The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the new global and regional context: Scenarios and projections in the current crisis

The world is facing a humanitarian and health crisis without precedent in the last century. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has battered economies already weakened by slow growth and mounting inequality. As uncertainty grows over the extent of the pandemic, economies and societies are shutting down and coming to a standstill. The short- and even medium-term impacts may be devastating. The region of Latin America and the Caribbean faces this crisis from a situation of economic growth that is insufficient to reduce poverty and increase employment at the pace needed by its societies. In this context, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are more relevant than ever. This document examines the main economic, social and environmental trends that influence the achievement of the SDGs in the region and analyses the progress towards the related targets on the basis of 72 statistical series. All the analyses include elements relating to the effects of COVID-19. The results suggest that the comprehensive spirit of the 2030 Agenda is at risk because, while a few targets have been achieved, many could only be reached with stronger policy interventions and others seem unattainable. The region must accelerate its efforts in a decade of action and delivery and leave behind the strategies that weakened its response capacity.