Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of COVID-19 on reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 both in the UK and globally.

COVID-19 is the biggest crisis of a generation and has a wide range of primary and secondary impacts, as set out in a recent UN report on the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19.

The crisis is ongoing and therefore a full assessment of its impacts on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) both domestically and globally is not possible at this stage. The COVID-19 crisis poses real risks for eroding progress on the SDGs, and the associated economic slowdown will increase the challenge of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially in light of the challenges highlighted prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in the UN SDGs Report 2019.

The UK remains committed to the achieving the SDGs both domestically and globally. The SDGs will play a key role in post-COVID-19 recovery, recognising the connection between healthy lives, healthy societies and a healthy environment. It is more important than ever that we work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.