A German think-tank warns that the US, Russia and China are lagging in efforts to meet the United Nations 2030 development goals. A report by the Bertelsmann Foundation partly blames growing protectionist policies.
The appeal was made in a report released on Thursday by the Bertelsmann Foundation, timed to coincide with the G20 summit in Hamburg this weekend.
The report's authors said many of world's the richest countries are lagging behind on pledges to meet the Agenda 2030 objectives that they signed up to two years ago in New York.
The SDG roadmap includes ending global poverty and hunger while working towards quality health and education, clean energy and equality, among other issues.
Bertelsmann said industrialized countries are not serving as role models against a background of growing protectionism and nationalism, as more and more leaders adopt "my country first" policies, in reference to US President Donald Trump's call for more trade barriers to boost the American economy.
Such a lack of leadership is making it difficult for poorer countries to reach their own ambitious targets by 2030, the report said.
Out of the 157 states compared by Bertelsmann in cooperation with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the US came in 42nd place, Russia ranked 62nd and China came 71st.
A brief history of the anti-globalization movement
Whenever heads of state and global financial institutions come together, protest is not far away. Critics of globalization have been taking action for 20 years - also in the name of nature. DW looks back.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Sabrowsky
'Battle of Seattle'
The "Battle of Seattle" in 1999 marked the unofficial start of the anti-globalization movement. Organizing under the radar, this new protest movement burst onto the scene with tens of thousands taking to the streets - and shutting the city down. Protesters criticized the World Trade Organization (WTO) as promoting a "race to the bottom" in terms of environmental, human rights and labor standards.
Image: Getty Images/K.Stallknecht
Teamsters and turtles - together at last
The Seattle actions brought together a broad coalition, with rank-and-file labor unionists marching arm-in-arm with environmentalists. Previously at odds over jobs, the two factions now faced a common enemy: corporate dominance and the unchecked quest for corporate profit. International financial institutions promoting free trade became the symbols - and targets - of this broad new movement.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. G. Mabanglo
London: carnival against capital
"Think globally, act locally" is one of the slogans of the anti-globalization movement. Demonstrators organized protests as street parties in response to a crackdown from authorities and made calls to decentralize and globalize. As the G8 met in Cologne in June 1999, "J18" protests also took place in London and Eugene, Oregon. The emphasis on having fun drew many young people into the movement.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Genoa: Escalation and turning point
In 2001, thousands protested the G8 under the slogan "another world is possible." This alternative vision was against environmental destruction and the growing gap between rich and poor. Indeed, a criticism of the anti-globalization movement was that it was against so much - but what was it for? Protests in Genoa were marked by clashes between security forces and increasingly militant protesters.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Julien
Things get real
As many as 20,000 policemen sought to keep the demonstrations under control - in vain. The legacy of Genoa included innumerable injuries, and even one fatality: Police shot dead the Italian Carlo Giuliani in a street battle. For years afterward, such summits were held in increasingly remote - and defendable - locations. For the protesters, this symbolized how they served - above all - the elite.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Monteforte
WTO in Doha
In 2001, the WTO met in Doha - for protesters, hard to reach - and with Qatar not exactly known to vaunt free speech. Was the era of mass anti-globalization demonstrations over? Doha's slick and elite image added fuel to the accusation that such institutions were insulating themselves against popular movements.
Image: Getty Images/ANOC/M. Runnacles
Toronto: More mass arrests
The G20 summit in Toronto in 2010 went down in history - as the scene of Canada's largest mass arrest. Police cracked down violently on demonstrators, arresting more than a thousand people - who were mostly later release without charge. The mass false arrests here had followed similar actions: in Washington at IMF/ World Bank protests in 2002, and at the FTAA protest in Miami in 2003.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Ilnitsky
'Secret' environment conference
In 2015, the G7 meeting at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria - likewise a remote and defendable location - took up a number of environmental topics, such as threats to the world's oceans. G7 countries vowed to more effectively and intensively work on fighting waste in the seas. Environmental topics appeared to have broken through to agendas that previously had been dominated by economic ones.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/C. Stache
Tempering the powder keg
For the G20 to set its 2017 meeting in the major metropolis of Hamburg could be seen as a reconciliation. Currently in the rotating presidency of the G20, Germany has been praised by civil society groups for its attempts to engage, such as here at the "Civil20" meeting in June. Climate change is at the top of Germany's G20 agenda - reflecting increasing concern over the issue worldwide.
Image: Reuters/F. Bimmer
Camping for the movement
In Hamburg, urban camping should reduce the environmental footprint of protesters - although a conflict over whether to allow such camping within the city has been a bone of contention. Again, 20,000 police will attempt to keep order during the summit. An atmosphere similar to that of a summer music festival is tempered with serious undertones as protests get underway.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/J. Widener
Walking the talk
As the most polluting fossil fuel, coal is a clear target. Greenpeace activists pulled alongside the Chinese coal freighter "Golden Opportunity" in Hamburg's port to point out Germany's hypocritical position on the topic. Similar actions are surely to come - learning from the anti-globalization movement, the climate justice movement has built a broad coalition. It's not just eco-freaks anymore!
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Marks
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The report blamed income inequality, high consumption levels and carbon emissions for the low scores. As well as struggling with their own development goals, developed nations are holding back poorer countries, for example, through their geopolitical and economic policies, protection of tax havens and inadequate funding of development aid.
Scandinavia leads the way
The countries most likely to meet the requirements are Scandinavian: Sweden ranks first, followed by Denmark and Finland.
The furthest from effective implementation are African states like the Central African Republic, Chad or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Among the G7 countries, only Germany and France can be found among the top ten performers.
The report's results "highlight the need for urgent action on the part of G20 countries in making sustainable development a reality both within and beyond their borders," said Jeffrey Sachs, SDSN director, in a statement.
"If the world is to achieve the SDGs, all countries must take up the goals as part of their national development strategies and ensure that they take responsibility for their impact on the rest of the world."
Stark warning
Aart De Geus, chairman of the Bertelsmann Foundation warned G20 leaders meeting in Hamburg this weekend against repeating modern history.
"Protectionism is a one-way street which could not bring us back to the implementation of Agenda 2030, but back to 1930. The G20 states should set a clear signal for global goals and against national egoisms in Hamburg," he said.
