Statement: Agenda 2030 must not be sidelined

The 2030 Agenda is the best and most ambitious plan toward a future worth living. At the mid-term mark of the Agenda, there has been minimal progress on "SDG 2 - Zero Hunger" in terms of child malnutrition, but no progress on chronic hunger. In the first few years, the international community showed little ambition in terms of implementing the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) - and major shocks have occurred since 2020: The coronavirus pandemic; the war against Ukraine; and increasingly severe consequences of climate change with dramatic effects for food insecure countries.

Now the global community, including the German government, is facing larger and more costly problems with SDG 2 than in 2015. And the 2030 Agenda threatens to become sidelined again after the highly visible United Nations (UN) mid-term summit in 2023.

But this year, the German government can—and must—inject new momentum into the 2030 Agenda: the imminent approach of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and the Summit of the Future are great opportunities to optimize these efforts.