NEW YORK, July 22 (KUNA) -- The Gulf Group at the United Nations has called for urgent effort to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda by turning agreed commitments into actions that support developing nations.
The call came in a statement delivered Kuwait's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Minister Plenipotentiary Faisal Al-Enezi on behalf of the Group at the of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) held Monday evening at the UN headquarter.
Al-Enezi warned that progress had been made only 17 percent of the 2030 goals, while many other remain stagnant, or have been relapsed below the 2015 starting points.
He pointed out that the annual global financing gap to meet these goals has exceeded USD four trillion, with only five years left until 2030, this shortfall threaten progress on critical issues.
Developing countries, he stressed, face intertwined challenges including widening inequalities, rising debt burdens, and worsening impacts of climate change, all hinder the progress.
He called for strengthening international cooperation, global solidarity, and multilateralism to overcome these challenges.
He emphasized the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries' focus on this year's SDGs review themes.
Regarding the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Al-Enezi noted that 2024 statistics show global marine reserves cover 8 percent of oceans, while the Middle East -- including the GCC -- has protected 36 percent of biologically important marine areas.
Al-Enezi praised progress made in development policy over the past two years and stressed the need for stronger regional and international collaboration to address cross-border challenges.
He concluded by reaffirming the Group's firm commitment to joint action and mobilizing available resources to achieve the 2030 goals, calling for partnerships and fair international cooperation that meets the aspirations of all peoples and future generations. (end) ast.sar