The UK has fallen behind on the Sustainable Development Goals

Chris Southworth, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Commerce United Kingdom, warns that none of the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be ignored, and action to deliver them must accelerate.

Businesses, NGOs, policy makers and parliamentarians the world over recognise the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as the key guiding principles for advancing global equality and welfare. At home and abroad, we all understand the importance of delivering our commitments to the SDGs.

But we must recognise that right now, the UK is way off track to achieving these aims.

The SDGs are a call for action by all governments to deliver 17 common objectives which promote prosperity while protecting the planet by 2030. Agreed in 2015, they recognize that ending poverty goes hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs. That means improving education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, as well as tackling climate change and protecting the environment. More important than ever, the goals provide a critical framework for COVID-19 recovery.

The SDGs sit above party politics. They are about the welfare of the nation and ensuring our children live in a better world than the one we experience today.