Since their adoption in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have delivered results at scale – bringing access to water, electricity and health care to billions. However, progress remains uneven and insufficient. Without a decisivepush to rapidly scale up what works, the promise of the SDGs risks slipping out of reach, according to The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, released today.What a decade of evidence tells us: the SDGs deliver resultsSince 2015, sustained investment, sound policies and international cooperation have improved the lives of billions of people worldwide with measurable gains across the SDGs. Nearly one billion people gained access to safely managed drinking water and 1.2 billion to safely managed sanitation. New HIV infections fell by 30 per cent between 2015 and 2024, and AIDS-related deaths by 35 per cent. Electricity now reaches 92 per cent of the world's population. Internet access has surged, from 40 to 74 per cent. Social protection covers more than half the global population for the first time in history.Behind these results is an important and often overlooked achievement: the datarevolution. A decade ago, data was available for only half of all SDG indicators. Today, a global database of more than 3.2 million data points covers nearly every indicator —enabling countries to identify where progress is accelerating, where gaps persist and which policies are delivering results.“Guided by the data in this report, our vision of the 2030 Agenda remains within reach. Together, let us make a decisive final push to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and build a healthy, prosperous future for all,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.Why the world is falling short: overlapping crises and a widening financing gapDespite progress, however, major challenges persist. Of the 139 SDG targets with trend data, only 36 per cent are on track or making moderate progress. Nearly half — 49 per cent— are advancing too slowly, and 15 per cent have regressed below 2015 baselines.One in ten people still live in extreme poverty. Around 2.3 billion people face moderate or severe food insecurity. More than 150 million children remain stunted. Maternal mortality stands at nearly three times the global target. None of the gender equality targets are on track. The number of people affected by climate-related disasters has more than doubled since 2015. Escalating conflicts, climate change, slowing economic growth, rising debt and a record decline in official development assistance are compounding the shortfall and disproportionately affecting the world’s most vulnerable people.What must happen now: scale up what worksThe report emphasizes that the SDGs remain the world’s shared blueprint for peace, prosperity and sustainability. The evidence accumulated over more than a decade of implementation shows that meaningful progress is achievable — but only when political commitment, financing, innovation and international cooperation align.“More than a decade of implementation has shown what is possible,” said Li Junhua,United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. “The task now is to scale up what works — with the urgency, investment and cooperation needed to fulfill the promise of the 2030 Agenda.”Closing the approximately $4 trillion annual SDG financing gap — through the Sevilla Commitment and the reform of the international financial architecture — is essential. This must be matched by stronger data systems through the Medellín Framework to direct investment to the most vulnerable first. Accelerating the energy transition, harnessing frontier technologies including artificial intelligence for sustainable development, advancing gender equality as a cross-cutting priority, and reinforcing multilateral cooperation will also be critical to success.The choices made over the next four years — on financing, cooperation and collective crisis response — will have lasting effects for generations to come, according to the report.Additional key facts and figuresProgressMost regions will be close to eradicating extreme poverty by 2030, except sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand).Between 2012 and 2024, stunting prevalence among children under five declined, resulting in 30.2 million fewer stunted children worldwide.The share of births attended by skilled health personnel rose from 80 to 87 per cent between 2015 and 2025 and is on track to reach the 90 per cent target by 2030.Between 2019 and 2025, 99 legal reforms were enacted to remove discriminatory laws and establish gender equality frameworks; women now hold 27.4 per cent of parliamentary seats, up from 22.3 per cent in 2015.Child labour fell by more than 20 million between 2020 and 2024.Global unemployment stood at a near-historic low of 4.9 per cent in 2025.Renewable electricity generating capacity per capita grew at a record 14 per cent between 2023 and 2024 and is now 2.2 times its 2015 level.ChallengesThe global extreme poverty rate is projected to reach only 10 per cent by 2026 — just 3 percentage points below its 2015 level, far short of the target to end extreme poverty.273 million children and young people remain out of school; one in five young people aged 15–24 is not in employment, education or training, and young people are nearly four times more likely to be unemployed than adults.An estimated 1.16 billion people — roughly one in four urban residents — live in slums or informal settlements.Official development assistance fell by a record 23.1 per cent in 2025 — the largest annual decline ever recorded — returning to roughly 2015 levels.The global refugee population reached 440 per 100,000 people by mid-2025, more than double the level of a decade earlier.Extinction risk is worsening across all species groups; protection of key biodiversity areas averaged only 45 per cent in 2025.Violent conflict has surged to its highest level in decades. As of December 2025, more than 117.8 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide, erasing years of development gains in months.Global temperatures in 2025 reached 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels and atmospheric carbon dioxide hit its highest concentration in two million years.The external debt of low- and middle-income countries reached a record $8.9 trillion in 2024.For more information, please visit: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2026 Hashtags: #SDGreport #SDGs #GlobalGoalsMedia contacts:Sharon Birch, UN Department of Global Communications, birchs@un.orgHelen Rosengren, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, rosengrenh@un.org

NEW YORK, 1 July 2026 – The UN Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence today officially released its Preliminary Report, delivering the first global, independent scientific assessment of AI opportunities, risks and impacts. This initial work from the Panel provides a foundational evidence base to inform global policy ahead of its first comprehensive report in 2027.This collaborative effort to build a shared understanding of AI arrives at a critical inflection point. Governments are making consequential decisions about AI under great uncertainty with rapidly changing, often conflicting sources of evidence and perspectives that do not necessarily reflect local realities. As the capabilities of AI continue to grow, so do the stakes for the decisions being made around the world. This is the core challenge the Panel aims to address.The Preliminary Report was produced by the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, composed of 40 leading scientists and experts. Drawn from every region of the world, its members serve in their personal capacity, independent of any government, company or institution. The report’s findings will be presented to governments at the inaugural UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, convening in Geneva on 6 and 7 July.In its Preliminary Report, the Panel outlines its findings across seven key domains:AI science, advances & trajectoriesSocietal applications: science, health, education & agricultureEconomic implicationsSecurity, systems & environmental implicationsHuman rights, information & democracyCultural & individual flourishing, autonomy and child safetyManagement, governance & reliabilityThe Panel identifies a crucial evidence challenge for decision-makers around the world: policymakers need scientific evidence to effectively govern AI, but by the time the evidence is clear, it may be too late to act on it. Whether AI’s promise is equitably realized will depend on the informed decisions nations make together and the shared scientific foundation that guides them — the very evidence base that the Panel's work is designed to offer.“AI capabilities are outpacing both scientific understanding and governments’ ability to adapt. With growing evidence of deceptive AI behaviour, science currently cannot guarantee that as capabilities continue to increase, AI will not cause catastrophic harm, either on its own or due to malicious users. To act effectively, global policymakers must understand these systems. This Panel provides exactly that: a rigorous, shared scientific foundation to guide our collective way forward.” — Yoshua Bengio, Co-Chair, Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence“The technology is transformative, but if the world keeps moving along this trajectory, humanity will fail to realize the gains it promises. The risks — to societies, to security, and to our species — are too high, and the forces driving AI forward are not the forces that will deliver its benefits.” — Maria Ressa, Co- Chair, Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence“The world cannot govern what it cannot understand. The Panel’s report provides independent science, drawn from every region, and available to every government. Its message is clear: the potential is great, but the risks are real, and the cost of waiting is rising. I urge all leaders to use this shared evidence to act together, and without delay.” — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres“AI will not close divides by itself. The benefits land where institutions, skills and data already exist. Where they do not, the same technology can displace workers, widen inequality and leave communities dependent on systems built without them in mind. This report puts that into a shared scientific language for the first time. Those realities are now on the record, independently verified, and impossible to set aside.” — Amandeep Singh Gill, Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging TechnologiesThis report, titled Preliminary Report of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI: Evidence-based assessment of opportunities, risks and impacts of AI, is the first output from a scientific body designed to move with the technology. The Panel will issue regular assessments and thematic briefs as AI evolves to provide policymakers and the public with up-to-date evaluations of the science.The full Preliminary Report, including an executive summary is available at https://www.un.org/independent-international-scientific-panel-ai/en/preliminary-reportPanel members are available for interviews now. Over 30 members will also be present at the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance in Geneva on 6–7 July and can be requested for interviews on site.Media contact: Karoline Hassfurter, Communications Lead, United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, karoline.hassfurter@un.orgFor any other questions, please contact: aiscientificpanel@un.org
ABOUT THE PANELThe Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence is the first global scientific body on AI created by the United Nations General Assembly. It was established by resolution A/RES/79/325, adopted on 26 August 2025, and builds on the Global Digital Compact agreed by Member States in 2024, as well as on the recommendations of the Secretary-General's High Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. The Panel's mandate is to assess the science, not to prescribe policy.The Panel brings together 40 experts appointed by the General Assembly for a three-year term, selected through an open global call that drew more than 2,600 applications from over 140 countries. Members were chosen on the basis of expertise, interdisciplinary perspective, and geographical and gender balance, and serve as independent scientific experts in their personal capacity, not as representatives of governments, employers or institutions. The Panel brings together a gender-balanced group of 40 experts from all five United Nations regions, drawn from academia, the private sector, civil society and the technical community. It is independent of any government, company or institution, including the United Nations.The Panel is co-chaired by Yoshua Bengio (Canada) and Maria Ressa (Philippines), elected at the Panel's inaugural meeting on 3 March 2026. Its mandate is to produce annual, policy-relevant but non-prescriptive reports synthesising research on the opportunities, risks and impacts of AI in the non-military domain. The Panel Secretariat is coordinated by the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, which, as coordinating entity, supports the Panel's process but does not direct its scientific conclusions, and includes members from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) while also drawing on other system-wide capacities.The Preliminary Report is the Panel's first contribution to the United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance, also established under resolution A/RES/79/325. The Panel's next annual report will inform the second Global Dialogue, to be held in New York in May 2027.

The meeting marked the completion of the first year of implementation and provided a platform to review key results achieved in strengthening Moldova's border management capacities in alignment with European Union and Schengen acquis standards.Over the past year, the project has deployed expert missions across all three components, delivering specialised training, developing methodologies and regulatory recommendations. The project successfully carried out 27 expert missions involving 25 international experts, who delivered a total of 209 expert days. Four specialised training sessions were organised, strengthening the capacities of 81 border police officers. The project visibility was supported through 30 published articles, 11 visibility products, and two project videos highlighting key activities and achievements.The Steering Committee also served as an opportunity to discuss strategic priorities for the upcoming implementation period, including planned expert missions, and the continued development of tools and frameworks to support beneficiaries’ alignment with European Union and Schengen acquis requirements.The meeting reaffirmed the strong commitment of all partners and beneficiaries to the successful implementation of the project activities in line with its objectives and the Republic of Moldova's broader EU integration agenda.About “EU4Borders Security – Moldova”:The project “EU4Borders Security – Moldova” is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) from Lithuania, the Solidarity Fund PL and the International Organization for Migration.The project has a duration of 36 months, starting in June 2025.More information about the project is available at: www.EU4Moldova.eu, HERE.

With funding amounting to nearly US$20 million, provided by the European Union, Norway, and Poland through UNDP Moldova, 15 schools will be transformed into model schools equipped to meet the demands of modern education.A defining feature of this modernization process is the way the interventions have been designed, starting from the needs of those who study and teach in these institutions. Before renovation works began and equipment was procured, consultations were organized with students and teachers to better understand their needs, ideas, and expectations. Moreover, together with engineers and specialists, they contributed to designing modern, modular learning spaces that move away from the traditional image of classrooms with rows of desks and a fixed teacher’s desk.As a result, special emphasis has been placed on introducing modular and flexible furniture, allowing spaces to be quickly adapted to different types of activities. A single classroom can thus be transformed, from one lesson to another, into a space for group work, experiments, debates, or interdisciplinary projects, depending on the topic and teaching methods applied.The entire process is carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Research to ensure that all interventions are aligned with national standards and the overall vision for the development of the education system.This is why these interventions go beyond simple repairs and technical upgrades. They represent a profound transformation in the way students experience school: modern spaces, digital resources, and real opportunities for hands-on learning. Approximately 11,000 students will benefit from better and more equitable conditions for their educational progress and personal development.Investments in schools: from infrastructure to modern learning environmentsThe schools selected for modernization are undergoing different types of renovation. Some are being fully rehabilitated, while others are receiving partial upgrades, depending on the specific needs of each institution. Renovation works have already been completed in nine schools, in other five schools the renovations are ongoing, and in one institution these are yet to begin.Let’s take them one by one.With substantial support from Norway, provided through UNDP Moldova, five out of the 15 schools – located in Cantemir, Cimișlia, Telenești, Ungheni, and the village of Mereni (Anenii Noi) – are being fully renovated.The interventions include:major building rehabilitation;full modernization of classrooms;provision of ergonomic furniture, digital equipment, and modern educational technologies.Once all works are completed, more than 3,200 students will benefit from modern, safe, and teaching-ready learning conditions.In another nine schools, the European Union has provided financial support for partial but essential renovations aimed at improving the learning environment.These works include:renovation of classrooms and other spaces covering approximately 3,470 m²;modernization of key school areas;provision of new furniture and laboratory equipment.These interventions were carried out in schools located in Dondușeni, Drochia, Briceni, Ocnița, Bălți, Florești, Orhei, Criuleni, and Ceadîr-Lunga, where approximately 7,000 students study. Today, they learn and engage in interactive educational activities in brighter, better-organized spaces. At the same time, modern equipment allows teachers to introduce more dynamic and hands-on learning activities.At the “Ion Creangă” Theoretical Lyceum in Fălești, changes are yet to come. Between 2026 and 2027, with support from Poland and the European Union, the school building will be fully renovated, and classrooms will be modernized. These interventions will transform the lyceum into a modern and attractive educational institution for both students and teachers.Through these initiatives, schools are becoming more than functional spaces; they are evolving into safe, attractive, and adaptable environments that support active and collaborative learning.Modern laboratories: where theory comes to life through experimentsA key pillar of these investments is the development of science education (mathematics, physics, chemistry, arts, and biology). So far, in nine model schools, the following have been created or modernized:26 science laboratories;12 mathematics classrooms.These are located in educational institutions in Orhei, Briceni, Dondușeni, Bălți, Drochia, Ceadîr-Lunga, Ocnița, Florești, and Criuleni.The laboratories are equipped with microscopes, wireless sensors, digital technologies, robotics kits, and specialized equipment for testing and demonstrations. This allows students to move beyond theoretical learning to direct experimentation, testing and understanding real-life phenomena.These facilities are used daily by more than 7,000 students and approximately 490 teachers, providing access to high-performance equipment and modern teaching tools.At the “Ion Creangă” Theoretical Lyceum in Fălești, where around 640 students study, three science laboratories and one mathematics classroom will also be established.This joint effort demonstrates that education modernization is not only an external initiative but a shared commitment of entire communities.School libraries transformed into modern learning centersInfrastructure modernization has not been limited to classrooms and laboratories. Two educational institutions, in Briceni and Ceadîr-Lunga, have benefited from the complete renovation of their school libraries.With funds provided by OTP Bank through the “Moldova for Education” campaign, these spaces have been transformed into modern educational centers equipped with contemporary furniture and digital technologies.Libraries thus become dynamic environments that encourage reading, independent study, and collaboration, contributing to the development of lifelong learning skills.A transformation measured in confidence and motivationBeyond figures, budgets, and renovated square meters, the real impact of these investments is reflected in the direct beneficiaries – the students. For them, the changes are not only visible but essential: a modern environment provides greater comfort, safety, and confidence, as well as opportunities to learn through practice, experiment, discover, and better understand what they study.For teachers, modern conditions mean greater freedom to experiment with new teaching methods and adapt the educational process to students’ needs. For communities, renovated schools become sources of pride and examples worth replicating.Ultimately, these investments contribute to building a more equitable, attractive, and effective education system. They do not only improve learning conditions; they create real and equal opportunities for every child to access quality education adapted to today’s realities.