In July 2023, Belgium submitted its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the United Nations. Since then, the Federal Planning Bureau (FPB) has released an important follow-up evaluation of the Federal Sustainable Development Plan (FSDP), titled “Achieving the SDGs by 2030: Time is Running Out.” Covering the period from October 2021 to January 2024, this report offers a sobering assessment of Belgium’s progress halfway through its current federal development strategy.
Limited Progress on SDG Indicators
Chapter 1 of the report assesses Belgium’s situation using 78 SDG monitoring indicators. Of the 26 indicators with defined targets, only 7 are projected to be achieved if current trends continue, while 19 are unlikely to meet their goals. Among 25 indicators without specific targets, results are mixed: only 9 show positive movement, 2 trend in the opposite direction, and 14 show no clear progress. The overall outlook suggests that most SDGs will not be reached by 2030 without a significant shift in approach.
Implementation Gaps in the Federal Plan
Chapter 2 evaluates the implementation of the FSDP’s 259 policy measures. The findings show that:
- 52 measures (22%) are in preparation,
- 119 measures (50%) are in active implementation,
- and 25.5% have yet to be initiated.
Policies with a set timeline and those using economic or regulatory instruments with direct societal impact are more likely to be implemented. These insights highlight the importance of designing actionable, time-bound policies to enhance the plan’s effectiveness.
Fragmented Approaches Across Government and Civil Society
Beyond the federal level, regional and community governments in Belgium have their own development strategies and reporting processes. Unfortunately, these, too, reflect uneven results. Civil society actors—including NGOs, grassroots groups, universities, and some private companies—are actively contributing to SDG implementation. While there are some efforts to coordinate these contributions administratively and financially, coherence remains weak both nationally and within broader European and international frameworks.
A Call for a Bold New Federal Agenda
The report concludes that a decisive break from current trends is urgently needed. It calls on the next federal government, to be formed after the June 2024 elections, to adopt a far more ambitious sustainable development plan. It emphasizes that all public policies must align with the SDGs to address the ecological, social, and economic challenges of our time.
Christian Roberti CSSp, VIVAT Belgium
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