With 17 Goals, 169 targets and 231 indicators, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a comprehensive coverage of the economic, social and environmental aspects of development. SDGSustainable Development Goal Pulse covers those areas of the Agenda that intersect with UNCTAD’s mandated role in topics such as trade, investment, finance, technology and development.
SDG Pulse is organized along four of the broad cross-cutting themes identified in the Bridgetown Covenant adopted by UNCTAD’s 195 member States. It outlines a roadmap for transforming economies through economic diversification; addressing unsustainable debt burdens in developing countries; making economies more sustainable and resilient; improving how development is financed; and reimaging how multilateralism will function in the future.
The four main themes are:
As the world navigates multiple, overlapping crises – from wars and climate disruptions to energy insecurity and fragile supply chains – trade remains a powerful enabler of sustainable development. Developing economies have demonstrated resilience… Read more
The challenging trend of lack of financing for sustainable development is worsening in 2025. With, for the first time in five years, falling ODAOfficial Development Assistance (ODA) are resource flows to countries and territories which are: (a) undertaken by the official sector; (b) with promotion of economic development and welfare as the main objective; (c) at concessional financial terms (implying a minimum grant element depending on the recipient country and the type of loan). In addition to financial flows, technical co-operation is also included -—
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—-. (down 7.1% in 2024), and a decrease in FDIForeign Direct Investment (FDI) is an investment involving a long-term relationship and reflecting a lasting interest and control by a resident entity in one economy (foreign direct investor or parent enterprise) in an enterprise resident in an economy other than that of the foreign direct investor (FDI enterprise or affiliate enterprise or foreign affiliate) -—
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—-. to developing economies (-2%) as well as a drop of SDG-related investments (-11%), heads of state and government gather at FfD44th International Conference of Financing for Development this year… Read more
The process of structural transformationStructural transformation or change can be broadly defined as the reallocation of economic activity across three broad sectors, agriculture, manufacturing and services, which accompanies the process of economic growth -—
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—-. It usually refers to the transfer or shift of production factors — especially labour, capital and land — away from activities and sectors with low productivity to those with higher productivity, which are typically different in location, organization and technology -—
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—-. – reallocation of production factors from low-productivity, labour-intensive, and polluting activities to higher-productivity, skill-intensive, and sustainable ones – is central to enhancing productivity and incomes to mitigate vulnerability to market shocks… Read more
In 1964, when UNCTAD was created, the risk of ecological disaster was hardly on the international agenda. Today, as we prepare for UNCTAD 16, persisting increases in greenhouse gas emissions threaten development progress and future generations’ opportunities to live in a sustainable world… Read more