The gaps in the 2030 Agenda: medium-term challenges for post-COVID-19 reconstruction

At the end of 2019, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the development agenda, completely absorbing the resources of international institutions dedicated to providing an immediate response to the health and humanitarian crisis. This relegated other major global challenges, such as the climate emergency and the looming food crisis, to the back burner; however, these challenges not only remain but have worsened. Furthermore, the effects of the pandemic will be long-lasting and cast a shadow over the future achievement of the various targets that comprise the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which must be reached by 2030—and 2023 marks the halfway point in this endeavor. After more than two years of pandemic, the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) will meet in July 2022 to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda and, under the motto "Building back better", develop a series of recommendations to ensure the implementation of said agenda.