Samuda calls for accelerated global action on water, energy and sustainability at UN forum

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda has called for urgent, coordinated global action to accelerate progress toward the sustainable development goals (SDGs), delivering the official message of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) at the 2026 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development on Wednesday.

Addressing the forum in New York, in his capacity as president of the UNEA, Samuda underscored that with only four years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda, environmental sustainability can no longer be viewed as a separate issue but must instead be recognised as the foundation upon which sustainable development depends.

“The environment cannot be treated as a peripheral concern,” Samuda told delegates. “It is the very foundation upon which sustainable development rests, and progress on water, energy, cities and industry depends on confronting the three planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.”

Delivering UNEA’s message to the forum, the minister highlighted the significant gaps that continue to impede global progress. He noted that approximately two billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, nearly half of the world’s population experiences severe water scarcity for part of the year, 666 million people remain without access to electricity, and more than two billion people continue to rely on polluting cooking fuels.

He stressed that these challenges are interconnected and require integrated solutions.

“The 2030 Agenda serves as our guiding compass, but ambition alone is no longer sufficient. Decisive action is what this moment demands,” he said.

Samuda outlined a series of recommendations adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly to accelerate implementation of the environmental dimensions of the sustainable development goals.

These include strengthening integrated water resources management, advancing equitable access to clean energy, promoting sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure, harnessing innovation responsibly, building more resilient cities, and scaling up international cooperation, financing, capacity building, and technology transfer to support developing countries.

“The outcomes of the United Nations Environment Assembly offer politically grounded pathways for accelerating implementation of the sustainable development goals,” he said. “What UNEA advances in environmental governance, this forum must accelerate through integrated implementation across the entire 2030 Agenda.”

Samuda concluded by encouraging member states to translate the resolutions adopted by UNEA into concrete national action, reaffirming that only through coordinated global cooperation can the international community secure a resilient and sustainable future for all.

The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, convened under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), serves as the United Nations’ central platform for reviewing global progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals.