10-07-202656
One of the most critical strategic issues of our time is sustainable development. Global threats such as climate change, poverty reduction, food security, social inequality, and environmental problems are urging the world community to shape a new development model that harmoniously combines economic growth, social justice, and ecological balance.
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which set out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) encompassing the principal directions of human progress.
The Sustainable Development Report of 2025 analyses what results the countries of the world have achieved in the realisation of these goals. The data from the report indicate that, despite broad support for the idea of sustainable development at the global level, a number of serious problems persist in the process of its practical implementation.
According to the United Nations, 190 out of 193 member states have adopted national strategies and programmes in the field of sustainable development. This demonstrates that the principles of sustainable development have been recognised by the international community as a common path of progress.
At the same time, in the process of implementing the SDGs, countries present their experiences and results through the Voluntary National Reviews mechanism. Since 2015, many states have submitted such reviews at least twice; in 2025, a further 39 countries plan to publish their reports. Only three states — Haiti, Myanmar, and the United States — have not participated in this process. At the local level, the practice of Voluntary Local Reviews for evaluating sustainable development policy is also expanding.
Nevertheless, practical results reveal the complexities on the path to sustainable development. According to the report, only approximately 17 percent of the SDGs are being implemented in line with the established plans, while the remaining goals show deceleration or regression.
Particular difficulties persist in areas such as food security, ecological balance and biodiversity, the sustainability of urban infrastructure, and the effectiveness of justice and legal institutions.
In the view of experts, the principal causes of this situation include geopolitical conflicts, economic crises, a shortage of financial resources, and climate change.
According to the 2025 report, leadership by the Sustainable Development Index continues to be held primarily by European countries. Finland holds first place, Sweden second, and Denmark third. Germany and France also feature among the states that have achieved high results.
In these countries, the social protection system, education, and healthcare are at an advanced level of development, with transparency and efficiency ensured in public administration. Nevertheless, even these states face challenges related to sustainable consumption and production.
At the same time, countries of Eastern and Southern Asia have demonstrated the fastest progress in sustainable development over the past decade. In particular, significant growth in the index has been recorded in Nepal, Cambodia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Mongolia. Among the states that have achieved accelerated progress in sustainable development are also Benin, Peru, the United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan.
In the report, Uzbekistan is noted as one of the most dynamically developing countries in the field of sustainable development in the Central Asia and Eastern Europe region.
According to the 2025 ranking, Uzbekistan occupied 62nd place among 167 states, scoring 73.1 points and rising 19 positions. The country has been recognised as the leader in the pace of progress towards the SDGs in the Central Asian and Eastern European regions since 2015. These indicators demonstrate the effectiveness of reforms in the field of sustainable development and the active participation of society in this process.
At the same time, the report places particular emphasis on the shortage of financial resources as one of the main obstacles to sustainable development. Nearly half of the world's population lives in countries that lack sufficient financial capacity to implement sustainable development programmes.
Experts consider that reforming the international financial architecture is of great importance for achieving the SDGs. To this end, the authors of the report propose a number of concrete measures: providing concessional loans to developing countries, reviewing external debt conditions, expanding international environmental funds, and directing global investment flows to developing countries.
Furthermore, the report underscores the particular importance of investment in human capital for ensuring sustainable development. Experts note that investments in education and healthcare ensure long-term economic growth. According to some estimates, investments in human capital can yield an economic return of up to 20 percent.
In addition, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, green energy, and innovative technologies are assessed as important factors in accelerating sustainable development.
In recent years, Uzbekistan has been implementing far-reaching reforms directed towards sustainable development. Poverty reduction programmes, the modernisation of education and healthcare systems, the development of the green economy, and the acceleration of digital transformation are reinforcing the country's position on the path to sustainable development.
Experts recommend that particular attention be paid to the following priorities in order to achieve the SDGs: strengthening international cooperation, reforming the global financial system, broadly introducing innovative technologies, increasing investment in human capital, and ensuring ecological sustainability.
In conclusion, the analyses clearly demonstrate that the idea of sustainable development is assuming ever greater centrality in global progress. The results of the report show, on the one hand, that many countries are achieving significant advances on the path to sustainable development, while on the other hand, serious problems persist at the global level.
Geopolitical conflicts, financial resource deficits, ecological crises, and social inequality continue to impede the process of sustainable development. For this reason, sustainable development is becoming a shared responsibility not of individual states, but of all humanity.
Ensuring sustainable development through the strengthening of global cooperation, the establishment of a just financial system, and investment in innovation and human capital is one of the strategic tasks before humanity.
Failing this, not only will achieving the SDGs by 2030 become more difficult, but the very future of humanity may be placed at serious risk.
Elyorjon SaminovDirector, Centre for Sustainable Development