The message, released this Wednesday in Havana, adds that amid the growing energy and food crises, uncertainty about the global economic outlook and the increasing impact of climate change, the UN points to a need for sustainable industrial transformation to narrow the development gap.
This gap is openly localized between the different countries by the global organization, hence the need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in addition to meeting the climate goals.
The Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2023 related to the communiqué refers to the financing of sustainable transformations.
This document reaffirms that urgent and massive investments are needed to accelerate the transformations spanning power, industry, agriculture and buildings.
In this context, the note expressed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres that developing countries would be left without the necessary resources to invest in sustainable development and transform their energy and food systems stands out.
In the report’s foreword, the headline points out that a world divided between the haves and the have-nots is a clear and obvious danger for every country.
It then emphasizes the need to urgently restore global cooperation and find solutions to the current crisis through multilateral action.
According to the report, some of the necessary changes are already taking place. The energy crisis caused by the conflict in Ukraine stimulated investments for the global energy transition, which reached a record $1.1 trillion in 2022 (one trillion equals one million million).
Investments for the energy transition exceeded those for fossil fuel systems for the first time in 2022, but almost all of them were in China and developed countries.
The Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2023 shows that unlike their developed counterparts, most developing countries do not have the resources to invest.
In this regard, he points out that historically, industrialization has been a source of progress, economic growth, job creation, technological development and poverty reduction.
The report calls for a new generation of sustainable industrial policies, supported by integrated national planning, to increase investment and lay the groundwork for the changes needed.
Additionally, it refers to a recent rapid adoption of technology, pointing to the possibility of an equally rapid transition to sustained growth and industrialization.
Between 2021 and 2022, more than 338 million people used the internet regularly, which corresponds to an increase of about 38,600 more people every hour.
In addition, in regions with high-quality related services, 44 percent of companies are exporters, as opposed to 19 percent in regions where internet services are more deficient, the UN statement said.
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