According to the Coalition for Sustainable Development of Russia (CSDR), Russia has stated that it will block the adoption of a new political declaration at the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit in New York. This is due to their argument that sanctions undermine their progress in achieving the goals.
Russia, along with allies Belarus, Iran, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Cuba, North Korea, Syria, Eritrea, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, sent a joint letter to the UN General Assembly expressing their concerns. They referred to the sanctions imposed on them as “unilateral coercive measures” (UCMs), and highlighted the significant burden these measures place on their ability to implement the SDGs.
The countries stated in the letter, which was obtained by The Moscow Times, “The issue of the negative impact of UCMs is an existential one for our peoples. A third of the world’s population is affected by these illegal measures.”
While independent experts have noted that Russia is struggling to meet its SDGs, the progress made towards these goals was halted due to Russia’s involvement in the war on Ukraine.
Specifically, CSDR pointed out the suspension of international cooperation in pharmacology, clinical research, and drug development, which poses a challenge to achieving SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being).
In addition, Russia’s decarbonization efforts have been hindered by the loss of the European Union’s cross-border carbon tax and the decline in export markets following the invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, Russia’s lack of reporting of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from its military actions in Ukraine hampers progress towards SDG 13 (Climate Action).
The departure of Western renewable energy companies has also put SDG 7 (ensuring access to affordable and clean energy) at risk. The loss of access to modern technologies, foreign investment, and Russia’s economic decline since 2022 have also impeded progress towards achieving the SDGs.
However, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk claimed during his speech at the summit that Russia has achieved more than half of the global SDG indicators in recent years.
Overchuk attributed the global slowdown and regression in SDG implementation to macroeconomic policy miscalculations by the U.S. and EU, which led to increased inflation. He also criticized an “unbalanced” energy-climate policy that promotes forced economic “greening.”
The minister added, “The negative impact on the global economy […] was exacerbated by the policy of illegal unilateral sanctions against Russia, which reached unprecedented scales last year. As a result, developing countries, especially the least developed ones, have become true hostages of the situation.”
Despite the joint appeal from Russia and its allies, the new declaration was still adopted at the opening of the SDG Summit on Monday. However, experts believe that countries advocating for the lifting of sanctions may oppose the agreed-upon document in the following days.
Nelya Rakhimova, the chair of the Coalition for Sustainable Development of Russia, believes that Russia is using the SDG agenda to manipulate the world into lifting sanctions, with the hope that other countries will follow suit.
Rakhimova also noted that there is no evidence that Russia has genuinely been concerned about SDG implementation from the start. She pointed out that Russia’s National Projects are not explicitly aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda.
She concluded, “Therefore, I would say that right now the SDGs are just another soft diplomatic tool for Russia.”
The 2023 SDG Summit is a gathering of political and thought leaders from around the world to review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In 2015, Russia, along with 192 other countries, signed and adopted the 2030 Agenda that focuses on 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including eradicating poverty, ensuring healthy lives, reducing inequality, and mitigating climate change.
