UNGA 80 Side Event: Accelerating the SDGs – A Collaborative Model for Impact-Driven, Scalable & Evidence-Based Development 

The 80th session of the UN General Assembly convenes as the world enters the decisive final five years of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, following the adoption of the ambitious Pact for the Future. Despite significant efforts, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains uneven. According to the “Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025” only 35 percent of targets are on track or making moderate progress, while nearly half are moving too slowly, and 18 percent have regressed. Over 800 million people are trapped in extreme poverty. Carbon dioxide levels are at the highest in over two million years, and 2024 was the hottest year on record, surpassing the 1.5°C threshold. Peace and security have worsened, with over 120 million people forced out from their homes, more than double the number in 2015. Meanwhile, debt servicing costs in low- and middle-income countries reached a record $1.4 trillion, squeezing resources needed for sustainable development.  

This demands a renewed and more effective approaches, which includes fundamental shifts in how we organize our economies, societies and relationship with the planet, to accelerate development impact. This urgency calls for moving beyond traditional methods to embrace strategies that are more targeted, innovative, efficient, and results oriented.  

Building on the Pact for the Future, the outcomes of the 4th Financing for Development Conference, and recent outcomes of major intergovernmental processes, including the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs, the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, and the Awaza Programme of Action for LLDC3, the global community has a unique opportunity to align political will and resources to accelerate the SDGs back on track. Regional frameworks such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063, ASEAN Vision 2025, and CELAC’s integration agenda further demonstrate how countries, including those of the Global South, are positioning cooperation at the center of their development pathways. 

This also requires investment in reliable data, which serves as the foundation for effective policymaking and must be timely, inclusive, and actionable. The Medellín Framework for Action adopted at the 2024 World Data Forum sets a clear road map for transforming data systems.  

Strengthening these linkages is particularly timely as the global community prepares for the Second World Summit for Social Development and COP30, and the 6th World Data Forum in Saudi Arabia, where solutions originating from the Global South will also be central to course correction.

The Value and Critical Role of Global Collaboration, including South-South and Triangular Cooperation, in accelerating the SDGs

Global collaboration is a cornerstone for advancing sustainable development. In a world marked by interconnected challenges, no single country can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in isolation. Effective partnerships that transcend borders are essential to mobilize resources, share innovative solutions, and foster resilience. International cooperation creates the enabling environment for scaling best practices, aligning global and national priorities, and ensuring that progress in one region reinforces progress in others. 

South-South and triangular cooperation remain critical pillars in advancing sustainable development, particularly in light of the above-mentioned challenges confronting the global community. This cooperation modality offers effective, scalable, and context-responsive development solutions. Rooted in the principles of solidarity, mutual benefit and national ownership, South-South and triangular cooperation have proven essential in enhancing institutional capacities, promoting the exchange of knowledge and expertise, and fostering collaborative policy innovation across developing countries. By facilitating access to relevant resources, technologies, technical assistance and peer learning, South-South and triangular cooperation contribute directly to addressing structural constraints and unlocking local potential. 

South-South partnerships also promote the co-creation and replication of solutions that are evidence-based, demand-driven and aligned with national development priorities. They also offer flexible modalities for mobilizing financial and in-kind resources, including through regional mechanisms, pooled funds and joint programming. These modalities help bridge knowledge and capacity gaps, and also contribute to efforts aimed at restoring trust, rebuilding resilience, and ensuring that no one is left behind. 

As the world seeks to course correct and accelerate SDG delivery, it is essential to further institutionalize South-South and triangular cooperation as integral components of global development cooperation architecture. Their value lies not only in the solutions they produce, but also in their ability to foster trust, solidarity and shared responsibility for sustainable development.  

Objectives

This side-event is co-hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) in partnership with the High-Level Committee for South-South Cooperation. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a country deeply committed to advancing sustainable development and championing impactful, data-driven initiatives, brings strategic leadership and innovation to this partnership. 

The event aims to spotlight solutions, partnerships and collaborative models that can support countries in accelerating the SDGs by targeting areas of highest need and highest impact. This discussion will be anchored in three foundational principles for SDGs achievement:  

• 🎯 Impact-Focused: Channeling resources towards urgent development challenges where interventions can yield the most significant and tangible results.
• 📈 Scalable: Developing successful interventions that can be readily adapted and applied across diverse settings to maximize impact, reach, and efficiency.
• 📊 Evidence-Based: Grounding all actions and investments in measurable outcomes and reliable data, ensuring accountability and continuous learning.

Several enablers will drive this ambition, including robust partnerships, transformative technology, and impact-driven financing. The discussions in this side-event aim to capture critical input from stakeholders to codify a new concept to tackle sustainable development challenges and generate further impact. 

Key Themes for Discussion  

Against the backdrop of the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025, this event will spotlight solutions, partnerships, and collaborative models that can help countries accelerate progress where it matters most.  

The event aims: 

• To identify and validate the key challenges hindering sustainable development progress globally. 
• To highlight the need for a refined approach towards accelerating sustainable development, emphasizing impact, scalability, and an evidence-based approach, tailored to the highest needs of developing countries. 
• To gauge potential collaboration opportunities across a broad range of stakeholder groups, including South-South and triangular cooperation, which can support in accelerating delivery.  
• To assess different potential global sustainable development priorities that can be addressed through a focused approach and identify relevant targeted interventions.