2025 SDSN Global Survey on SDG Challenges and Means for Implementation

Promoting Progress on SDG 16 and SDG 5 as Pathways to Inclusive Social Development

The 2025 SDSN Global Survey on SDG challenges and Means for Implementation aims to gauge your perception on progress made and persisting barriers to implement the SDGs. This survey can be answered by anyone involved in research and practical implementation of the SDGs. It includes 3 questions and should take no longer than 5 minutes to respond. The deadline to respond to this survey is set to 30 January 2026.

Access the [2025 SDSN Global Survey on SDG Challenges and Means for Implementation](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvWWRpTXqs1E-CiEg5Jwx42Y1wOwnjLxcAfEjZ9weTvjplyQ/viewform?usp=dialog)


On 13 November 2025, the SDSN’s SDG Transformation Center, in collaboration with International IDEA and a wide coalition of partners, will launch the SDG 16 Data Initiative 2025 Report, entitled _“Promoting Progress on SDG 16 and SDG 5 as Pathways to Inclusive Social Development.”_
The report takes stock of global progress toward SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) - two interlinked goals that are essential for building inclusive, just, and resilient societies. As the world enters the final years of the 2030 Agenda, the principles enshrined in the declarations of 30 years ago - gender equality, democratic governance, social development, and peace - remain as relevant and urgent as ever.

SDG 5 and SDG 16 are deeply interconnected. Gender equality is not only a human right but also a prerequisite for sustainable development. Similarly, peace, justice, and strong institutions are essential for building inclusive societies. However, progress on both goals has been uneven and, in some areas, regressive. While there have been modest gains in gender equality, such as a rise in women’s parliamentary representation, transformative change remains elusive. Many countries still lack female leadership at the highest levels, the gender pay gap persists, and violence against women continues at alarming rates.

At the same time, SDG 16 is facing serious setbacks, with declines in the rule of law, institutional transparency, and civic freedoms. These trends threaten the democratic and inclusive foundations envisioned in 1995 and reaffirmed in the 2030 Agenda. The erosion of trust in institutions, rising authoritarianism, and shrinking civic space undermine efforts to achieve people-centred development.

The report features a chapter developed by SDSN colleagues, Guilherme Iablonovski and Eduardo Weirich, titled _“Surge in Military Spending, Sanctions, and the Erosion of Financing for Peace and Social Development,”_ exploring how these...

Prosperity for Coffee Producers through SDG Coffee Plans

In partnership with the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, the SDG Transformation Center published a report titled Prosperity for Coffee Producers through SDG Coffee Plans. The report offers a three-step methodology to align investments towards thriving, sustainable coffee economies.

This report is the result of two years of work following an idea conceived by coffee growers from around the world gathered in Kigali, Rwanda, at the 3rd World Coffee Producers Forum in February 2023. It is intended to serve as a practical tool—a handbook for coffee farmers and the broader coffee value chain. Its goal is not only to ensure the prosperity of who produces coffee, going beyond simply guaranteeing its quality and availability, but also to secure the prosperity of those who produce it.
It offers a free, accessible guide to support the design, development, and implementation of Coffee SDG Plans—plans that aim to build the structures needed to strengthen the weakest link in the chain: the farmers.

This work aims to facilitate coordinated action among all value chain actors, governments, and local and international stakeholders, enabling producing countries to develop systems that lead to true farmer prosperity.

Read the full report [here](https://ccsi.columbia.edu/sites/ccsi.columbia.edu/files/content/ccsi-coffee-sdg-handbook-english.pdf)


Long-Term SDG Monitoring and Investments in Uzbekistan: Programme Launch in Tashkent

Strengthening Capacities for Long-Term SDG Monitoring and Investments in Uzbekistan at All Levels: Launch of the Cooperation Programme, Tashkent, 8-9 July, 2025

![meeting](/static/imagery/news/uzbekistan.jpg)

On 8-9 July, 2025, the SDSN’s SDG Transformation Centre, the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan (MoEF) and the French Development Agency \- Agence française de développement (AFD) \- launched an 18-month cooperation programme aimed at strengthening capacities for long-term SDG monitoring and investments in Uzbekistan.

Hosted by the MoEF, the event started with a high-level signing ceremony, featuring remarks from Mr. Ilkhom Norkulov, First Deputy Minister of MoEF, Mr. Antoine Chevalier, Deputy Director of AFD Uzbekistan Office, Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, President of SDSN, and Ms. Sabine Machl, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan.

All partners acknowledged the significant efforts undertaken by the Government of Uzbekistan to advance the SDG implementation, notably through the adoption of the ambitious national development strategy _Uzbekistan-2030_ and the submission of two Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) on the country’s progress towards the SDGs. Partners reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening national and subnational capacities in Uzbekistan to accelerate the transformation towards a more sustainable future.

The high-level ceremony was followed by a technical workshop which brought together representatives from various organisations, including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Water Resources, the National Statistical Office of Uzbekistan, the Institute for Forecasting and Macroeconomic Research, Green University, Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies, and Tashkent Institute for Irrigation and Water management. The event also featured virtual interventions from SDSN networks, including Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Australia, New Zealand & Pacific, SDSN FABLE India, IDDRI, and the Sustainable Cities Institute of Brazil.

The main goal of the event was to discuss project objectives,...

The Index of Countries' Support for UN-based Multilateralism

This data visualization enables users to explore how countries support United Nations (UN)-based multilateralism and assess their commitment towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a series of indicators.

[Read more](/reports/un-mi-dashboard-2025)


Innovative Financing Mechanisms for the SDGs: Lessons from Benin

Alongside the 4th Financing for Development Conference (FfD4) in Seville, Spain, the SDG Transformation Center together with the SDSN Benin developed a series of policy briefs to showcase a path toward more effective SDG financing solutions in Africa, building on Benin’s experience. Policy briefs highlight the institutional challenges and opportunities in resource mobilization and capital market development in Benin.

Read our policy briefs:

- [Beninese Companies Facing the Challenge of Accessing Bank Financing](https://files.unsdsn.org/Policy%20Brief_Model_Enjeux%20de%20financement_17072025_Clean.pdf) (in French)
- [Institutional Challenges in Resource Mobilization and Development Prospects for Capital Markets in Benin](https://files.unsdsn.org/Policy%20Brief_Marche%CC%81s%20des%20capitaux_11072025_VF_Final_Clean.pdf) (in French)
- [Bridging the SDG Financing Gap: Benin's Innovative Eurobond Experience](https://www.unsdsn.org/resources/bridging-the-sdg-financing-gap-benin-s-innovative-eurobond-experience/) (in French)
- [Strengthening School Feeding Programs to Improve Student Performance and Nutritional Status in Benin](https://www.unsdsn.org/resources/strengthening-school-feeding-programs-to-improve-student-performance-and-nutritional-status-in-benin/) (in French)


Sustainable Development Report 2025

Press Release: Sustainable Development Report 2025

Now available: the Sustainable Development Report 2025

 A Decade After Their Adoption at the UN, the World Remains Highly Committed to the Sustainable Development Goals

_Limited and declining support for UN-based multilateralism by major powers and insufficient fiscal space pose key obstacles to achieving the Global Goals_

**24 June 2025** (Paris, France) — Ten years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), progress remains alarmingly off-track, with less than 20% of targets projected to be achieved by 2030. Yet, global averages mask stark disparities across regions and countries in SDG progress. Despite these challenges, commitment remains high among the majority of UN Member States, reveals the 10th edition of the Sustainable Development Report (SDR), released today by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

The SDR includes the SDG Index and Dashboards, which rank all UN Member States on their performance across the 17 Goals, and this year’s report features a new Index (SDGi), which focuses on 17 headline indicators to track overall SDG progress over time. Ahead of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (Ff4D) in Seville, Spain (30 June – 3 July, 2025), the report outlines urgent reforms to the Global Financial Architecture (GFA) that should be adopted during the conference to unlock the financing needed to achieve the SDGs. On the heels of the 80th anniversary of the creation of the UN System, the report also provides improved measures and a new web platform to track countries’ support for and engagement with the UN system via its Index of countries’ support for UN-based multilateralism (UN-Mi).

Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, President of the SDSN and a lead author of the report, emphasizes the following: “Amid rising geopolitical tensions, widening global inequalities, and the escalating climate crisis, this year’s SDR underscores that the world overwhelmingly recognizes the Sustainable Development Goals as the vital pathway to peace, equity, and...

Without a new global financial architecture, neither the Paris Agreement nor the SDGs can be credibly delivered,” warns UNSDSN’s Guillaume LAFORTUNE

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10 años de la Agenda 2030: avances y desafios de la implementación de los ODS

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ESG Pitchs - SDG Index by Guillaume Lafortune

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Strengthening Access to Long-Term Financing for Sustainable Development in Cities and Worldwide

Launch of the Benin Sustainable Development Report 2023

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Space and Planet: The Universal Race to Save Earth

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Tracking #forcedlabour and climate impacts in EU's #fossil and #mineral raw materials consumption.

Financing for Sustainable Development in Vulnerable Countries #HLPF22

Launch of the Benin Sustainable Development Report (Interprétation en français lors de l’évènement)

International Spillover Effects and Their Impact on #SDG Achievement Across Countries

Écologie et économie : Que doit-on savoir ? avec Salma Dahir, économiste au sein de SDSN

Mobilizing international financing to restore and accelerate SDG progress

Digital Dialogue | Financing the Transformations for the Joint Implementation of Agenda 2030...

Addressing International Spillovers

Launch of the 2021 Europe Sustainable Development Report

Implementation of the European Green Deal through the Six Transformations

Lanzamiento del Informe de Índices ODS de Paraguay

SDGs Data Alliance

Launch of the 2021 Sustainable Development Report

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Monitoring SDG Progress within Brazilian Municipalities: Launch of the Brazilian Cities Sustainable

Open SDG: Data Reporting For Sustainable Development Webinar

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UN guide for countries to manage geospatial database

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