The report focuses on the five SDGs undergoing in-depth review at this year’s HLPF – SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals).
Canada is not among the 37 countries presenting their VNRs at the Forum.
The Government of Canada has published a report highlighting “actions taken in 2023 by a variety of people and organizations working together to advance the SDGs in Canada and around the world.” The report includes statistics to measure and quantify Canada’s progress.
Titled, ‘Taking Action Together: Canada’s 2024 Annual Report on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals,’ the publication focuses on the five SDGs undergoing in-depth review at this year’s UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July – SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals).
According to the report, to address the challenges Canadians faced in 2023, the Government adopted measures to increase the availability of affordable housing and to reduce the cost of groceries (SDGs 1 and 2). While poverty rates were lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic and “significantly lower” than in 2015 – the baseline year for Canada’s targets on poverty reduction, the report recognizes that “Indigenous Peoples, racialized individuals, working-age singles, female-led sole-parent families, and persons with disabilities” were among the groups disproportionately impacted.
Local-level actions reported in the publication include organizations providing meals for homeless people, building community pantries and gardens, and offering education on financial security.
On climate action (SDG 13), businesses worked on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, projects like flood mapping and heat alert and response systems supported adaptation, and the National Adaptation Strategy was produced.
On SDG 16, people facing systemic barriers received legal support from civil society organizations (CSOs). “First Nations, Inuit, and Métis governments and organizations continued to advance self-determination and improve the socio-economic well-being of their communities,” the report notes.
Informed by its Feminist International Assistance Policy, Canada worked with local partners abroad “to address poverty, food insecurity, the adverse impacts of climate change, and gender inequalities,” according to the report.
In addition, the report describes Canada’s efforts to create an enabling environment for the 2030 Agenda by: fostering leadership, governance, and policy coherence; raising awareness, engagement, and partnerships; promoting accountability, transparency, measurement, and reporting; working on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and the 2030 Agenda; and investing in the SDGs.
Among areas for improvement, the report highlights increasing awareness about the SDGs throughout Canada, including in rural areas; leveraging digital technology to accelerate SDG progress; and learning from local experiences.
The report was released on 14 June, in advance of HLPF 2024. Canada is not among the 37 countries presenting their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) at the Forum. [Publication: Taking Action Together: Canada’s 2024 Annual Report on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals] [Publication Landing Page] [Government of Canada News Release]