The year 2023 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history. Emissions of greenhouse gases continue to grow and are at record levels. And this year we have seen extreme weather all over the planet. Heatwaves on land and in the sea. Devastating wildfires, droughts and floods. The climate chaos that scientists have been warning about for years is here. But we have the chance to put it right. This is a critical decade to take the actions needed to stabilize our climate and build prosperous, resilient societies. The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that we still have a narrow window to do that. It sets out the necessary pathways and the options we can take. The twenty-eighth United Nations Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28) , beginning at the end of November, must be the point from which we start to course-correct. The first global stocktake shows us where we are falling short in our efforts to limit global warming to 1.5ºC and meet the other targets set out in the Paris Agreement. There can only be one response to this alarming assessment: renewed ambition and accelerated action—climate action that charts a course to 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5ºC. The Climate Ambition Summit convened by the Secretary-General is a critical moment to prepare for a COP that delivers strong and concrete outcomes. We need to do more, faster. The Secretary-General’s accelerated agenda shows us the way. Renewed ambition means commitments marked by specific and concrete targets and milestones that will deliver the unprecedented social and economic transition to keep 1.5ºC alive, even if we temporarily breach that limit over the next five years. We must accelerate action through implementing these solutions-oriented commitments faster and credibly, mobilizing all economic actors and sectors of society to the benefit of all. There can be no wavering on the path to this goal: half of humanity lives in areas vulnerable to climate change. Let’s look at how this will work in detail. Firstly, we must bend the curve on emissions. IPCC shows that a pathway to limiting global warming to 1.5ºC means emissions falling 43 per cent from 2019 levels by 2030, and reaching net-zero by mid-century. We need parties to the Convention to up their ambition in cutting emissions. Nationally Determined Contributions must go further than previous ones, involve absolute cuts in emissions and cover all sectors of the economy. They must also include updated net-zero targets. A key element of emission cuts will be energy transitions: phasing out coal by 2040 (or 2030 for industrialized countries) and phasing down oil and gas in line with a mid-century net-zero target. Renewables are already the cheapest form of power in most parts of the world. A massive scale-up in renewables will power the energy transition and help move away from fossil fuels in a just and equitable way.   In some countries, net-zero is becoming politicized. But net-zero is not a political slogan. It encapsulates the hard truth that if we want temperatures to stop rising, then we must stop emitting greenhouse gases. It means decarbonizing economic sectors wherever possible. In cases where emissions will continue, we must compensate by withdrawing emissions: hence the net in net-zero. Keeping 1.5ºC alive means net-zero: it is a fact. To be truly effective, climate action must be credible. It must involve everyone—cities, regions, businesses, households. And it must be built around specific targets. But we are already experiencing the effects of climate change, so renewed ambition and accelerated implementation also mean doing more, and faster, in adaptation, to build climate-resilient societies. Adaptation is essential to dealing with the changes already underway or on the horizon. From investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, adjusting the crops we grow and developing early warning systems for extreme weather, adaptation is as much a part of climate action as cutting emissions. Climate action must work for everyone, with demonstrable long-term gains for all of society, even when there are short-term challenges and trade-offs. It must be about a just transition to a stable climate that protects the most vulnerable and ensures that no one is left behind. We must remember that those who are suffering the most today, the most vulnerable, are those who have contributed the least to the climate crisis. This transformation needs to mobilize funds on a huge but feasible scale. This means delivering on climate finance pledges already made, including the annual $100 billion from industrialized countries. We need to build on the historic decision at COP 27 and make the agreement on loss and damage a working reality. And there’s a need to build a global financial architecture that is fit for purpose, one that channels investment into renewable energy and sustainable living rather than subsidizing fossil fuels, aligns development banks with climate action, and incentivises private finance to invest in climate-friendly opportunities around the world. This transformation of the finance agenda is what will enable the climate course correction. In the weeks remaining before the opening of COP 28, let’s take every opportunity to put ambitious and accelerated climate action front and centre on the agenda. Every government, every business, every civil society organization must make this their priority—to set the bar at a level to which others can aspire. Every party to the Convention must come to COP 28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to solve a global problem with a global mindset. Pushing for outcomes that can win support from others, not falling back on red lines. Developing ambitious proposals that can mobilize support from other constituencies. In a word: cooperation. The United Nations Climate Change secretariat is ready to play its part as an honest broker to help parties develop solutions that work for all. We know what we have to do. Now we must mobilize the political will to do it, both ahead of COP 28, in Dubai and in the coming years. The Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition Summit (20 September) is our chance to prime COP 28 for action. .................................................... The UN Chronicle is not an official record. It is privileged to host senior United Nations officials as well as distinguished contributors from outside the United Nations system whose views are not necessarily those of the United Nations. Similarly, the boundaries and names shown, and the designations used, in maps or articles do not necessarily imply endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. 

New York, 18 September – Gathering at the SDG Summit on 18 to 19 September, world leaders agreed today to urgently step up their efforts to deliver  the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our global roadmap out of crises, by 2030. World leaders made an historic global promise to secure the rights and well-being of everyone on a healthy, thriving planet when they agreed to the 2030 Agenda and the 17 SDGs in 2015. However, at midpoint of SDG implementation, the SDGs are in peril. Tens of millions have fallen into poverty since 2020. Over 110 million people are forcibly displaced. Inequalities have worsened, strikingly so for women and girls. Many governments are forced to choose between debt payments and investing in healthcare and education. The climate emergency is wreaking havoc on lives and livelihoods. Developing countries and the world’s most vulnerable people continue to bear the brunt of these crises. “The SDGs aren’t just a list of goals. They carry the hopes, dreams, rights and expectations of people everywhere,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “Yet today, only 15 per cent of the targets are on track. Many are going in reverse. Instead of leaving no one behind, we risk leaving the SDGs behind.” The Political Declaration Leaders adopted a decisive, action-oriented political declaration at the Summit, highlighting their collective commitment to build a sustainable, inclusive and prosperous world by 2030. With a strong focus on the means of implementation, and in particular, on financing for development, the declaration acknowledges that without a quantum leap in investments to enable just and equitable energy, food, digital transitions, and a transformation in education and robust social protection in developing countries, the goals simply will not be met. Additionally, the Declaration urges immediate action to deliver an SDG Stimulus proposed by the UN Secretary-General, which calls for a massive increase in financing for the achievement of the SDGs to the tune of $500 billion each year. It also conveys strong support from all countries for a much-needed reform of the international financial architecture to better reflect today’s global economy. “I am deeply encouraged by the detailed and wide-ranging draft political declaration under consideration here today — especially its commitment to improving developing countries’ access to the fuel required for SDG progress: finance. This can be a game-changer in accelerating SDG progress,” stated the Secretary-General. Global and National Commitments Over 100 Countries will present national commitments to SDG Transformation that include priority transitions and areas for investment, setting national benchmarks for reducing poverty and inequalities by 2027 and strengthening institutional frameworks to support SDG progress. In addition to these national commitments, developed countries and other countries who have the capacity, are expected to make individual global commitments drawing on the Secretary-General’s proposal for an SDG Stimulus and broader means of implementation, such as fulfilling ODA commitments, suspending debt payments and agreeing on innovative finance mechanisms. SDG Action Weekend The SDGs cannot be delivered by governments alone. The SDG Action Weekend on 16 to 17 September gave an opportunity for over 3000 people from all sectors of society to outline their commitments to accelerate progress on the SDGs. The SDG Mobilization Day on Saturday 16 September saw business, civil society, science, local authorities and young people making meaningful contributions to SDG implementation. The SDG Acceleration Day on 17 September highlighted UN High-Impact Initiatives that show that transformation is possible and will help to drive momentum for action on the ground in the coming years. The initiatives focus on six major transitions that will drive progress across the SDGs: i) Social Protection; ii) Energy; iii.) Education; iv) Food Systems; v) Digital Transformation; vi) Biodiversity and Nature, underpinned by greater financing and other supports, as well as action to advance gender equality. About the Summit The opening of the Summit featured statements by the President of the General Assembly Dennis Francis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President of the Economic and Social Council Paula Narvaéz. The 2-day Summit will feature a short plenary segment to hear the actions and commitments delivered on behalf of groups of States. Six Leaders' Dialogues will allow Heads of State and Government to report on progress and set out concrete national commitments to SDG transformation. SDG Media Zone, 18-22 September, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm The SDG Media Zone is a key feature of the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week, bringing together world leaders, influencers, activists, experts, content creators and media partners to highlight actions and solutions in support of the SDGs. Organized by the UN Department of Global Communications, in collaboration with the PVBLIC Foundation, the Zone takes the conversation on advancing the 2030 Agenda into the public discourse through impactful in-depth interviews and conversations on global issues that matter to people everywhere. All sessions will livestream on UN WebTV. SDG Pavilion, 15-22 September The SDG Pavilion is a beacon for the Sustainable Development Goals. It was created to mark the halfway point of the Goals. To use a sporting analogy, we are down at halftime. However, the good news is that any given match is won in the second half. Organized by the UN Office for Partnerships, in collaboration with Project Everyone, the SDG Pavilion will host a series of Halftime Talks and a high level gathering of women leaders to mobilize the world to keep the promise of the SDGs. Sessions will be livestreamed on UN WebTV.   Follow the SDG Summit Please follow us on the SDG Summit, using the main hashtags: #GlobalGoals and #SDGs.  On Facebook: United Nations, Global GoalsUN, DESA, Sustainable Development                                                        On Twitter: @UN, @GlobalGoalsUN, @UNDESA, @SustDev, @UN_Partnerships     For more additional information, please visit key links below: The SDG Summit 2023 website and SDG Summit Programme The SDG Summit Media Corner The SDG Action Weekend High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly Snapshot The Sustainable Development Goals Website   Follow key events live on UN WebTV.   Media contacts (interviews available upon request):   Francyne Harrigan, UN Department of Global Communications, harriganf@un.org Sharon Birch, UN Department of Global Communications, birchs@un.org   

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are in peril. At the mid-point in the journey to the 2030 deadline, only 12% of SDG targets are on track. On September 18, the UN Secretary-General will convene the SDG Summit in New York to sound a clarion call for financial stimulus and concerted action. Leading up to this event, Trinidad and Tobago hosted an SDG Roundtable consultation on Monday, September 11 in Port of Spain. The mission: to pinpoint SDG priorities that need accelerated momentum to be on track by 2030. UN Resident Coordinator, Joanna Kazana, details the ‘halftime huddle’ conversation and what it means for Trinidad and Tobago’s next steps. “For a country or economy of any size, achieving the SDG agenda is ambitious. For Small Island Developing States, the task can be a staggering proposition. A total of 17 SDGs, 169 targets and 247 indicators must be met by 2030. For Trinidad and Tobago, there is an added layer of complexity: its high per capita income makes the country ineligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA) finance, despite the many structural vulnerabilities facing Caribbean nations-  exacerbated by climate change, global shocks and the illegal trade of weapons and drugs. When it comes to SDG financing and the potential for new investments, Trinidad and Tobago has to rely largely on its own budgetary resources. The UN, bilateral donors and international financial institutions provide grants for important work, but these projects are limited in scale and duration.   That means the monumental strides required to achieve sustainable development demand greater domestic resource mobilisation, defunding inefficiencies, innovative thinking and unconventional partnerships. The SDGs are both the shared vision and the practical reference framework to guide this journey. Yet with just six years left, achieving the SDGs may seem daunting. But it is not impossible, and Trinidad and Tobago is proof of the inexorable spirit required to cross the finish line.   But it is not impossible, and Trinidad and Tobago is proof of the inexorable spirit required to cross the finish line. Reviewing the ‘State of Play’ The pride, patriotism and perseverance that are hallmarks of the 1.3 million people who call these islands home seep seamlessly into the discussions at the Hilton on this Monday morning. More than 100 voices from the public and private sectors, civil society, international financial institutions, community-based organisations and the global development community are seated around a table that fills the hotel’s ballroom. They’re dissecting the country’s state of play on the SDGs. The Ministry of Planning and Development has convened this SDG Roundtable dialogue, with the support of the UN system I have the privilege to lead. This support falls under our inter-agency Joint SDG Fund project to modernise the country's data and statistics. The session begins with a snapshot of the country’s SDG progress using data from UN Stats. The data show that Trinidad and Tobago has made significant progress on some of the SDGs, while others require review and acceleration. A deeper dive reveals that progress on a number of SDG targets has slowed or stagnated. While important work is happening in these areas, a jumpstart is needed to rejuvenate momentum.  As they chew on the data, participants in the room begin tackling what feel like existential questions about the country’s future. What does ‘getting it right’ by 2030 look like? What strategic commitments should we make to accelerate SDG progress? What are the top three or five SDGs where progress could act as a stimulus, like a rising tide lifting all 17 Goals? What is the story that Trinbagonians want to tell their children -and the world- about the heroic efforts and choices being made now to build a better future for Trinidad and Tobago? The chorus of answers from the audience is unanimous on a few key themes. Better Data and National Statistics Regardless of which perch they sit on, all stakeholders agree the country needs more robust tools to make data-driven decisions. As Minister of Planning and Development, Pennelope Beckles, succinctly states it in her remarks, ‘What does not get measured, does not get done.’ Without more timely data being produced and collated, it is difficult to track the SDGs. That means it’s also challenging to know where to target stimulus funding. This is why the UN Country Team project under the Joint SDG Fund is working with the country's Central Statistical Office to beef up human and technological capacity and producing recommendations for a framework the country can use to establish a Centre of Excellence for Big Data. Public officers at the Roundtable point out the natural addendum to needing more data: developing stronger monitoring and evaluation capacity. The human resources, skill set and strategic direction required to collect, streamline and analyse data may be uneven across the public sector. Digitisation of government services would bring immediate benefits in this area. The private sector also has a role it can play in sharing relevant data to improve the country’s data ecosystem and monitoring capacity.   Poverty Reduction The issue of poverty comes up time and again during the three-hour discussion. A private sector leader links poverty to poor education outcomes and increased risk of delinquency. A health professional mentions the interplay between poverty and inequality. A public officer speaks about the need to measure poverty through a multi-dimensional lens. Deprivation, health outcomes and housing are all factors to measure alongside household income. Without tackling poverty, progress on other SDGs – including Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10) - will be challenging. This issue emerges as a key priority for everyone in the room. Quality Education When education begins dominating the Roundtable discussion, you really see the synthesis between the 17 Goals. You also appreciate how multi-faceted a singular SDG can be. One participant points out the limited capacity of the education system to accommodate Persons with Disabilities. Another cites challenges facing university graduates, who struggle to find jobs that match their area of study. She says the resultant brain drain diminishes the local talent pool. A private sector representative advocates for the education system to produce job creators instead of job seekers. Yet another contributor calls for a restructured curriculum to prepare students for the labour market disruptions that have already begun as Artificial Intelligence takes root. Why do girls perform better at school? How does childhood well-being and youth vary between boys and girls? Questions that cut to the heart of the way we teach and learn. With education outcomes linked to Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), there is unison among participants that targeting this area can yield ripple effects across the SDG agenda. Peace and Security From the business leader to the civil society advocate – violence recurs throughout the discussion as an imperative focus. Whether they’re talking about the young men who slide into delinquency or the costs of insecurity on a company’s bottom line, every sector in the room identifies a different impact of crime on society. Billions of dollars are already spent annually on crime response and prevention by the Ministry of National Security and other state-run social protection programmes.  Progress in achieving other SDGs linked to inequality, access to education and poverty could produce significant benefits in reducing violence. That would save the country money it could invest into developing its human capital. In my remarks, I argue that human security is a ‘public good’.  Like water in your taps,  electricity, communication and transport infrastructure, security can be delivered and nurtured by everyone – the State and the people alike – to make this country a paradise for people and for business.     A New End-Game Strategy By the end of the three hours, the Ministry of Planning has diverse, rich inputs to shape the country’s contribution to the SDG Summit. Trinidad and Tobago, like all UN Member States, has been asked to declare three clear, targeted actions it will take to rescue the SDGs. This declaration will feature centre stage, as Trinidad and Tobago now holds the presidency of the UN General Assembly. But the benefits of the national Roundtable will last long after the SDG Summit in New York ends. It brought together a network of willing development partners who found common ground. It offered direction for the Government’s halftime strategy review on a revitalised plan of action for the SDGs over the next six years. And it reinforced the commitment to achieving equitable progress and prosperity - with a resounding win in the second half.”  

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Mr. Dennis Zulu of Zambia as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Jamaica, with the host Government’s approval. Mr Zulu will also be responsible for coordinating UN work in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos and Cayman Islands.  Mr. Zulu has more than 20 years of experience in international development , the private sector and academia. Prior to taking up his appointment as the Resident Coordinator, he served as the Director of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean. There, he led efforts to provide programmatic support and guidance to ILO constituents in identifying and addressing their country’s decent work priorities. He also directed the formulation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the substantive work programmes of the Decent Work Team. His work helped policy development through the promotion of the Decent Work Agenda dimension to social, economic, and environmental policy makers and other stakeholders. 

Mr Zulu also served as UN Resident Coordinator a.i for Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Aruba, and Curacao from March 2022 to June 2023. He has also served as ILO’s Director for Anglophone West Africa and Representative to the Economic Commission for West Africa States (ECOWAS) based in Nigeria from 2015 to 2019.

Mr. Dennis Zulu holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Mzumbe University, Tanzania, a Post-graduate diploma from Stellenbosch University of South Africa and a Bachelor of Arts’ Degree from the University of Zambia.