SDGS OR BUST HALFWAY THERE — BUT STILL LONG WAY TO GO: It’s the set-piece event of this year’s U.N. General Assembly — today, world leaders and foreign ministers will convene for the SDG Summit. The reason? We’re at the halfway point between 2015 (when the original 17 SDGs were launched) and 2030 (the date set for implementation of those goals). Recap: Here’s a reminder of the 17 goals that were agreed way back at the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit in 2015 — they range from the eradication of poverty; creating sustainable cities and communities; and working toward zero hunger. Why this matters: U.N. bodies, countless governments, NGOs and big businesses have made the SDGs a defining part of their core missions since 2015, investing massive time, resources and funding into achieving the goals that are meant to offer “peace and prosperity for people and the planet.” But let’s not sugarcoat it: Things are not going to plan. You know things are bad when even the U.N. itself admits the scale of the problem, describing the situation as “urgent.” Only 15 percent of SDG targets are on track to being achieved, the U.N. said Friday. The gathering needs to “urgently put the world back on track,” it added. Child poverty warning: A new report by UNICEF warns that just 6 percent of the child population has reached 50 percent of the child-related targets set out in 2015. Some 1.9 billion children risk being left behind by 2030, the report warns. “We’re running out of time … The consequences of not meeting the goals will be measured in children’s lives and the sustainability of our planet,” says UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. Business buy-in: The corporate world is also taking notice. “It’s time to ring the alarm if we stand any chance in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030,” says Peter Tichansky, president and CEO of the Business Council for International Understanding, which is hosting events with corporate leaders throughout the week. Facing reality: Barry Andrews, who heads up the SDG Alliance in the European Parliament and who’s attending today’s summit, says it’s time for a reality check: “The summit needs to recognize how off track we really are, and confront the lack of progress. We need an honest assessment of where we are. There is now a serious question about whether we push the 2030 agenda out a further decade, or reassess the targets or objectives.” WHAT TO EXPECT TODAY: Leaders are expected to sign off on a declaration on the SDGs that was negotiated by Qatar and Ireland over the past few months. Even keeping some of the original ambition of the 2015 declaration wasn’t easy, according to officials — developed countries insisted that language around human rights, gender and LGBT rights was fundamental to the text, while developing countries wanted more emphasis on delivery. Show me the money: Expect a focus on the financial aspect of achieving the SDGs — or “means of implementation” in diplomatic speak. Individual countries will be asked to cough up more, while the pressure will be on for institutions like the World Bank and the IMF to reform, echoing some of the calls of the G20. Keep it short: Delegates have been warned to stick to a three-minute time limit for interventions (and yes, that bold type is in the official letter sent to them by the president of the General Assembly, Dennis Francis). Brightening the mood: The scale of the challenge in meeting the 2030 goals may be overwhelming, but there is space for some sunshine. A stunning art installation by Es Devlin is dominating the SDG Pavilion this week, transforming the United Nations North Lawn. The SDG Media Zone space is also up and running, hosting interviews throughout the week, while Goals House has a packed agenda of events running at Tavern on the Green in Central Park, in a bid to drive action toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. #FREE EVAN CAMPAIGN 173 DAYS … and counting. That’s how long American reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained by Russia. The 31-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested on March 30 while reporting in Yekaterinburg, a city around 800 miles east of Moscow. U.N. focus: Gershkovich’s plight will be highlighted by print and digital ads from the Wall Street Journal running throughout the week in New York, focused on the U.N. audience. The Clinton Global Initiative will host a session focused on press freedom and Gershkovich’s case Tuesday. Buttons about the detention — printed in the U.N.’s six official languages — will also be distributed throughout the week. All about timing: As it happens, Gershkovich’s next hearing in Moscow — an appeal of the recent extension of his pre-trial detention — is scheduled for Tuesday, the same day U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders will address the U.N. General Assembly. MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH US-ISRAEL MEETING: Details of Biden’s bilaterals are being kept closely under wraps. But one meeting is confirmed — a bilateral with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, due to take place Wednesday. It won’t be an easy meeting — the White House is not happy with Netanyahu’s proposed judicial overhaul and signs of democratic backsliding in the country. Netanyahu was also hoping for a White House invite, but instead the two are meeting on the sidelines of UNGA. (That said, Biden's UNGA tour is at risk of being overshadowed by domestic politics, my colleague Jonathan Lemire reports). EU STEPS UP: But other Middle East meetings are happening on the sidelines, as the rest of the world takes stock of attempts by the Biden administration to strike a Middle East peace deal involving Saudi Arabia. Last night, the International Peace Institute brought together EU foreign ministers, and representatives from Jordan, Qatar, Egypt and across the Middle East. EU High Representative Josep Borrell — effectively the EU’s top diplomat — will co-chair a “Middle East Peace” meeting today at 11, in coordination with Saudi Arabia, League of Arab States, Egypt and Jordan. Israeli and Palestinian representatives were not invited. NEW INITIATIVE: Borrell, who will also chair a meeting of EU foreign ministers later today, told U.N. Playbook that the aim of today’s meeting is to “reinvigorate the Middle East Peace Process” while also addressing more immediate problems. “The dangerous deterioration of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the absence of a political perspective for resolving it make it essential to engage,” he said. Today’s meeting is the start of a process which will see working groups convene in Brussels and the Arab world as Europe steps in to the emerging debate about what a possible peace plan could look like. Borrell is also due to meet bilaterally with the Israelis and Palestinians this week ONE TO ONE: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also be focusing on the region in a series of meetings scheduled today. He’s hosting a working breakfast with foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as holding bilaterals with Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council President Rashad al-Alimi and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani throughout the day.
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