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NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned Israel’s killing of civilians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza over the weekend, calling it “an atrocious and inhumane act,” and demanded an immediate ceasefire along with the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas and unimpeded aid access to the starving enclave.

“These were people seeking UN assistance for their families,” Guterres said in remarks opening the High-Level Political Forum in New York.

“We need an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of all hostages, and full humanitarian access as a first step toward achieving a two-state solution,” he added.

Guterres also called for the fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel to hold and reiterated his call for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, rooted in the UN Charter, international law, and UN resolutions. He urged an end to the conflict in Sudan and pointed to continued violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, the Sahel and Myanmar, warning that war and instability are “pushing the Sustainable Development Goals further out of reach.”

The secretary-general linked these conflicts directly to the core development agenda, stressing that “sustainable peace requires sustainable development.” He warned that the world is far off track to meet the SDGs by 2030 and said the erosion of peace and rising geopolitical tensions are among the biggest threats to that progress.

The UN chief’s address came at a time of growing frustration among developing nations and civil society groups over the lack of progress toward the SDGs, a set of 17 global targets adopted in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and promote peace and prosperity by 2030.

While the world has seen gains, such as increased access to electricity, internet, and education, only 35 percent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress, according to UN data. Nearly half are moving too slowly, and 18 percent are regressing.

“We cannot sugarcoat these facts,” Guterres said. “But we must not surrender to them either.”

He linked peace and development, arguing that sustainable peace is impossible without sustainable development. Despite multiple setbacks, Guterres pointed to recent multilateral breakthroughs as evidence that international cooperation can still deliver results.

He cited three key achievements: the adoption of a Pandemic Agreement in Geneva aimed at building a fairer global health system; new ocean protection commitments made in Nice to fight pollution and illegal fishing; and the so-called Seville Commitment, a financial pact aimed at expanding fiscal space for developing countries, improving access to capital, and reforming the global financial architecture.

“This shows that transformation is not only necessary — it is possible,” he said.

The HLPF, held annually at UN headquarters, is the central platform for reviewing progress toward the SDGs. This year’s forum spotlights five interconnected goals: health, gender equality, decent work, marine ecosystems, and global partnerships.

On health, Guterres urged governments to invest in universal care and prevention, particularly for the most vulnerable. On gender equality, he acknowledged persistent barriers but noted growing grassroots momentum, and called for real financing, accountability, and rights-based policies to drive systemic change.

On decent work, he warned that over 2 billion people remain in informal employment and youth joblessness is high. But he cited the UN’s Global Accelerator initiative as helping countries create jobs and expand social protections, especially in green industries.

Guterres also emphasized the need to reform the global financial system, which he said no longer reflects current geopolitical or economic realities. The Seville Commitment, he said, sets out concrete steps: strengthening domestic resource mobilization through tax reform, improving debt relief frameworks, and tripling the lending capacity of multilateral development banks.

Guterres urged greater investment in science, data, and digital tools, including artificial intelligence, as well as deeper partnerships with civil society, the private sector, and local governments.

With five years remaining to meet the 2030 deadline, he called on nations to transform “sparks of progress into a blaze of transformation,” saying: “Let’s deliver on development — for people and for the planet.”