BY Senushi Liyanaarachchi
President Ranil Wickremesinghe is currently in the United States, attending the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), themed: “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”, which is taking place from September 18 to 21.
The President of the General Assembly summoned heads of state and governing figures to attend the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit on September 18 and 19 at the UN headquarters in New York- an event that Wickremesinghe was also in attendance for yesterday (18).
As we approach the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the expectation of world leaders is to conduct thorough reviews regarding the state of the 17 SDGs.
This involves a major focus on efficient actions in response to the various health, environmental and economic crises plaguing the world. The Summit, the centrepiece of the General Assembly, is envisioned to be action-oriented and aims to accelerate international action.
The UN admits that under the combined pressure of climate crises, economic collapse and the lingering effects of COVID-19, development progress is transgressing for the first time in decades. Therefore, the 2023 SDG Summit strives to reignite a sense of hope for countries, both individually and collectively to reflect on their current efforts and future goals in response to prominent issues.
