While challenges are becoming more complex, progress across Sustainable Development Goals remains off track

Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Colleagues,

Good afternoon.

It is a pleasure to join you today.

I would like to thank the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, the World Benchmarking Alliance, and the co-sponsoring Permanent Missions of Uganda, Colombia and Kazakhstan for convening this important discussion.

I would like to begin with a simple reflection – of a girl growing up in a village affected by drought.

She does not experience climate change, poverty, debt and inequality as separate crises.

She experiences them as one reality.

When crops fail, food becomes more expensive. When food becomes more expensive, families pull children out of school.

When public budgets come under pressure, health services deteriorate.

And when opportunities disappear, hope often disappears with them.

For her, these challenges are not divided into sectors, institutions or mandates.

They are connected.

And our solutions must be connected too.

That is why I believe today’s discussion is so important.

With less than five years remaining, progress across the Sustainable Development Goals remains far off track, while challenges facing people are becoming more acute and complex.

Many countries are struggling with shrinking fiscal space, mounting debt burdens and growing uncertainty. At the same time, the climate crisis is accelerating, biodiversity is declining, conflicts are multiplying and inequalities continue to widen.

But this is not merely a story of constraints. It is also a story of opportunity.

Throughout the world, people continue to demonstrate extraordinary resilience and creativity.

We see “Human Rights Cities” around the world, finding new ways to build more inclusive communities. We see young people developing solutions for their own futures. We see businesses rethinking how value is created. We see communities demanding not charity, but a genuine voice in shaping their own development.

The question before us is how we can help turn these efforts into lasting change.

This is the reason the High Commissioner has launched the Global Alliance for Human Rights, to bring together States, civil society, business, cities, youth, and all actors to advance our collective goal of shaping a better future together.

And this year, as we commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, we are reminded of a powerful idea.

Development is not something that is delivered to people. It is something that every person and all peoples have the right to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy.

At its heart, the right to development is about human dignity.

It asks a simple question: Are people able to live lives of freedom, opportunity and security? Do they have a voice in decisions that affect them? Can they look to the future with confidence rather than fear?

Economic growth matters. Investment and technology matter. But none of these are ends in themselves. They are valuable only if they improve people’s lives.

And this brings me to partnerships.

Too often, in this building, we think about partnerships primarily in terms of financing.

Of course, resources matter. But the most successful partnerships are not simply transactions. They are relationships built on trust, shared purpose and mutual responsibility.

The right to development also reminds us that the duty to cooperate lies at the heart of sustainable development.

SDG 17 gives practical expression to that duty by recognizing that no country can achieve sustainable development in isolation.

Effective cooperation depends on more than the volume of resources mobilized. The quality of partnerships matters just as much as their quantity.

Partnerships should strengthen national ownership, not weaken it. They should expand each country's policy space to pursue its own development priorities, based on mutual respect. They should expand opportunities, not reinforce inequalities. They should amplify the voices of those who are too often unheard. And they should leave communities stronger than they found them.

Excellencies,

Today, this is particularly important as we look to the role of the private sector.

Business is already helping shape the future through investment, innovation, technology and employment.

The question is not whether business should be involved, but how. How can private investment contribute to decent work, living wages and stronger communities? How can supply chains become more resilient and fair?

How can innovation support both people and the planet? And how can businesses succeed commercially while also contributing to more inclusive and sustainable societies?

Around the world, we are seeing encouraging signs that these objectives are not in conflict. Companies are increasingly recognizing that long-term success depends on respect for human rights.

Workers who are respected are more productive. Communities that are inclusive are more resilient. Societies that are fairer are more stable. And economies that respect both human rights and environmental limits are ultimately more sustainable.

This captures the essence of the “human rights economy” that our Office has been working to advance.

The United Nations has a unique role to play in helping bring different actors together. Not because we have all the answers – but because we can create the space for governments, businesses, financial institutions and civil society to come together around a shared vision.

A vision grounded in solidarity and international cooperation.

A vision grounded in human dignity. Fairness and accountability.

Across different regions, we are already seeing how partnerships between governments, business, UN entities and civil society can improve SDG implementation—from integrating human rights into climate mobility governance to strengthening responsible business conduct and improving SDG monitoring and accountability.

We have practical tools to turn this vision into reality, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

For example, my Office is actively engaging with a number of tech companies, through our B-Tech Project, that helps companies design responsible AI products and services, based on the Guiding Principles.

Ultimately, success of partnerships will not be measured by the resources they mobilize – but by whether they improve the lives of people, particularly those furthest behind.

Excellencies,

As we look to the 2027 SDG Summit and discussions on the future beyond 2030 gather momentum, we have an opportunity to reconnect development with its original purpose.

The right to development reminds us that development is not fundamentally about GDP growth. It is about people. It is about expanding freedoms. It is about building societies where every person can contribute and thrive.

And it requires solidarity and cooperation, an international order conducive to the realization of human rights and development.

If we build partnerships on these foundations, SDG 17 can become a powerful catalyst.

It will become a force for hope – for people and the planet. And hope, perhaps, is the most important resource we will need for the years ahead.

Thank you.