Video Message
Excellencies,
Business leaders,
Colleagues,
It is my privilege to open the 2025 SDG Global Business Forum¡ªa timely gathering in a defining year for sustainable development.
We meet at a time of urgent, cascading crises. Yet we also see bold innovation, and a growing will to act among governments and stakeholders.
The 2025 World Economic Situation and Prospects report by UN DESA indicates cause for cautious optimism, with signs pointing to a more stable global economy. Many countries are slowing inflation without straining labor markets, which signals economic resilience.
But this progress is fragile. Growth remains uneven, shaped by fragmentation, rising trade restrictions and deepening inequality within and across countries. Meanwhile, poverty, conflict and displacement continue to affect millions.
According to the SDG Report 2025, the world is making moderate progress on 35 % of the 139 assessed SDG targets. Nearly half show insufficient progress, and 18% have regressed since 2015.
The path forward demands urgent, collective action.
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Partnerships are consistently recognized as key drivers of progress in SDG implementation ¨C a trend evident in the national commitments at the 2023 SDG Summit, and country experiences presented at the 2025 High-Level Political Forum.
At the heart of the 2030 Agenda is a recognition that partnerships are essential to progress. In the recently adopted Sevilla Commitment, Member States reaffirmed this message by committing to collaborating meaningfully with all stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector.
Whether through South-South, North-South, and triangular cooperation, or collaboration with international financial institutions, these efforts can all be strengthened by engaging the private sector to scale solutions, drive innovation and mobilize investment.
The Pact for the Future, adopted last year, delivers a clear message: partnerships are central to achieving our global ambitions. It calls for greater private sector engagement in addressing global challenges and emphasizes accountability in advancing UN frameworks.
Business must be central to the solutions we build. I urge all business partners to actively shape our collectively financing efforts through platforms like the Financing for Development Business Sector Steering Committee and the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance.
As we look to the Second World Summit for Social Development this November, the focus is on building more equitable, inclusive and sustainable societies that leave no one behind ¨C and business must play a central role in that effort.
Let us work together to strengthen partnerships and accelerate the change we need.
Thank you.