The 2024 UNECE Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Progress Report shows that the UNECE region is far off-target when it comes to meeting commonly agreed SDG indicators. Spanning across Europe, North America, the Caucasus and Central Asia, Türkiye and Israel, the region is currently on track to achieve only 20 targets (17% of the 117 measurable targets) by 2030. There is a pressing need to accelerate efforts on 80 targets over the next six years, while 17 targets require a complete reversal of trend.  

Two areas that are not on track and that are particularly high priorities for UNECE member States are climate action and the circular economy transition. 

The climate crisis is seen and felt across the globe, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and destructive. Waste generation has skyrocketed globally, showing no signs of slowing down as circular economy rates have declined. The most recent Circularity Gap report shows that circularity rates have declined around the world from 9.1% in 2018 to 7.2% in 2023. 

None of the indicators for SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production are on track for the UNECE region, and two indicators (12.b on sustainable tourism monitoring and 12.c on fossil-fuel subsidies) are regressing. The region must accelerate progress on the sustainable use of natural resources (target 12.2) and waste reduction and treatment (targets 12.4 and 12.5).  

To reverse this negative trend, it is necessary to strengthen circularity, reduce material use and change today’s consumption and production patterns. This is why in 2021 and 2023, UNECE member States set the circular economy transition and green transformation as top priorities going forward. Since then, UNECE has focused on finding concrete solutions to support member States to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with focus on innovation, infrastructure finance and trade. The circular economy model presents a viable solution to revive SDG progress, emphasizing resource efficiency and the interconnection of waste management with other product life-cycle phases, such as design, production, and consumption. 

The upcoming UNECE Economic Cooperation and Trade Week (24-28 June 2024) will bring together delegates, experts, and partners to discuss the existing UNECE tools and guidelines, as well as adopt new ones, to support member States to advance the circular economy transition and get back on track with SDG progress.  

The week will start with the 17th session of the Committee on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Public-Private Partnerships (CICPPP) and finish with the 9th session of the Steering Committee on Trade Capacity and Standards (SCTCS). It will also feature the UNECE Regional Conference on the Circular Economy Transition. 

Government representatives from 56 member States, thought leaders and experts from the UNECE region, will discuss possible solutions to accelerate sustainable development and answer the following questions:  

• What new approaches are necessary in innovation policy to achieve transformative breakthroughs? How can public procurement drive innovations for circular economy transitions? 

• How can climate resilience be progressively integrated into PPP and infrastructure projects to support the SDGs? How can the implementation of ECE guidelines for circular economy in PPPs be accelerated? 

• How can research on regulatory and procedural barriers to trade address the triple planetary crisis through applying a circular economy lens? 

• How can integrating circular economy principles into the agri-food sector scale up sustainable development? 

• How can traceability and transparency of value chains contribute to promoting sustainability? 

Discussions will take stock of multilateral solutions for a more sustainable future and will feed into the UN High-Level Political Forum in July and the Summit of the Future in September this year, to underscore the region’s role as a global champion of sustainable development.   

More about UNECE Economic Cooperation and Trade Week: 

17th session of the Committee on Innovation, Competitiveness and Public-Private Partnerships | UNECE 

UNECE Regional Conference on the Circular Economy | UNECE 

Steering Committee on Trade Capacity and Standards - Ninth Session | UNECE