Behind “Time to Lead – science to accelerate the Global Goals”

The document outlines a synthesis of key scientific reports published between 2022 and 2023 to provide actionable guidance for the 2030 Agenda. It argues that current progress on the SDGs is languishing, with only about 10% of goals seeing significant progress, and calls for a course correction based on systemic, integrated, and science-based decision-making. The brief organizes its recommendations into ten thematic areas, emphasizing the need to move beyond GDP as a measure of prosperity, realign global financial systems to support low- and middle-income countries, and strengthen multilateral accountability.

• Progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals is severely lagging, with only approximately 10% of goals showing significant progress, mirroring the poor track record of previous global environmental and development targets.
• The current global governance framework for the SDGs is insufficient; the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development has failed to act as an effective orchestrator, and there is no evidence that voluntary reporting has steered governments toward sustainable development.
• To accelerate the SDGs, decision-makers must shift from using GDP as the primary measure of prosperity toward alternative indicators, including consumption-based and life-cycle accounting.
• The global financial system requires realignment to close the SDG funding gap, specifically through harmonized regulation and mechanisms that target international finance toward low- and middle-income countries to support fossil-free economies.
• Effective acceleration of the SDGs requires a systemic approach that recognizes the interconnections and potential conflicts between goals, as progress in one goal directly influences others.
• There is a critical need to democratize science and data collection by increasing research produced outside high-income countries and involving citizens and low-income countries in science initiatives to build trust and inclusive decision-making.

APA

Weitz, N., Carlsen, H., & Bennich, T. (2023). Behind “Time to Lead – science to accelerate the Global Goals”. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/behind-time-to-lead-sei2023.044.pdf

Chicago

Weitz, Nina, Henrik Carlsen, and Therese Bennich. Behind “Time to Lead – science to accelerate the Global Goals”. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2023. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/behind-time-to-lead-sei2023.044.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Weitz |first1=Nina |last2=Carlsen |first2=Henrik |last3=Bennich |first3=Therese |title=Behind “Time to Lead – science to accelerate the Global Goals” |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=September 2023 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/behind-time-to-lead-sei2023.044.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{weitz2023behind, author = {Weitz, Nina and Carlsen, Henrik and Bennich, Therese}, title = {{Behind “Time to Lead – science to accelerate the Global Goals”}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/behind-time-to-lead-sei2023.044.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }