The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) published its ninth SDG progress report for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Warning that the region is on track to achieve only 19% of the SDG targets – down from 23% in 2025, the report presents examples of good practice and makes policy recommendations on how to accelerate implementation in an era of uncertainty and geopolitical turmoil.

Titled, ‘The 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean: Accelerating Implementation in a New Era of Uncertainty and Geopolitical Fragmentation,’ the report estimates that progress on 42% of the SDG targets is too slow, and progress on 39% of the targets has either stalled or regressed in comparison with 2015.

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The report provides a detailed analysis of progress on the five SDGs undergoing in-depth review by the 2026 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July – SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals). It identifies challenges associated with their implementation, analyzes the initial effects of major global disruptions observed in 2025, such as the imposition of tariffs, highlights good practice examples and lessons learned, and offers policy recommendations to support the Goals’ achievement.

As global fragmentation hinders progress towards the SDGs, political leadership from governments and sectors, institutional capacity building and governance, resource mobilization, and consistent monitoring all have a role to play in accelerating progress, noted ECLAC Executive Secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs in a foreword. He emphasized the importance of “international cooperation… [and] collective action, multilateralism, and the establishment and fulfilment of regional and global agreements and commitments to tackle global challenges.”

The report provides an overview of major challenges facing the region and highlights global and regional efforts undertaken in 2025 to address them, including through the Secretary-General’s UN80 reform initiative, the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) and its Sevilla Commitment, and the Second World Summit for Social Development.

Launched in April 2026, the report informed the discussions during the 2026 Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD) – one of the five regional forums feeding into HLPF 2026. [Publication: The 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean: Accelerating Implementation in a New Era of Uncertainty and Geopolitical Fragmentation] [Publication Landing Page] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on 2025 Progress Report]