The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has said the world is off-track in achieving nearly every indicator of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), almost halfway to the 2030 target.

BMGF, in its sixth yearly Goalkeepers Report, released yesterday, with the theme, ‘The Future of Progress’, observed that impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, wars in Ukraine and Yemen, ongoing climate and food crises, and macro-economic headwinds stalled global ambitions to improve and save millions of lives by 2030.

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates called on leaders to keep commitments to the world’s poorest and invest in innovation and ingenuity to continue saving millions of lives.

The report, co-authored by the foundation’s co-chairs, Melinda and Bill, noted that despite significant setbacks caused by overlapping global crises, the report is optimistic, underscoring opportunities to accelerate progress toward ending poverty, fighting inequality, and reducing the impacts of climate change.

Bill said it’s no surprise that progress has stalled amid numerous crises, stressing that this is not a reason to give up. He said: “Every action matters to save lives and reduce suffering. Turning away would be a mistake.”

He pointed out that hunger cannot be solved solely through humanitarian assistance, and cited recent shocks to the world’s supply of grain from Eastern Europe and the ongoing threat of climate change, to underscore vulnerability and interconnectedness of the global food system.

Using a new data visualisation tool to predict the impact of climate change, the report provides bleak projections for future crop yields and agricultural productivity, particularly in Africa.

He called for increased investment in research and development and other proven solutions to significantly boost agricultural productivity, especially in Africa, where 14 countries depend on Russia and Ukraine for half their wheat.

Bill added: “The world should be generous and prevent people from going hungry, but in another sense, it doesn’t solve the larger problem. The goal should not simply be giving more food aid. It should be to ensure no aid is needed in the first place.”