Almost a decade since the adoption of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ' a global plan to help people, planet and prosperity ' the world is seriously behind schedule. Halfway to the 2030 deadline, only 17% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track to be met. Progress is weak on 50% of the goals and, even worse, more than 30% of targets are seeing reversals. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), a 2023 regional assessment scored its SDG progress at an average of 59.8 out of 100. Only seven Arab countries scored above 65, but even more alarmingly, 14 Arab nations have not yet achieved a single SDG target. This lack of progress will add 60 years to the 2030 target for meeting the SDGs, according to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. Despite economic development in MENA, poverty and inequality increased from 12.3% in 2010 to 18.1% in 2023, some of the highest rates globally. Conflict continues to hamper the region's economic...
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