Welcome to the September edition of our In Case You Missed It monthly review.
Today my son is celebrating his tenth birthday. He’s a quiet kid, obsessed with the natural word. As I watched him this morning dangle a worm in front of his pet axolotl – a birthday gift from his doting grandmother – I couldn’t help thinking that my budding biologist may never get to see these critically endangered salamanders in the wild. Or will he?
This year, the SDGs and the Paris Agreement also turn ten. And although much remains to be done, there are achievements we can – and ought to – celebrate. Since 2015, projected global temperature rise has dropped from 4ºC to less than 3ºC. Record numbers of girls are in schools. Child mortality is down. Over 90% of global population has access to electricity. Speaking during the SDG Moment that opened the UN General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said these successes are the result of deliberate decisions. The 2025 Climate Summit similarly underscored that we have the solutions. What’s needed is action – and political will to act.
In today’s issue, I explore the power of multilateral cooperation to deliver solutions for the natural world – and for current and future generations everywhere.
Multilateralism at Work
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies is now in force. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said its entry into force serves as “a reminder that many of the biggest challenges we face are more effectively addressed at the multilateral level,” through “a multilateralism that delivers.”
The Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) reached 60 ratifications and will enter into force 120 days later, on 17 January 2026. Negotiations are underway to prepare for the BBNJ Agreement’s entry into force and for the convening of the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 1) to the Agreement. To support its effective implementation, a recent UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report identified linkages between the BBNJ Agreement and other biodiversity-related multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).
Looking toward future milestones, governments agreed by consensus to the outcome document of the Second World Summit on Social Development. Countries will formally adopt the ‘Doha Political Declaration’ in Qatar in November. The Declaration aligns the commitments in the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action made at the First World Summit for Social Development 30 years ago with today’s challenges and the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Regional forums are meeting in the lead-up to the seventh session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) – the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment – to enable governments and environmental policymakers to explore regional perspectives and identify issues of regional concern. The Sixth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific showed “strong convergence” on key environmental issues, such as climate change and sea level rise, protection of marine biodiversity and ecosystems, and the urgency of concluding negotiations toward a plastic treaty. The Forum forwarded several resolutions to UNEA-7, including on country-specific strategies to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
In preparation for next year’s UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) invited expressions of interest from Member States wishing to present their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs in July. The deadline is 30 September.
Opening the Assembly’s 80th session, UNGA President Annalena Baerbock called for the UN to deliver on peace, security, sustainable development, and human rights by implementing the Pact for the Future and advancing the UN80 reform agenda. She pledged to work to “keep [the UN] alive, to strengthen it, and to make it fit for the 21st century.”
Reforming the UN
The Secretary-General’s UN80 initiative aims to support a more aligned, efficient, and results-oriented UN system. Work is underway in its three workstreams: efficiencies and improvements; mandate implementation review; and structural changes and programmatic realignments.
The UNGA established an informal ad hoc working group on the UN80 Initiative to consider the proposals contained in the report of the Secretary-General on mandate implementation review under Workstream 2 and to identify principles and follow-up actions to improve the creation, delivery, and review of mandates. Revised 2026 programme budget estimates introduced the first set of proposals for the UN Secretariat under Workstream 1 of the UN80 Initiative, focused on management and operations. The Secretary-General issued a report on Workstream 3, outlining options for structural changes and programme realignments across the UN system.
Raising Ambition for Climate Action
Preparations are in full swing for the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30) in Belém in November. In a series of letters, the incoming Presidency called for unity among governments, civil society, and the private sector to “unleash the next wave of ambitious climate action,” informed by equity and the best available science. The first Presidency consultation took place on 25 September in New York, in the margins of the UNGA’s 80th session.
The Second Africa Climate Summit contributed to the development of Africa’s common position at COP 30, empowering it to own its climate action. “Africa is not waiting to be acted upon,” said UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Executive Secretary Claver Gatete. “We are shaping our destiny, leveraging our resources, and bringing solutions to the world,” he stated. Among other initiatives, the Summit launched the Africa Climate Innovation Compact and the African Climate Facility, committing to mobilize USD 50 billion annually in catalytic finance for climate solutions.
Meanwhile, the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) sought to co-create innovative solutions to support African development, including through public-private partnerships (PPPs), empowerment of youth and women, and regional integration and connectivity.
Our guest author shared lessons from a year of climate dialogues on food and finance going into COP 30. The main takeaway is that strengthening food supply chains at the source supports climate action in places that are most vulnerable and generates green jobs for generations to come.
A new climate negotiations and health online training resource reflects the latest developments in multilateral discussions, acknowledging the growing recognition of climate change as “the greatest health threat facing humanity.”
The links between climate and health were also recognized in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on States’ climate change-related obligations that we continue to unpack. This month we explored:
- The implications of the Advisory Opinion for climate change negotiations, including that all States are required to undertake best efforts in their mitigation and adaptation action;
- The continuity of statehood and the preservation of self-determination for impacted peoples and States in the light of sea level rise;
- The ICJ’s application of the principles of equity and intergenerational justice in the climate change context;
- How the Court navigated the intersection of law and politics, setting a clear legal benchmark that will inform climate action going forward;
- South Korea’s efforts to align its revised nationally determined contribution (NDC) with the Advisory Opinion; and
- The implications of the ruling for fossil fuel companies in North Africa, which, to avoid accountability, must initiate the adoption of different policies from those they have been pursuing until now.
Data to Drive Progress
In September, we reported on various resources that can support the implementation of the SDGs, the Pact for the Future, and other global commitments.
Following up on the Pact for the Future, initiatives advanced efforts to go beyond and complement gross domestic product (GDP). An UNGA side event brought together members of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP and other experts to explore the road to a future intergovernmental process. Our guest authors made a case for care-centered economies and societies that serve the well-being of people and the planet.
Also in response to the Pact for the Future, the Secretary-General issued a report analyzing the impact of the global increase in military spending on the achievement of the SDGs. The report calls for “a fundamental shift in how we understand and pursue security,” advocating for a human-centered, multidimensional approach rooted in human rights and sustainable development. Another UN report assessed progress on SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), calling for urgent reforms and renewed political will if the international community is to deliver on the foundations that underpin all of the SDGs.
In an inaugural Global Risk Report, the Secretary-General identified artificial intelligence (AI) and frontier technologies as top risks in the 2025-2031 period. By December 2026, the Secretary-General will publish a second Global Risk Report to track changes in perception and provide updates on global risk mitigation progress.
Guided by a set of voluntary high-level principles, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the Group of 20 (G20) Presidency of South Africa launched a prioritization approach and accompanying database offering a range of indicators that users can draw from to support bioeconomies that respect the local context and promote sustainable development.
Looking Ahead at 2030 – and Beyond
With only five years left until the deadline for the delivery of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs, conversations are starting in various halls on what the global sustainable development agenda will look like post-2030. To help you better track these developments, the SDG Knowledge Hub is bringing these discussions together on a ‘Beyond 2030’ webpage.
The SDG Moment 2025 purposely focused on how to accelerate progress during the time that remains, leaving discussions on what happens after 2030 until they formally launch in 2027. The 2027 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) will support Member States as they deliberate on the future of sustainable development. The Secretary-General appointed 14 independent scientists to prepare the report.
Our mini-series, in collaboration with the Beyond Lab at UN Geneva, is aiming to look beyond crisis narratives and fear, beyond resignation, and beyond short-term thinking – towards positive visions of the future and long-term sustainability. Among the key concepts explored in the series are the role of constructive hope and AI in building a more resilient and sustainable future.
We hope this snapshot of September’s SDG news demonstrates how genuine cooperation can be a force for good. Beyond global agendas, I know I’ll be practicing constructive hope. For the planet – and for my children.