Our Scans · (LF.18) Sustainable Development Goals · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.

• The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025 delivers a sobering verdict: only 18% of SDG targets are on track to be achieved by 2030. Culture Policy Room
• Without faster progress, full-service coverage without financial hardship will remain out of reach for many: the global SCI is projected to reach only 74 out of 100 by 2030, with nearly 1 in 4 people worldwide still facing financial hardship at the end of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) era. World Health Organization: WHO
• India addresses waste through initiatives like the Swachh Bharat Mission and promotes safe food sharing via the Indian Food Sharing Alliance, aligning with its commitment to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3 to halve per capita food waste by 2030. Towards FnB
• Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy (SDG 7) remains a global challenge, with 660 million people projected to lack electricity by 2030. SpringerLink
• The UN calls for developed countries to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact in SDG 13 and The Paris Agreement sets up the net-zero goal for our global society: stating that greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43% by 2030. UNSW Sites
• The global AIDS response has been upended in recent months but there is still much more to be done to achieve the SDG target of ending AIDS by 2030. EATG
• Rising obesity trends will in addition undermine the likelihood of countries attaining the SDG target 3.4 of reducing premature mortality from NCDs by one third by 2030 (,,). Global Heart
• Experts urged for stronger policy backing to integrate nutrition education into India's school system, aligning efforts with SDG-2 (Zero Hunger by 2030). newkerala.com
• If current trends continue, 351 million women and girls will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 - to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls-will be missed. UNEP-DHI
• Farmland restoration is central to the Rio Conventions and the UN 2030 Agenda, notably SDG 15.3, which aims to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030. CNS Media
• All UN member states have committed to ending modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour, and child labour by 2030 under Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7. Minderoo Foundation
• UN SDG 11 aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable by 2030 and is directly relevant to the work of planners and urban policymakers. Mirage News
• Without coordinated governance and biodiversity safeguards, the push for renewable energy could undermine international commitments under the UN Ocean Decade, the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water). Mirage News
• The Scottish Government's Women and Girls Fund will deliver grants to women and girl-led organizations across Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia, aiming to contribute to the delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The Scottish Government
• The GCoM plan is that large-scale financing instruments will fund local implementation of frontier technologies to construct global governance (SDG) compliant smart-cities. Unlimited Hangout
• Global evidence, literature, and experiences unite in a single message-collaborative efforts can halve hunger by 2030, advancing the vision of SDG 2. OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION ( ORF )

Last updated: 05 January 2026