In the second in a series of papers analysing the ways COVID-19 is affecting stability across the world, this paper explores how the pandemic has affected the implementation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and undermined progress towards global economic, social and political stability.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a major setback on the path towards achieving the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 ASD), making the challenge even greater for international organisations, governments and all relevant stakeholders. Moreover, when the health crisis hit, progress towards development goals was already patchy. The impacts of the pandemic and the consequences of the lack of progress in certain areas are mutually reinforcing, and require a combination of immediate responses to the damage done by COVID-19 and broader, longer-term efforts aimed at increasing resilience to future crises of similar proportions.
Key messages
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult to implement the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and has exacerbated the very challenges the Sustainable Development Goals aim to eliminate.
Prior to the pandemic, patchy progress towards the SDGs had already limited countries’ ability to withstand the subsequent health, social, economic and governance shocks caused by COVID-19.
The structural flaws in existing development models have been further exposed, suggesting the need for a radical rethink of the foundations for sustainable and inclusive growth.
The pandemic has already begun to reverse three decades of progress in reducing extreme poverty, making it likely that at least 50 million people worldwide will be pushed into extreme poverty by the end of this year.
COVID-19 works as a threat multiplier that will make it more difficult to build peaceful and inclusive societies, and hence might prolong conflicts indirectly.
Efforts to tackle the health, economic and social crises caused by the pandemic should be closely intertwined with efforts to achieve the SDGs, since they are likely to be mutually reinforcing.
International organisations, donors, governments, the private sector and all relevant stakeholders will need to work together to build more inclusive and sustainable economies, which will in turn ensure greater resilience against future shocks.
The pandemic offers a unique incentive and opportunity to rethink and rebuild the foundations for sustainable growth across the world. In particular, the severity of its economic and social consequences for poor countries makes even more urgent a review of current development models, whose structural flaws have been laid bare.
Acknowledgements
This paper was funded as part of the awareness activities promoted by PMI IMPACT, an initiative by Philip Morris International (‘PMI’). In carrying out its research the IISS maintained full independence from PMI: the views expressed are those of the authors alone, and responsibility for the information presented lies entirely with the IISS. Neither PMI nor any of its affiliates, nor persons acting on PMI’s behalf, may be held responsible for any subsequent use of that information.
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