Former UN ambassador Bob Rae says the 2030 deadline for the United Nations' sustainable development goals was arbitrarily chosen, and progress can still be made despite the world being off track. Rae, who served as Canada's ambassador to the UN from 2020 to 2025, spoke at the Together|Ensemble 2026 conference in Calgary on Tuesday.
Rae's Keynote Address
During his speech at the University of Calgary, Rae addressed the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) that all 193 UN member states committed to in 2015. He acknowledged that the goals, which range from eliminating poverty and hunger to ensuring equitable education and global access to clean water, will not be achieved by the 2030 deadline.
“We’re not gonna succeed by 2030, so let’s take a deep breath and take a look at how we can get there,” Rae said after his speech.
Challenges and Setbacks
Rae noted that the world has faced numerous challenges since the pact was signed, including the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent inflation, and a series of military conflicts. These events have thrown global efforts off course.
“At the UN, we get worked up saying, ‘We’ve got to achieve this by 2030.’ Well, we’re not going to achieve it by 2030,” he said. “We’re going to make progress, hopefully, and more of it than we have so far, but we’ve had COVID, we’ve had a couple serious recessions, and there’s a lot of reasons why people went off course.”
UN Progress Report
The UN's 2025 progress report on the SDGs acknowledges that despite some notable progress, the pace of change remains insufficient. The report highlights that one in 12 people worldwide still experience hunger, billions lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and persistent inequalities continue to limit human potential. Women devote more than twice as many hours per day to unpaid work as men, and persons with disabilities remain underserved.
Conference Focus
The Together|Ensemble conference, described as Canada's leading national conference devoted to accelerating progress on the UN's SDGs, brings together Indigenous Peoples, academics, government officials, and business leaders to discuss how to turn the 17 sustainability targets into localized action. The conference runs Tuesday and Wednesday.
Rae also touched on other topics, including pipeline approvals and separatism, during his visit to Calgary. He emphasized the need for collaboration and realistic goal-setting.
“Promise less and succeed more,” Rae advised, urging a pragmatic approach to sustainable development.
