AS the New Year beckons, and the world begins to count down the final six years of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, our shared vision of decisive progress towards sustainable development everywhere stands at a precipice. The ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — launched in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all — are slipping out of reach.

In recognition of this grave danger, UN Secretary General António Guterres has declared a “global emergency”, underscoring the urgent need for bold and transformative actions. The recently adopted UN Pact for the Future provides a renewed framework for re-energising Agenda 2030. Specifically, member states have reaffirmed their commitment to closing the SDG financing gap, through scaling up official development assistance, combating illicit financial flows, and mobilising domestic and private resources.

Pakistan exemplifies the struggle of low- and middle-income countries trapped in a web of debt, climate vulnerability, and under-investment in human development. Ranked 137th out of 166 nations in the UN Sustainable Development Report 2024, Pakistan’s SDG performance is off track. While modest improvements are noted in some areas, eight out of the 17 SDGs show stagnation, and three are regressing.

Gains that are made in human development terms are literally washed away by the effects of climate change on a regular basis.

An estimated 40 per cent of Pakistan’s population — approximately 97 million........

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