The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly marks a crucial milestone in the journey towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the urgent need to put the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track.

World leaders gather to engage in the annual high-level General Debate under the theme, “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.” Heads of State and Government and ministers explore solutions to the intertwined global challenges to advance peace, security, and sustainable development.

A major task was to review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to the target year of 2030 for achieving the Goals.

The High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development took place on the heels of the SDG Summit, to provide political leadership and guidance on the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda – a UN framework for mobilizing resources to achieve the SDGs – as well as identify progress and emerging challenges and mobilize further action.

Alongside the SDG Summit, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres convened the Climate Ambition Summit, with a call on every leader from Governments, business, cities and regions, civil society, and financial institutions to step up. The UN chief urged individuals or organizations participating in the event to present credible, serious and new climate action and nature-based solutions that will move the needle forward and respond to the urgency of the climate crisis.

The President of the General Assembly, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, convenedHeads of State and Government for a one-day meeting to adopt a political declaration aimed at mobilizing political will at the national, regional and international levels for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

A ministerial meeting took place to prepare for the September 2024 Summit of the Future, which marks a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance global cooperation to tackle critical challenges, address gaps in global governance, reaffirm existing commitments, including to the SDGs and the United Nations Charter, and make a multilateral system better positioned to positively impact people’s lives.

The High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage presented an opportunity for countries and stakeholders to renew efforts and accelerate progress toward achieving health for all. This will serve as the foundation for executing policies and ensuring responsibility for strengthening health systems for the future, building on the 2019 Political Declaration.

The UN General Assembly also hold the second high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis under the theme, “Advancing science, finance and innovation, and their benefits, to urgently end the global tuberculosis epidemic, in particular, by ensuring equitable access to prevention, testing, treatment and care.