8 Warnings Raised as World Leaders Review Global Goals

But with the clock ticking, governments, NGOs, and other institutions are warning not enough is being done to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 targets approved by the 193 United Nations member states.

The SDG Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday will be the first of its kind since the agenda was adopted and is seen as a chance to accelerate progress on the goals that pledged to "leave no one behind" - but at an estimated cost of $3 trillion a year.

Here are eight warnings issued in various reports in the lead-up to the summit:

1. Countries 

No country is on track to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 with, on average, countries scoring the worst on climate action and goals to protect life below water and life on land - Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Bertelsmann Stiftung

2. Poverty

At least 430 million people are predicted to be living in extreme poverty by 2030, an increase of 7.5% on previous projections - Overseas Development Institute (ODI)

3. Child Marriage

More than 150 million girls will marry before their 18th birthday by 2030 if efforts are not accelerated with about 650 million girls and women alive today married as children - UNICEF

4. Female Genital Mutilation 

An estimated 3.9 million girls are cut every year, according to UNFPA, and this could rise to 4.6 million by 2030 due to population growth without major efforts to prevent that happening

5. Education

About 750 million adults are illiterate worldwide, most of them living in 29 countries. Funding of $14 billion is needed for countries with the lowest literacy rates to achieve functional reading and math skills by 2030 - UNESCO

6. Women

Women in subsistence agriculture are expected to lose 60% of their working hours in 2030 to heat stress from climate change, making it hard to reach goals to end poverty, hunger, inequality and promote health, education and sustainable communities - International Labour Organization (ILO)

7. LGBTQ 

Universal healthcare will be impossible to achieve by 2030 unless discrimination against LGBT+ people is banned and their specific needs addressed, according to a statement signed by more than 70 organizations such as Amnesty International, Outright International and the Gay & Lesbian Coalition of Kenya.

8. Refugees

The world's refugee population of 26 million people is absent from the SDGs despite having increased more than 20% since 2015 with no country reporting on refugee socio-economic data putting the 2030 goals at risk - International Rescue Committee (IRC).

REUTERS