UN committee hears warning of gaps in 2030 development goals

According to the UN press service, Yongyi Min, an official in the UN Statistics Division, warned the General Assembly’s economic and financial committee on 12 October 2026 that “stark gaps remain” in efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, particularly for the world’s poorest people. The press service said she was presenting the UN Secretary-General’s report on progress towards the goals. [1]

In her presentation, Min said one in seven targets had fallen below its 2015 baseline, while nearly half had made only marginal progress. She cited food insecurity affecting 2.1 billion people and stunting affecting 115 million children. She also reported a 23 per cent fall in official development assistance in 2025. [1]

Min also described substantial gains. She said hundreds of millions of people had gained access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, while disaster-related deaths had fallen by 65 per cent compared with the previous decade. She also reported that internet use had risen from 40 to 74 per cent since 2015. [1]

In the committee debate, Jamaica’s representative, speaking for the Caribbean Community, said 36 per cent of 139 development targets were on track or making moderate progress, according to the UN press service. The press service also reported that Uruguay’s representative, speaking for the Group of 77 and China, called for faster cooperation on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead in supporting developing countries. [1]