Leaving no one behind
2030 agenda for sustainable development
SUSTAINABLE Development Goals are a set of 17 global goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The SDGs are designed to address various global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. The 17 goals are interconnected and aim to provide a comprehensive and integrated approach to sustainable development. These goals provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet and are meant to be achieved by 2030. Governments, businesses, civil society, and individuals all play a role in working towards these goals and promoting sustainable development globally. Leave no one behind is the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) carried out an analysis of Fiji’s SDG’s and found Fiji has nearly achieved universal access to skilled birth attendance and basic drinking water. UNESCAP’s Leaving No One Behind (LNOB) analysis reveals that gaps between the furthest ahead groups and the furthest behind groups are minimal in certain opportunities.
Access to clean fuels
2 PER CENT of households have access to clean fuels at national level, UNSCAP has reported. The biggest gaps are found in access to clean fuels. In 2021, only 13 per cent of households in the furthest behind group used clean fuels for cooking. Notably, the gap between the access rate of the furthest behind group and the national average rate is high, at 39 percentage points. UNESCAP states the furthest behind group in access to clean fuels, poorer households in rural areas, constitutes 30 per cent of Fiji’s households. Efforts should be targeted towards those most vulnerable divisions, such as the Eastern and Central divisions of Fiji, said UNESCAP.
Growth of children
Stunting (prevention from growing or developing properly) and wasting (causing a person or a part of the body to become progressively weaker) in children under five years of age is still prevalent in Fiji, said UNESCAP. In 2021, 11 per cent of children in the furthest behind groups were stunted and 7 per cent were wasted. The furthest behind group in stunting is characterised by poorer children living in urban areas whose mother has lower or secondary education. UNESCAP said this group constitutes 10 per cent of Fiji’s children under five years of age. The furthest behind group in wasting, richer children whose mother has lower or secondary education, constitutes 23 per cent of children under five. Efforts on reducing inequality in undernutrition should be targeted towards those most vulnerable divisions, such as the Northern (for stunting) and Western (for wasting) divisions of Fiji, said UNESCAP.
Quality of education
UNESCAP found access to secondary and tertiary education remain low. In 2021, 44 per cent of individuals 20-35 years of age in the furthest behind group had completed secondary education, while only 16 per cent of individuals 25-35 years of age in the furthest behind group had attended tertiary education. The furthest behind group in secondary education, poorer men, constitutes 21 per cent of Fiji’s population aged 20-35, said UNESCAP. The furthest behind group in tertiary education, characterised by poorer men living in rural areas, constitutes 14 per cent of population aged 25-35. Efforts in reducing inequality in education should be targeted towards those most vulnerable divisions, such as the Northern (for tertiary education) and Western (for secondary education) divisions of Fiji, said UNESCAP.
Disparities between divisions
UNESCAP’s LNOB analysis also shows big disparities between divisions. There are large gaps in secondary education completion rates across Fiji’s divisions. The situation is of particular concern in the Western Division, where the furthest behind group, poorer males, have a completion rate of 36 per cent. In this division, the furthest behind group constitutes 18 per cent of the population 20-35 years of age, said UNESCAP. The situation is of particular concern in the Eastern Division, where the furthest behind group, poorer households with lower or secondary education, have an access rate of only 6 per cent. In this division, the furthest behind group constitutes 63 per cent of households, said UNESCAP.
Snapshot of SDGs
Fiji needs to continue its commitment to leaving no one behind, such as targeting poorer households living in rural areas, to ensure all benefit from the progress made towards achieving the SDGs, said UNESCAP. Access to basic services such as electricity, basic drinking water, and basic sanitation is relatively high. In 2021, 92 per cent of households had access to electricity, while 97 per cent and 88 per cent of households had access to basic drinking water and basic sanitation, respectively. UNESCAP said to guarantee universal access, efforts should be channeled towards households in vulnerable situations. The furthest behind group in access to electricity, characterised by poorer households with lower or secondary education, had an access rate of 79 per cent. This group constitutes 31 per cent of households in Fiji. The furthest behind group in access to basic drinking water, poorer households in rural areas, had an access rate of 93 per cent, said UNESCAP. Only 70 per cent of households in the furthest behind group had access to basic sanitation in 2021. This group is characterized by poorer households in urban areas and represents 11 per cent of households in Fiji.
Remaining challenges
Inequality is high in access to various opportunities and services, indicating that some groups in Fiji are systematically left behind and diverged from the national average, said UNESCAP. In Fiji, highest inequality is observed in ICT skills, access to clean fuels, and early childhood and tertiary education attendance, while inequality is less pronounced in access to skilled birth attendance and basic drinking water, and in child nutrition (stunting, wasting, and overweight in children under 5 years of age), amongst others.