‘A story of scale, speed and inclusion’: India on the development path

India is making steady development gains, with more than 240 million people having escaped multidimensional poverty in the last decade alone, the country reported as it presented its latest progress report on the Sustainable Development Goals.

In its Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, which concluded at United Nations Headquarters in New York this week, India outlined how the country is on track to achieve SDG health targets for maternal, child, and infant mortality before 2030.

In addition, its numbers of people with social protection coverage have doubled since 2015 and its renowned Digital Public Infrastructure is helping to boost digital access.

“India’s SDG journey is a story of scale, speed and inclusion,” said NITI Aayog’s Vice Chairman Suman Bery, who headed India’s delegation to the HLPF.

In his presentation Mr. Bery highlighted India’s whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to localise the SDGs.

The VNR is a voluntary process where UN Member States take turns to outline how they are progressing towards the SDGs and where they need to make further advances.

In the case of India, this year’s VNR builds on insights drawn from participatory discussions and consultations held with diverse groups – including tribal groups, the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized communities -- that were led by NITI Aayog and supported by the UN in India.

India’s presentation at the HLPF included a short film capturing the country’s SDG journey so far. Watch it here: 

At a separate side event at the HLPF, hosted by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in New York and NITI Aayog, voices from India as well as Ethiopia, Indonesia, Germany and Mexico discussed the drivers of SDG localisation. India’s youth representative Pranay Dasari offered perspectives on the role on young people in accelerating the 2030 Agenda. 

This year’s HLPF, which meets under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council, was held from 14 to 23 July under the theme of Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind.