Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries.
The pandemic is further testing multilateral and global partnerships that were already shaky. Although official development assistance (ODA) increased, and remittance flows declined less than expected in 2020, foreign direct investment (FDI) dropped by 40 per cent.
The impacts of the pandemic are leading to debt distress in many countries, and also limiting countries’ capacity for critical investments in recovery (including access to vaccines), climate action and the SDGs, threatening to prolong recovery periods. The interconnected global economy requires a global response to ensure that all countries, developing countries in particular, can address health, economic and environmental crises.
In Central and Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, just over a quarter of the population were connected. The cost of Internet access and Internet-connected devices, and the lack of related skills, are the highest barriers to access for large parts of the world.
