Critical goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030 have stalled following the outbreak of COVID-19.
The UN Secretary-General, through a 2020 report on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notes that the world was making progress on attaining SDGs before COVID-19. Progress included the decline in global poverty though at a slower pace than desired. Additionally, countries were developing national policies and signing international environmental protection agreements to support sustainable development.