Getting SDGs back on track: A conversation with UNDP’s Steiner

Al Jazeera sits down with the UNDP chief who says helping developing countries is in wealthier nations’ self-interest.

When the world embarked on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back in 2015, there was an air of optimism as nations committed to hitting 169 targets by 2030. But the coronavirus pandemic has dealt that timetable a serious blow by reversing human progress for the first time in decades, pushing millions back into extreme poverty and deepening inequalities. The person charged with getting the SDGs back on track is Achim Steiner, the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Steiner, who just started his second term, faces a daunting challenge. Warning that the world faces a development emergency, he says the Achilles heel of the global economic recovery is the growing number of countries facing vaccine disparity and debt distress.