Despite more than ten years of strong civil society engagement in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) process, the progress has been disappointing: rising inequality, persistently high hunger levels, worsening climate impacts, and shrinking civic space. Though governments owe an answer for this, civil society needs to do serious introspection on its engagement in the process.
Discussions on shaping Agenda 2030 began in 2012, with broad participation from civil society, governments and the corporate sector. The global conditions at the time helped shape the agenda, which was adopted by United Nations member states on September 25, 2015. Although not all civil society recommendations were included, the final framework was comprehensive and inspired hope. Civil society embraced it as a shared commitment.
Another key agreement of that period was the Paris Agreement, adopted on December 12, 2015. It aimed to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to keep it to 1.5°C.
Together, these agreements created optimism for a more sustainable future. Yet more than a decade later, much of that hope has been deeply undermined.
According to the SDG Progress Report 2025, of the 169 Sustainable Development Goal targets, only 18 per cent are on track and 17 per cent are making moderate progress. In contrast, 48 per cent show insufficient progress, including 31 per cent with only marginal gains and 17 per cent with no progress at all. Most worrying, 18 per cent of targets have fallen below their 2015 baseline levels.
Progress on the Paris Climate Agreement is equally alarming. The world has already exceeded the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels in a few cases. The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025 projects global warming could reach 2.8°C above pre-industrial levels.
What has gone wrong? Some argue that Agenda 2030 had structural weaknesses. There is some truth in this. Civil society groups have long said the agenda failed to tackle the root causes of inequality and poverty.
However, international agreements are always the result of difficult negotiations between countries, with input from civil society and the corporate sector. No agreement is perfect. With strong political will, even an imperfect deal can deliver major progress. Without it, even a strong agreement can fail. What has been missing here is political will.
At the Asia Pacific People’s Forum on Sustainable Development (APPFSD), held in Bangkok on February 21-22, 2026, civil society groups reflected on progress and discussed a collective strategy for the post-2030 agenda. The forum takes place ahead of the official Asia Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development (APFSD). Participating organisations agreed that “development justice” should guide the agenda beyond 2030.
Some discussion on the post-2030 agenda has already begun though civil society insists that the governments should still walk the talk on Agenda 2030 before delving into the post-2030 agenda discussion. The official discussion on sustainable development beyond 2030 will take place in 2027 SDG summit. While discussing the post-2030 agenda, it’s necessary to take stock of the current world situation.
The current period is marked by the sharp rise of billionaires while a vast number of people are struggling to make ends meet. The Oxfam 2026 Inequality study, Resisting the rule of the rich, suggests that the number of billionaires has surpassed 3,000 for the first time. Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, became the first individual whose wealth exceeded half a trillion dollars, while one in four people globally still face hunger. This stark contrast has emerged despite the commitment under SDG 10 to reduce inequality within and between countries.
Billionaires and large corporations now hold enormous influence over politics and the economy. Wealth can shape policy through political donations, lobbying and close ties with those in power. Many also control major media platforms, social media networks and technologies that affect daily life.
Right-wing political groups often use social media to spread division and hostility, deepening social tensions. At the same time, widening inequality is driven by policy choices that transfer land, water, forests and minerals into fewer private hands.
When people resist displacement, loss of livelihoods, harmful economic policies or restrictions on free speech, they often face repression. Human rights abuses are being reported in many parts of the world.
The close relationship between political leaders, the super-rich, bureaucracy and sections of the media has grown stronger, while ordinary people are left with little voice or influence.
Thus, the world has witnessed a “trickle up of wealth and power” leaving common people severely powerless that is truer for the people on the margins — the indigenous communities, Dalits, people with disabilities, women and other such groups.
It is in this context the post-2030 Agenda ought to be discussed, and civil society should strategise itself.
A section of civil society has remained actively involved in the official Voluntary National Review (VNR) process for the SDGs at national level, as well as in regional SDG forums and the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).
The author spoke with several activists who have regularly attended the APFSD in Bangkok over recent years. Zakir Hossain from Bangladesh said, “We come here to understand what is happening at regional and global levels. But nothing has visibly changed on the ground.”
Abia Akram, a disability rights activist from Pakistan, said, “It is encouraging that civil society is given space at the APFSD to share views, suggestions and concerns. But what is the outcome?”
Beena Pallical, an activist based in India, said, “On SDG 5, gender equality, the world is moving backwards, which is deeply disappointing. Structural inequalities continue to grow, and the most marginalised communities, including Dalits and those facing work- and descent-based discrimination, continue to suffer most, especially women, persons with disabilities and transgender people.”
Civil society has invested enormous energy in many global processes, including the SDGs, climate change, financing for development, social protection and ocean governance. It is time for serious reflection. Have these engagements delivered meaningful results? Have they become a form of ‘summiteering’, moving from one conference to another? Have they drawn civil society away from grassroots work while consuming significant resources?
In short, has civil society been absorbed into a system dominated by powerful elites? As some on the left argue, NGOs work as a safety valve for capitalism!
With Donald Trump in power, multilateralism has suffered a major setback. Despite the declining influence of the UN system, civil society groups continue to call for international debt negotiations to be moved to the United Nations. In principle, each UN member state has one vote. This is not the case at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB), where the United States and European nations hold disproportionate power. Critics argue that the policies of IMF and WB have created an unfair debt system that is financially crippling many countries in the Global South and fueling unrest.
Ajay Jha, a civil society leader from India, said, “The UN should reform itself to strengthen its credibility and become more inclusive.”
Civil society has rightly demanded reform of colonial-era institutions such as the IMF and World Bank. It has also challenged governments for taking a “business as usual” approach to implementing the SDGs. But civil society must also examine its own role and move beyond routine engagement. It should reflect critically on how to shape a post-2030 agenda that protects marginalised communities and serves the wider public interest.
Jha added, “Civil society should stop working in silos. Some groups focus on climate, others on the SDGs, others on financing for development. There needs to be cross-fertilisation between movements to strengthen collective bargaining power.”
Pallical said, “Systemic inequalities must be addressed for the development agenda to succeed. I remain hopeful that another world is possible.”
If civil society concludes that its involvement in the global processes has not yielded proportionate results, it can reasonably scale down its engagement, shifting focus to communities to help them challenge the governance model dominated by the super-rich. Across the world, people are suffering and many are already protesting. Civil society should help organise and mobilise them to enable a power shift — power from the billionaires to the people!
Pradeep Baisakh is a journalist and development professional. He has authored a book, "Faces of Inequality" capturing the stories of the poor and underprivileged from India's grassroots. He is a recipient of the national media award from National Foundation for India (NFI) in 2012. Email: 2006pradeep@gmail.com X:@pradeepbaisakh
Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth