Act now and act together to progress the 17 Goals.

Eight years ago, world leaders of the United Nations’ member states, were bold and adopted a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

These 17 goals whilst complex and ambitious, when combined would help us realise a world where no one is left behind.

A world where life is fulfilling with just governing systems, where everyone enjoys good health, are well-educated and earns sufficient income. A world where food is abundant and nutritious, the cost of energy is affordable and the environment is safe and protected.

In the heart of such a world, are people that are safe and resilient to adapt and thrive, no matter what shakes the core of their existence.

But that dream of such a world through the 17 SDG to come true by 2030, is not progressing as expected.

Earlier this year, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his grave concerns on SDGs achievement; “Halfway to the deadline for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we are leaving more than half the world behind.” 

“The SDG Progress Report shows that just 12 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goal targets are on track.  Progress on 50 per cent is weak and insufficient.  Worst of all, we have stalled or gone into reverse on more than 30 per cent of the SDGs.” “Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been.”

The call to act now and to act together, moved the UN Country Team in Samoa to immediately convene national SDG consultations with the countries they serve including Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau, in response to the UN SG’s concerns on lack of SDGs progress.The UNCT Samoa in collaboration with Samoa’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade coordinated the Consultation bringing together the members of Samoa’s SDGs Taskforce and the UN at the Lava Hotel on Tuesday 5th of September, 2023.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peseta Noumea Simi reiterated in her official remarks at the opening of the Samoa SDG Consultation that accelerating progress of the SDGs requires robust approaches, collective and meaningful engagement of all partners. She added that this consultation is important because it enables genuine dialogue on Samoa’s efforts to localise the SDGs, and their integration and implementation through government’s national development priorities.

The UN Resident Coordinator Themba Kalua acknowledged the leadership of the Government of Samoa and their commitment to fast track  progress of the 17 SDGs goals, whilst emphasising that the ‘UN is very clear that the focus of SDGs acceleration efforts is entirely up to the Government of Samoa.’

Available indicators shows that the major challenges with SDGs progression for Samoa appears to surround the advancement of gender equality, reducing hunger, protecting life on land, and stimulating decent jobs and growth.

Mapping Samoa’s SDGs challenges to the UN’s six areas for SDGs acceleration, and considering the SDGs interlinkages, suggests emphasis on investments in food systems, social protection and jobs, and biodiversity and nature to spur catalytic SDGs progress in Samoa. 

A UN Policy Brief concluded that it would cost Samoa approximately 16% of its GDP per year to achieve this, if it intended to progress all of its SDGs targets by 2030.

Noting that the costs for SDGs achievement seemed unrealistic, a key recommendation following the UN’s discussion with the SDGs Taskforce was for the government to also focus its SDGs acceleration efforts on health and education, particularly given the high rates of NCDs and the shortage of labour on island being exacerbated by seasonal employment schemes. 

The Taskforce also stressed that the private sector and civil society should not be left behind in these discussions and decisions on the SDGs, given that such discussions are at the foundation of the key messages that Samoa will articulate at the global SDG Summit in later this month.

Samoa completed its second Voluntary National Review of the SDGs in 2020 and is preparing for its third, which should be ready for circulation in 2024