Thematic Reports 2025
Three reports were launched on 22 July by experts convened by the UN, showing how greater impact could be achieved by breaking down silos and tackling the climate change and sustainable development crises together. The reports focused on three potential solutions: bolstering insurance coverage for climate-related disasters, which often set back development progress; pursuing nature-based solutions that could deliver climate and biodiversity benefits while supporting inclusive development; and adopting urban climate policies that also improved health by promoting cleaner air, active mobility, and smart planning.
As part of a series entitled Synergy Solutions 2025, the thematic reports, spearheaded by the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy, were launched at a special event at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations in New York. The Expert Group was co-convened by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), which co-hosted the report launch event.
The recommendations came at a crucial time, as both climate targets under the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals under the 2030 Agenda were far off track. In launching the latest SDG Progress Report on 14 July, the UN Secretary-General declared that “we are in a global development emergency” and that the SDGs were still within reach, but only if we acted with urgency. The SDG Report indicated that only 35% of targets were either on track or showing moderate progress, while 18% had regressed.
Read the nature report here Recommendations here
Read the finance report here Recommendations here
Read the health in cities report here Recommendations here
Thematic Reports 2024
Building on the success of the 2023 Global Report on Synergy between Climate and the SDGs, which strengthened the evidence base on the co-benefits of synergistic action, the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy’s thematic reports call for ways to overcome the fragmentation of siloed institutional structures and break down silos. Under the umbrella title “Seeking Synergy Solutions”, 2024 thematic reports were launched on 11 June 2024 at the sixtieth session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body (SB60) in Bonn.
These reports resulted from the Expert Group’s in-person meeting, held in Tokyo from 4-6 March 2024, co-convened by UN DESA and UNFCCC. The group advocated for integrated approaches to accelerate action on the SDGs and climate through four key entry points: Knowledge and Data, Policy Frameworks, Finance, and Cities.
Among other upcoming milestones, these reports emphasized the upcoming update of national climate action plans (NDCs) in 2025 as a prime opportunity for countries to align their climate actions with the SDGs. Developed through the co-creation of various organizations and individuals, these thematic reports lay the groundwork for the new 2024 Global Report on Synergy between Climate and the SDGs, released in July at the 2024 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
READ THE WEB RELEASE
Read the Knowledge and Data report here | Read the Policy report here.
Read the Finance report here. | Read the Cities report here
