In September 2015, leaders from all over the world gathered in the General Assembly Hall to adopt the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its 17 Sustainable Development Goals set out a shared blueprint for a more prosperous, inclusive and sustainable future. A collective commitment to leave no one behind.
For the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the 2030 Agenda is both a defining milestone and an action plan. Since its adoption, turning this global commitment into concrete results has been central to the Department’s mandate. Through its analytical work, support for intergovernmental processes, and capacity development, UN DESA has helped countries advance the SDGs.
Yet progress has been slow and uneven. Lack of progress was exacerbated by the crises/shocks starting with the pandemic. Only 36% of accessible SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress. With just four years remaining until 2030, the world has reached a critical moment: action must accelerate if the promise of the SDGs is to be fulfilled. UN DESA has been in the forefront of efforts to rescue the SDGs.
UN DESA: driving global cooperation
No country can achieve the SDGs alone.
A central part of UN DESA’s role is to help sustain political momentum around the 2030 Agenda. The Department creates spaces where governments can build consensus, strengthen partnerships and turn shared commitments into collective action. At a time when multilateral cooperation is under growing strain, these intergovernmental engagements, dialogues and actions help keep sustainable development high on the global political agenda.
The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is at the centre of this architecture. The Forum enables the international community to assess progress, examine setbacks and share solutions. The 2026 HLPF brought together more than 4,000 participants each day, while 36 countries presented their experiences through Voluntary National Reviews.
Beyond the HLPF, UN DESA helps sustain political momentum and accelerate action by organizing high-level thematic conferences on ocean, water, energy and sustainable transport. By bringing together governments, the UN system, civil society and other stakeholders to share solutions, forge partnerships and mobilize commitments around specific SDGs.
These UN conferences demonstrate multilateralism in action — uniting the international community around common challenges and accelerating progress towards the 2030 Agenda.
Strategic investment for a better world
Financing is essential to delivering the SDGs. Closing financing gaps requires stronger international cooperation and more effective resource mobilization.
UN DESA brings governments and financial actors together to identify common ground, address financing challenges and unlocking solutions. UN DESA’s role extends beyond global financing frameworks. The department also helps countries strengthen the domestic resource base needed for sustainable development, including through international tax cooperation.
This work supports countries in closing loopholes, reducing illicit financial flows and strengthening revenue systems so that resources remain available where they are needed most.
Keeping people at the center of sustainable development
Sustainable development ultimately means improving people’s lives.
UN DESA supports Member States in addressing poverty, inequality, migration, aging, climate change, and managing shocks. It provides intergovernmental platforms and helps shape policies that strengthen social cohesion and support marginalized communities.
In 2025, UN DESA organized the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar. The Summit resulted in the Doha Political Declaration, which renewed governments’ commitment to tackle poverty, create decent jobs, and build more inclusive societies.
It also expanded the social development agenda to address current challenges.
The Declaration reflects a principle that runs throughout UN DESA’s work: social development is inseparable from growth, peace, stability and progress on the 2030 Agenda. UN DESA carries this integrated, people-centered approach into its work with countries. Its capacity-building programs respond directly to priorities identified by Member States. They are tailored to national contexts and designed around the needs of the people and communities they are intended to serve. This helps countries develop locally relevant approaches that can continue to deliver results over time.
Preparing for what comes next
The forces shaping the future of sustainable development are changing quickly. Rising fragmentation, growing polarization, economic uncertainty, increasing inequality, demographic shifts and technological disruptions are already transforming societies. To help Member States anticipate change and prepare for different scenarios, UN DESA is expanding its use of strategic foresight.
The department is also continuously changing the way it supports countries by integrating artificial intelligence and digital learning into its capacity-building work. One recent example is the launch of the AI-powered SDG Chat pilot, developed by UN DESA, the Office of Information and Communications Technology and Accenture. The tool enables users to ask questions about the SDGs and receive answers grounded in trusted UN DESA content. It can respond in all six official United Nations languages, making reliable SDG knowledge more accessible to policymakers, researchers, students, civil society organizations and the public.
Preparing for the future, however, involves more than embracing new technologies. It requires deeper analysis and better understanding of the forces that are shaping the future of humanity. UN DESA is doing thorough analysis of causes of slow and uneven progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda and how to adapt it to the new realities and make it work in tackling the challenges that are shaping the future of succeeding generations.
At the same time, it is important to recognize what the 2030 Agenda has already achieved. People are living healthier lives, more communities have access to electricity and safe drinking water, billions more people are connected digitally, and important advances have been made in equality and the protection of our planet. These gains provide a strong foundation to build on. As the 2027 SDG Summit approaches, UN DESA will connect today’s implementation lessons and the glaring gaps to inform and shape the decisions that will determine the next phase of our collective efforts to leave no one behind on a healthy planet. This requires a renewed universal and dynamic agenda capable of delivering a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable future for people and planet.