 2021 on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives,

– having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2022 on the EU action plan for the social economy,

– having regard to its resolution of 24 November 2022 on the future European Financial Architecture for Development,

– having regard to its resolution of 23 June 2023 on the implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),

– having regard to the Commission staff working document of 18 November 2020 entitled ‘Delivering on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – A comprehensive approach’ (SWD(2020)0400),

– having regard to the integration of the SDGs into the better regulation framework, including the Commission communication of 29 April 2021 entitled ‘Better regulation: Joining forces to make better laws’ (COM(2021)0219),

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 24 October 2019 on the Economy of Wellbeing and the Council conclusions of 24 June 2024 on EU priorities at the United Nations during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 2024 - September 2025,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 22 June 2021 entitled ‘A comprehensive approach to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development – Building back better from the COVID-19 crisis’,

– having regard to the Council recommendation of 16 June 2022 on Learning for the Green transition and sustainable development,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 21 June 2022 entitled ‘The transformative role of education for sustainable development and global citizenship as an instrumental tool for the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs)’,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 12 March 2024 entitled ‘Managing climate risks – protecting people and prosperity’ (COM(2024)0091),

– having regard to the European Environment Agency report of 4 December 2019 entitled ‘The European environment – state and outlook 2020: Knowledge for transition to a sustainable Europe’,

– having regard to the EU Global Health Strategy,

– having regard to the EU Gender Action Plan III (GAP III),

– having regard to the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030,

– having regard to the EU’s first voluntary review of SDG implementation, presented to the United Nations on 19 July 2023,

– having regard to Eurostat’s 2024 monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context, published on 18 June 2024,

– having regard to the opinions of the European Economic and Social Committee of 19 September 2018 entitled ‘Indicators better suited to evaluate the SDGs – the civil society contribution’, of 30 October 2019 entitled ‘Leaving no one behind when implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda’, and of 8 December 2021 entitled ‘Renewed sustainable finance strategy’,

– having regard to UN Resolution 70/1 entitled ‘Transforming our World – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ (2030 Agenda), adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015 in New York and establishing the SDGs,

– having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) for Youth,

– having regard to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed at the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the UNCBD,

– having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the EU Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030,

– having regard to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, adopted by UN member states at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction on 18 March 2015,

– having regard to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement adopted at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP21) in Paris on 12 December 2015,

– having regard to the agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) of 4 March 2023 (UN High Seas Treaty),

– having regard to the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women,

– having regard to UN Human Rights Council resolution 48/13, adopted on 8 October 2021, and UN General Assembly resolution 76/300, adopted on 28 July 2022, on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and to Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe resolution 2545 (2024), adopted on 18 April 2024, on mainstreaming the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment with the Reykjavik process,

– having regard to the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution ‘5/10. The environmental dimension of a sustainable, resilient and inclusive post-COVID-19 recovery’, adopted on 2 March 2022,

– having regard to the UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2019, entitled ‘The Future is Now: Science for Achieving Sustainable Development’,

– having regard to the UN Secretary-General’s report entitled ‘Our Common Agenda’, presented to the UN General Assembly, and to the mandate that UN General Assembly Resolution 76/6 of 15 November 2021 gave the UN Secretary-General to follow up on his report,

– having regard to the UN Sustainable Development Report 2021, entitled ‘The Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals’, and the UN Sustainable Development Report 2022, entitled ‘From Crisis to Sustainable Development: the SDGs as Roadmap to 2030 and Beyond’,

– having regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024,

– having regard to the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on global warming of 1.5 ºC, its special report on climate change and land, its special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate and its sixth assessment report (AR6),

– having regard to the global assessment report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) of 25 November 2019 on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and its latest nexus and transformative change assessment reports,

– having regard to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report of 18 February 2021 entitled ‘Making Peace with Nature: a scientific blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies’,

– having regard to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ publication of January 2022 entitled ‘SDG Good Practices: A compilation of success stories and lessons learned in SDG implementation – Second Edition’,

– having regard to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report of 10 November 2022 entitled ‘Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development 2023: No Sustainability Without Equity’,

– having regard to the Human Development Report 2023/24 entitled ‘Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining cooperation in a polarized world’,

– having regard to the initiative by the UN Secretary-General ‘SDG Stimulus to Deliver Agenda 2030’ of February 2023,

– having regard to the Bridgetown Initiative launched on 23 September 2022,

– having regard to the World Health Organization (WHO) One Health Initiative,

– having regard to the Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls,

– having regard to the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact which took place in Paris in June 2023,

– having regard to the 2023 SDG Summit which took place in September 2023, during the United Nations General Assembly high-level week,

– having regard to the Summit of the Future which took place on 22 and 23 September 2024 in New York, its outcome, the Pact for the Future, which pledges 56 actions to accelerate and finance sustainable development, and its two annexes, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations,

– having regard to the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development that will take place in Seville, Spain, from 30 June to 3 July 2025,

– having regard to the ‘SDG Acceleration Actions’ online database,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the joint deliberations of the Committee on Development and the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety under Rule 59 of the Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Development and the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (A10-0000/2025),

A. whereas only 17 % of SDGs targets are on track, nearly half are showing minimal or moderate progress, and progress on over a third has stalled or even regressed below 2015 baseline levels;

B. whereas the 2025 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) will focus on advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs aiming to leaving no one behind; whereas it will conduct in-depth reviews of SDGs 3, 5, 8, 14 and 17;

C. whereas there is currently a USD 4 trillion annual SDG investment gap; whereas high debt levels of low- and middle-income countries constitute an obstacle to the investments required for the achievement of the SDGs;

State of play

1. Reaffirms its strong commitment to the timely and full delivery of all the SDGs;

2. Regrets that the global community is severely off track with regard to realising the 2030 Agenda and achieving SDG targets;

3. Stresses that international cooperation and decisive transformative action are urgently needed to place our societies and economies firmly on course to achieve the SDGs and address the triple planetary crisis;

4. Highlights that EU leadership in the global implementation of the SDGs remains crucial, especially in light of the multiple geopolitical challenges and ongoing crises;

SDGs under in-depth review at the 2025 HLPF

SDG 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

5. Regrets the marginal or moderate progress in most SDG 3 targets and the slowing pace since 2015 in multiple key areas; notes with concern that less than 10 % of SDG 3 targets are on track and less than one third are likely to be met by 2030;

6. Stresses that multiple and interlocking crises, weak healthcare infrastructure, economic instability, poverty, persistent inequalities, especially among vulnerable populations and regions, and increasingly constrained resources threaten to further derail progress towards SDG 3 targets;

7. Calls for enhanced coordinated action and substantial investment to achieve universal health coverage, strengthen health systems, ensure equitable access to medicines and vaccines, promote disease prevention and treatment, tackle aggravating environmental factors and address disparities in access to quality care and services, especially for vulnerable populations and regions;

8. Calls for the universal right to a healthy environment to be added to the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and for a legally binding framework to be put in place;

SDG 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

9. Calls for accelerated, targeted action to end all forms of violence and harassment against women, girls and LGBTIQ+ people, including sexual and gender-based violence, and to end harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation;

10. Calls for the continuation of funding for programmes focusing on promoting female empowerment and fighting against all forms of gender-based violence; calls on the Commission to ensure that 85 % of all new external actions incorporate gender as a significant or principal objective and that 20 % of official development aid in each country is allocated to programmes having gender equality as one of their principal objectives;

11. Calls for accelerated efforts to close the gender pay gap, including in the care economy, and to ensure equal participation and leadership opportunities in the public and private sectors;

SDG 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

12. Is alarmed that SDG 8 targets face the highest rates of stagnation or regression among the SDGs under in-depth review at the 2025 HLPF;

13. Calls for stronger policies and bold actions to promote inclusive and sustainable economic development; urges the EU and global partners to use instruments such as Global Gateway to create decent jobs that will reduce income inequality and ensure that no one is left behind;

14. Expresses concern that economic growth in many developing countries remains slow and uneven, often hindered by structural weaknesses, economic inequalities, political instability and external shocks;

15. Recommends increased public and private investment in research, education and skills development;

16. Emphasises that initiatives aimed at stimulating economic growth cannot come at the expense of social justice, labour rights or environmental protection;

SDG 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

17. Stresses the alarming trends of marine pollution, coastal eutrophication, ocean acidification, rising temperatures, declining fish stocks and habitat destruction, which threaten marine ecosystems and coastal communities and hinder the achievement of SDG 14 targets;

18. Regrets the lack of actual progress and, in some cases, the worsening outlook in meeting SDG 14 targets; considers that the marginal or moderate progress and the high levels of stagnation and regression mean that global action is far from the speed and scale required to meet SDG14 targets on time;

19. Believes that binding global measures are urgently needed to address shortcomings, accelerate action and ensure the long-term sustainability of the oceans, including through sustainable fishing practices, combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, enhancing marine conservation efforts and adopting a global treaty on plastic pollution;

SDG 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

20. Calls on the EU to continue advocating for multilateralism and provide global leadership in advancing the implementation of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda; emphasises that a vocal re-commitment to the SDGs will send a clear signal to partners around the world and support the EU’s global action;

21. Reaffirms that Official Development Assistance (ODA) remains a crucial source of public financing; calls, therefore, on all EU Member States and global partners to ensure that sufficient financing is dedicated to fulfilling the commitment to spend 0.7 % of gross national income on ODA;

22. Emphasises the crucial role of multi-stakeholder partnerships and the involvement of local governments, civil society and youth representatives;

23. Calls for debt relief and debt restructuring for developing countries and for reforms of global financial institutions, including multilateral development banks, to make them fit for the implementation of the SDGs;

24. Stresses the need to align the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe, including Global Gateway programmes, with the SDGs and the Paris Agreement; calls for greater involvement of Parliament in the scrutiny of Global Gateway programmes;

25. Reiterates its strong call on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen cooperation with partners on fighting illicit financial flows and tax evasion;

Outlook

26. Reiterates that the SDGs are the only globally agreed and comprehensive set of goals on the major challenges faced by both developed and developing countries and are the best tool for tackling their root causes;

27. Highlights the opportunity that the SDGs provide to establish a true well-being economy which is centred on people and fully respects planetary boundaries, and to work towards a sustainable world beyond 2030;

28. Calls for the commitments made during the Summit of the Future and reflected in the Pact for the Future to be translated into concrete actions;

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29. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, the Secretary General of the United Nations and the President of the United Nations General Assembly.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

With less than five years left until the deadline for the realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world is severely off track to meet the agreed goals. Given the current global context, which is increasingly being described as a polycrisis due to the increasingly overlapping and interlocking negative developments and trends, the rapporteurs believe that it is more important than ever for the European Union and the world to re-commit to the SDGs. It is a firm belief of the rapporteurs that the SDGs are the best tool to address the major challenges faced by both developed and developing countries.

Compared to previous reports, the current one has a more precise objective: to present the European Parliament’s position, including concerns and recommendations, ahead of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

The 2025 HLPF will be convened on 14-23 July 2025, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and will conduct in-depth reviews of: SDG 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages; SDG 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; SDG 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all; SDG 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development; and SDG 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

The rapporteurs recognise and underline the interlinkages between these goals, as well as between all SDGs. They also believe that the European Union, having played a significant role in setting up the 2030 Agenda, must lead by example and provide global leadership for the achievement of the SDGs and the realisation of the 2030 Agenda. This report contains the European Parliament’s priorities and recommendations towards their implementation. The rapporteurs share the hope that when looking back, the European Parliament will be able to say that it has contributed to the shared goal of creating a better, inclusive and sustainable world.