Global alliance asks world leaders to prioritise sexual, health rights
The United Nations has said only 15 per cent of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets are on track, calling on key actors to rescue the goals.

Secretary General, António Guterres, at the opening of SDG Action Weekend at the UN headquarters in New York on Saturday, called on civil society actors to use their voices and grassroots networks to help rescue the SDGs.

With world leaders set to convene for the yearly high-level opening of the General Assembly, the UN hosted a range of actors. They included youth groups and women’s organisations, mayors, community activists and business leaders, looking to boost support for the goals ahead of the SDG Summit.

The summit, slated to hold today and tomorrow, will mark the mid-point of the SDGs, between their 2015 launch and their 2030 deadline.

“Over the years, widespread implementation gaps have emerged across all 17 goals, which aim to tackle everything from poverty, hunger and gender equality, to access to education and clean energy.

“Lagging public interest in achieving the goals, geopolitical friction and perhaps most critically, the global coronavirus pandemic, have left the SDGs in need of a global rescue plan.

“Today, only 15 per cent of the targets are on track, with many going into reverse,” Guterres said.

According to him, the summit will be the moment for governments to come to the table with concrete plans and proposals to accelerate progress.

He, however, stressed that the SDGs were not about checking boxes. “They are about the hopes, dreams, rights and expectations of people and the health of our natural environment. They are about righting historic wrongs, healing global divisions and putting our world on a path to lasting peace,” the UN chief said.

According to Guterres, everyone needs to step up to help revive the Goals and ensure a better life for people and the planet.

Meanwhile, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) called on leaders to prioritise sexual and reproductive health and rights, especially among women and girls.

In a special report released yesterday, PMNCH said the result of a survey conducted revealed that one-third of respondents believe there is less access to sexual and reproductive health services, including abortion and post-abortion care, and family planning in their countries, following the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

The report, ‘Overturning Roe v. Wade: Concerns for Accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Services, Including Safe Abortion’, produced by PMNCH, in collaboration with Fòs Feminista, AMREF and Aga Khan University, assessed how the U.S. decision is being felt around the world.

It also aimed to help partners strengthen advocacy and accountability for SRHR in this global context.