How to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality within 8 years

The author asserts that meeting the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 requires a scale of international scientific collaboration not previously seen. Current efforts are hindered by restrictions on data and material transfer, visa processing delays, a retreat from multilateralism, and national security concerns. To address this, the author proposes that G7 nations and the EU commit 1% of government R&D expenditure to a collaboration fund, which could exceed US$14 billion and be matched by private sector and civil society investments to support open science and SDG-focused innovation.

• Achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 requires a significant increase in international scientific collaboration, particularly to benefit the Global South.
• Several systemic and political barriers currently obstruct scientific collaboration, including administrative hurdles, institutional cultures, and geopolitical shifts.
• The current global system for knowledge generation and innovation is fragile, often relying on a small number of philanthropic organizations or countries, and is vulnerable to geopolitical tensions.
• A proposed funding mechanism involving a 1% commitment of government R&D expenditure from G7 nations and the EU could generate a collaboration fund of over US$14 billion.

APA

Morgan, R. (2022). How to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality within 8 years. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/make-the-un-sustainable-development-goals-a-reality/

Chicago

Morgan, Ruth. How to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality within 8 years. World Economic Forum, 2022. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/make-the-un-sustainable-development-goals-a-reality/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Morgan |first1=Ruth |title=How to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality within 8 years |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=25 November 2022 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/make-the-un-sustainable-development-goals-a-reality/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{morgan2022how, author = {Morgan, Ruth}, title = {{How to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality within 8 years}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/make-the-un-sustainable-development-goals-a-reality/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }