Foreword by SG Grynspan

In a world awash with information, credible data is the bedrock of effective strategies for sustainable development, especially as climate change, environmental challenges, the consequences of the pandemic, escalating wars and human conflict are impacting developing economies’ ability to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2024 SDG Pulse report, a comprehensive analysis of our progress towards the SDGs, provides a vital snapshot – a ‘pulse’ – of our current reality, allowing us to zoom into the gaps, setbacks, and successes of countries to inform targeted actions.

This sixth edition paints a complex picture of global development, highlighting the stark disparities that persist despite significant advancements. On trade, for example, it shows that while the value of global trade in services has demonstrated resilience, growing by 8.9% globally in 2023 and even 9.5% in developing economies, merchandise trade has faltered, declining by 4.6% globally and 6.3% in developing economies. This disparity is particularly pronounced in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), whose share of global exports remains stubbornly at around 1%, a far cry from the SDG target of doubling it.

These trade imbalances are further exacerbated by the escalating debt burden of developing economies, which has more than doubled in the past decade. This alarming trend, coupled with a shortage of development finance and the increasing concentration of foreign direct investment, fuels inequalities both within and between countries, hindering progress towards achieving the SDGs on time.

Yet, amidst these challenges, there are signs of progress. The 2024 SDG Pulse presents early estimates of illicit financial flows for a related SDG indicator, developed with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN Regional Commissions. We also share progress in a joint project to assist countries in collecting and reporting their own data on South-South cooperation, based on a voluntary framework that seeks to change the development support narrative with data developed, compiled, and endorsed by the countries of the global South.

The report also delves into UNCTAD's data on trade in plastics, oceans trade, and biodiversitybased goods trade, emphasizing the urgency of the green transition and the need for equitable access to clean energy and sustainable solutions.

This SDG Pulse is structured around the four transformations of UNCTAD15's Bridgetown Covenant -—
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: multilateralism and trade, sustainability and resilience, development finance, and diversification. It also features an In-Focus section on gender equality in international trade, based on a new set of indicators that reveal persistent disparities and highlight the need for targeted policies for women in trade.

This report serves as a call to action, urging policymakers, businesses, and civil society to leverage its insights to drive meaningful change. The upcoming United Nations Summit of the Future in September offers a unique opportunity to recalibrate our efforts and ensure the 2030 Agenda is put back on track. The time for data-informed action is now.

Rebeca Grynspan
Secretary General of UN Trade and Development

References

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