NEW YORK, 15 July 2026–Amidst the
growing number of development crises facing the world,
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today
announced Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain as Co-Chair
of the Sustainable Development Goals Advocates group
alongside Prime Minister Mia Mottley of
Barbados.
“The Sustainable Development Goals are at
risk of slipping out of reach. Our mission is clear: to
accelerate progress at scale and speed. I welcome Prime
Minister Pedro Sánchez joining Prime Minister Mia Mottley
to strengthen advocacy and drive the urgent action needed to
deliver the SDGs,” said UN Secretary-General
Guterres.
With less than five years to go, the world
has a critical opportunity to advance progress and deliver
on the promise of the SDGs.
“The 2030 Agenda is the
roadmap that enables us to tackle the major challenges of
our time and contribute to shared global development. As
Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals, I am
committed to continuing to work to ensure that the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda translates into
opportunities, well-being, and prosperity for all people,
leaving no one behind, while caring for our planet for
present and future generations. We need to accelerate action
and appeal to our collective responsibility to move forward.
The Decade of Action is not lost—it is in our hands, and
we must act,” said Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of
Spain.
Prime Minister Sánchez is a dynamic leader on
critical issues, including financing for development,
education, equality and climate action. Under his
leadership, the 4th International Conference on Financing
for Development was successfully held in Seville, Spain in
2025, resulting in a global action plan, the Sevilla
Commitment.
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The SDG
Advocates are influential leaders who support the
Secretary-General in raising global ambition and action to
keep the promise of the SDGs.
The Secretary-General
has thanked previous Co-Chair, former Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau of Canada. Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados
will continue her role as Co-Chair alongside Prime Minister
Pedro Sánchez. She was appointed in 2022.
SDG
Advocates
- Prime Minister Mia
Mottley of Barbados (Co-Chair) - Her Majesty Queen
Mathilde of the Belgians - Her Highness Sheikha Moza
bint Nasser of Qatar - Massimo Bottura, Chef Patron,
Osteria Francescana; Founder, Food for Soul; UNEP Goodwill
Ambassador - Diane von Furstenberg, Fashion designer,
philanthropist and author - Monica Geingos, Executive
Chairperson, One Economy Foundation and Chancellor of Kepler
University - Hindou Ibrahim, Activist for Climate
Action and Indigenous Rights - Muniba Mazari, Advocate
for Disability Rights and Inclusion - Graça Machel,
Founder and Chair of the Board, Graça Machel
Trust - Dia Mirza, Actor, UN Environment Programme
Goodwill Ambassador - Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Center
for Sustainable Development, Columbia
University - Lily Singh, Award-Winning Entertainer and
Founder, Unicorn Island Fund - Brad Smith, President,
Microsoft Corporation - Masai Ujiri, President of
Dallas Mavericks and Founder of Giants of
Africa - Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani and
Founder of Tent Partnership for
Refugees
