Malta reaffirms commitment towards implementation of SDGs

Addressing the United Nations’ High-Level Segment of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development on July 17, 2024, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations, Vanessa Frazier, announced that Malta will undertake a second voluntary national review of the implementation of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be presented during next year’s HLPF.

The recently published Sustainable Development Report 2024 by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Dublin University Press ranked Malta in 36^th place out of 167 countries with a score of 77% (0 denoting the worst performance and 100 describing the optimum). In 2023, Malta’s score was 75.5%, ranking 41^st out of 166 countries.

This score confirms the government’s commitment to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 SDGs. While it is positive to note signs of continuous improvements in almost all SDGs, the government is committed to addressing the remaining gaps and challenges to set and achieve Malta’s goals in the coming years.

Malta’s Sustainable Development Strategy for 2050, which underwent public consultation, is a holistic strategy that seeks to help Malta achieve the SDGs. This strategy, which was drafted by virtue of the commitment and participation of all stakeholders, including local authorities, civil society, the private sector, academia, and individual citizens, seeks to strengthen current institutional mechanisms and support structures while paving the way for the introduction and implementation of new policies and processes that will further enable the country to reach its goals in a more effective, efficient, and coherent way.