Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Monday stressed more investment in people, support for structural transformation and achieving rapid and sustainable recovery from the Covid pandemic for achieving the sustainable development goals.

“Halfway to the 2030 deadline, we are seriously off-track in achieving the SDGs,” said Prime Minister Dahal while addressing the 2023 SDG Summit as the Chair of the Group of the Least Developed Countries at the UN Headquarters in New York.

“The SDGs are in dire need of a rescue plan. We all know that twelve of the seventeen goals and at least 18 of the 169 targets refer explicitly to LDCs, recognising the importance of addressing their development challenges.”

The prime minister added that massive scaling up of affordable finance to LDCs including through the SDG stimulus package is crucial, adding that addressing the debt distress of LDCs by 2025 and providing coordinated and appropriate debt solutions in a timely manner must remain an urgent priority.

“We also urge the developed countries to scale up and fulfil their commitments to providing 0.7 percent of gross national income as official development assistance to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 percent to the LDCs,” he said.

“This is critical as finance is the fuel that drives the SDG progress. And the achievement of SDGs in LDCs defines its success or failure.”

The prime minister said Nepal has integrated SDGs into its national policies and plans.

“We are committed to eradicating poverty and reducing inequality in line with the 2030 agenda and the principle of leaving no one behind. We remain committed to ensuring a smooth, sustainable, and irreversible graduation from the LDC category by 2026,” he said.

“Our commitment to the Paris Agreement is steadfast, and so is our goal to reach net zero scenario by 2045. We call for adequate support from our development partners to complement our national efforts.”