Queen Mathilde of Belgium stressed the urgency of accelerating work on the UN Sustainable Development Goals across Europe and worldwide on Tuesday in her opening remarks at a conference on progress towards these goals.
If action on the SDGs is not speeded up, she warned, they will not be met by the target year of 2030.
The United Nations has defined 17 SDGs, each further divided into multiple targets, totalling 169. Their primary cross-cutting themes are poverty eradication, environmental protection, and ensuring prosperity for all.
On Tuesday, the European statistical office, Eurostat, released its 2024 report on sustainable development within the European Union. It reviews progress made on each SDG within the EU over the past five years. While some goals have seen considerable improvement, others have regressed.
“There have been worldwide advances, but more needs to be done,”the queen said in her conference-opening speech, centred around the Eurostat report. “It is paramount that countries implement the SDGs. EU and member states are working hand in hand towards this."
She added that during recent trips to various non-European countries, she had a chance to see what developing nations are doing to realise the SDGs. "Providing them with support on this journey is crucial,” Queen Mathilde stressed.
“We cannot afford complacency, as we have barely six years left to accomplish these goals," the Belgian queen noted. "We owe it to our children and future generations to carry this out. We still have the opportunity to build a better future.”
