By Elena Kosolapova and Lynn Wagner. Reposted from IISD SDG Knowledge Hub, Jan 10, 2024.
“Humanity is strongest when we stand together.” This was the gist of the UN Secretary-General’s message for New Year 2024. Describing 2023 as the year of “enormous suffering, violence, and climate chaos,” he urged the international community to build trust and hope by “com[ing] together across divides for shared solutions,” to achieve peace, sustainable development, and human rights.
Last year provided some steps forward, but much work remains. Against the backdrop of intensifying geopolitical tensions and cascading global crises, the world took stock of the state of the SDGs. While the Goals are not on track to be achieved by 2030, leaders recommitted to the 2030 Agenda as the blueprint for sustainable development. The first Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement on climate change arguably marked the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era. Years of negotiations resulted in a Global Framework on Chemicals. Replacing the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), it will guide chemicals management and use going forward. Together with the 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the 2023 high seas treaty will help preserve marine biodiversity.
It is with hope that the SDG Knowledge Hub’s editorial team looks ahead at 2024. We have identified four areas for policymakers and sustainable development professionals to watch in 2024.
1. The triple planetary crisis
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2. Vulnerable countries’ challenges
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