Public health and policy perspectives on the final five years of the 2025 sustainable development goals report: a commentary

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was born from a shared promise to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure health and dignity for all. Yet, as highlighted by Okesanya (Global Health Res Policy10:45, 2025), this promise is increasingly at risk. With only five years remaining until 2030, global progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains fragile, uneven, and insufficient for the world’s most vulnerable populations. Out of 139 measurable SDG targets, only 18% are currently on track, while stagnation or regression persists in critical health indicators, including maternal mortality, child stunting, and the resurgence of infectious diseases. These trends reflect not merely technical shortcomings, but deeper structural failures marked by inequality, weak governance, persistent financing gaps, and underinvestment in health and data systems. As Okesanya (Global Health Res Policy10:45, 2025) underscores, global health is foundational to sustainable development; without robust and equitable health systems, progress in education, gender equality, and economic stability cannot be sustained. This commentary elaborates on and extends Okesanya’s analysis by emphasizing three underdeveloped dimensions: the need for concrete and coordinated financing reforms, the centrality of gender equity, and the indispensable role of communities and civil society in accountability. Drawing on policy debates and illustrative experiences from the Philippines, it argues that the final five years before 2030 represent not only a technical deadline, but a moral test of global commitment to equity, solidarity, and human dignity.