THE world is falling well short of the progress needed to meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 in areas ranging from poverty to clean energy to biodiversity, with a growing gap between wealthy and developing nations, a report said on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) from the nonprofit tracking the goals.

The coronavirus pandemic stalled the limited progress made in the years after UN member states adopted the goals in 2015. Now, halfway through the 15-year time frame, not a single one of the goals is on target to be met.