Gearing to meet SDG goals

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 linked objectives adopted in 2015 to tackle the world’s most urgent issues by 2030. These targets include ending poverty and hunger, ensuring healthy lives and well-being, providing affordable, quality education, achieving gender equality, securing clean water and sanitation, delivering affordable and reliable energy and fostering sustainable economic growth.

Each goal is supported by specific targets and indicators, offering a measurable framework for progress. The SDGs are universal, applicable to all countries regardless of income level, emphasise the interconnected nature of global challenges and therefore require comprehensive solutions.

2025 United Nations’ SDG Report

Assessing progress toward the SDGs is a complex, ongoing process. Achievement of the SDGs varies significantly across regions and goals. The UN produces a comprehensive annual report on the journey to 2030. The most recent one, the 2025 SDG Report (published in July), highlights progress and challenges in achieving the SDGs by 2030.

While significant strides have been made in areas such as social protection, education and access to electricity, only 18% of the SDG targets are on track, while 17% are making moderate progress – resulting in an overall success rate of a pitiful 35%! Even more disheartening, nearly 50% of the goals are moving too slowly and 18% are regressing.

Indeed, humanity is failing on the arduous journey to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Persistent issues such as poverty, hunger, gender inequality, climate change and limited access to essential services continue to impede global development. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasised, “We face a global development emergency,” urging bold action across six vital transitions: food systems, energy, digital connectivity, education, jobs and social protection, and climate and biodiversity.

Despite advancements in areas such as renewable energy, internet connectivity and health outcomes, disparities remain severe across regions and income levels. Sub-Saharan Africa and other low-income countries face the greatest difficulties, including high poverty levels, food insecurity, and limited access to clean water, sanitation, and energy. Climate change worsens these vulnerabilities.

The report warns, “The Sustainable Development Goals remain within reach, but only if we act decisively and act now,” calling for bold investments, strong policies, and global cooperation to tackle these challenges and speed up progress.

The 2025 SDG Report highlights the importance of sustainable financing, inclusive governance, and improved data systems to support evidence-based policymaking. It underscores the need for increased international cooperation, innovative financing mechanisms, and targeted aid for vulnerable regions and populations. With only five years remaining, the report serves as a call to action for governments, civil society, and the private sector to work together to achieve the SDGs and build a sustainable future for all.

The 2024 SDG Report revealed findings similar to those in the 2025 document. 

A substantial funding gap of US$4.2 trillion was identified, hindering progress across various goals. This shortfall was exacerbated by reductions in official development assistance from major global funders. 

Impediments to SDG achievement

Achieving the UN SDGs is challenging for several reasons. One of the primary obstacles is the persistent inequality within and between countries, exacerbated by global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, economic slowdowns and conflicts. These events have reversed progress in areas such as poverty reduction, education and healthcare, diverting resources and attention away from long-term goals.

Many low-income and developing nations lack the financial resources and institutional capacity to implement the necessary changes. In contrast, high-income nations often fall short in meeting their commitments to provide aid or reduce their environmental impact. The gap between rhetoric and action, particularly in addressing climate change and sustainable development financing, has left critical SDG targets underfunded and unmet.

Additionally, the interconnected and interdependent nature of the SDGs means progress in one area often depends on advancements in others. For instance, achieving universal education requires improvements in gender equality, infrastructure, and healthcare.

Moreover, achieving good health and well-being (SDG 3) may depend on addressing poverty (SDG 1), ensuring access to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), and promoting gender equality (SDG 5). This interconnectivity requires integrated and holistic approaches to development, which can be challenging to implement. Fragmented efforts and competing priorities among governments, businesses and international organisations create inefficiencies and contradictions. 

Another source of SDG failure is the complexity of global challenges. The UN framework seeks to address complex, multifaceted problems such as poverty, inequality, climate change and environmental degradation. These challenges are deeply rooted in social, economic, political and environmental factors, making them difficult to address comprehensively and sustainably.

Way Forward: AI to the rescue

Indeed, humanity is failing on the arduous journey to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Guterres has emphasised the need for renewed and enhanced global action – all hands on deck: “With just five years to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, we need to shift into overdrive.” In responding to this call to action, the question is, “What is to be done differently?” 

This existential question must be answered.

Humanity must collectively develop solutions to the challenges that have impeded achieving the SDGs. The starting point is an exploration and execution of broad interventions, such as prioritising and driving SDG implementation through stronger political commitment, integrated policies, global collaboration, increased funding, improved governance  and investment in infrastructure and human capital.

This should be complemented by a focus on technology-driven remedies, such as renewable energy technologies (solar panels, wind turbines, and hydropower systems), advancements in water purification and sanitation systems, drip irrigation, bioengineered crops, precision farming, advanced medical technologies (vaccines, portable diagnostic kits, and telemedicine), beneficiation and value addition, mobile connectivity, digitalisation and breakthrough digital technologies.

More specifically, there must be deliberate, intentional efforts to harness the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to achieve the UN SDGs. AI deployment to attain these goals should be carried out within a strategic framework with a clear vision and a deliberate strategy, anchored by a systematically planned and executed implementation matrix. With this approach, AI systems have the potential to offer innovative solutions to complex global challenges that hinder the attainment of SDGs. A few illustrative examples will suffice. 

AI-driven data analysis and predictive modelling can enhance decision-making processes across many SDG targets. In agriculture, AI systems can optimise crop yields by analysing weather patterns, soil quality and pest activity, supporting the fight against hunger. AI-powered tools in supply chain management can minimise food loss and waste, ensuring resources are used efficiently and equitably.

Furthermore, AI can play a vital role in enhancing healthcare systems, promoting good health and well-being. Machine learning algorithms can be utilised to detect diseases early, forecast outbreaks, and personalise treatment plans based on patient data. 

AI can also optimise energy consumption by managing power grids, improving energy storage and integrating renewable energy sources such as wind and solar into the grid. By reducing energy waste and emissions, AI technologies support the global shift towards a low-carbon economy.

In addition, AI can enhance education, gender equality, and economic inclusion by bridging gaps in access to resources and opportunities. 

Technology can improve access to and the quality of education. AI-powered adaptive learning platforms deliver personalised learning tailored to individual learning styles and needs, making quality education accessible to marginalised communities. 

Indeed, deploying AI to achieve the UN SDGs should be part of the “shift into overdrive” proposed by the UN Secretary-General.  AI can be used to drive human development and the preservation of the planet.

This is an adapted excerpt from the book “Deploying Artificial Intelligence to Achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Enablers, Drivers and Strategic Framework”

Professor Arthur G.O. Mutambara is director & full professor of the IFK at the University of Johannesburg (UJ)