GCUA 2030 webinar spotlighted SDG monitoring and key findings from the 2025 SDG Report
GCUA 2030 hosted a webinar featuring Daniel Eshetie from the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), who discussed the Division’s work in coordinating the Global SDG Indicator Framework and monitoring global progress toward Agenda 2030.
A well-attended webinar
The webinar was well represented by around 50 participants from several different countries in Europe, U.S. and Africa. For those who couldn't join live, it is possible to watch a recording of the presentation. See below.
Daniel Eshetie, a statistician at UNSD, works closely with National Statistical Offices and international partners on methodology and capacity-development initiatives related to SDG indicators. During the webinar, he outlined his role and the Division’s broader efforts to strengthen data systems and ensure consistent monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The session also included an overview of the recently published Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025. Prepared annually by UN DESA in collaboration with more than 50 international and regional agencies, the report draws on data from over 200 countries and territories. It serves as a key reference document, offering up-to-date evidence to inform recommendations and solutions aimed at accelerating progress toward Agenda 2030 and the SDGs.
Read the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025 here
The SDGs have led to substantial progress
According to the report, the past decade has brought clear gains across many SDG areas. More than a third of targets with trend data are on track or moving in the right direction. Social protection now reaches over half of the global population, and major health improvements—including a 40% drop in new HIV infections and declines in maternal and child mortality—show real momentum. Education access has expanded with 110 million more children and youth in school since 2015, while electricity access and internet connectivity have both risen significantly. In addition, nearly 100 legal reforms in recent years have strengthened gender-equality frameworks. Overall, the SDGs have contributed to measurable and widespread progress.
Still a long way to go
Yet progress remains too slow, uneven, and fragile. Nearly half of targets are advancing only marginally, and almost one in five has regressed. Extreme poverty still affects one in ten people, and hunger one in eleven, while more than a billion people live in slums or informal settlements. Climate impacts are accelerating—2024 was the hottest year on record—and displacement has more than doubled since 2015, reaching over 120 million people. Financial constraints, including a four-trillion-dollar annual SDG financing gap and declining development assistance, further hinder progress.
Key challenges include:
- Escalating conflicts and geopolitical tensions
- Growing climate instability
- Deepening inequalities
- Rising debt burdens
These interconnected pressures are slowing global development at the very time when faster action is needed.
Watch the recording here