‘Asia-Pacific to fall short of devt targets’
THE Asia-Pacific region will not meet any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap) said on Thursday.
In its Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2024, Escap said it would be challenging for the region to meet the deadline before 2062, at least 32 years behind schedule.
The region will achieve only a third of the goals by 2030, and it will take an extraordinary collective effort to attain even this target.
“When we look at countries in special situations, we see that small island developing states face the most significant challenges in progressing towards the SDGs,” Escap Director Rachael Beaven said.
Beaven said the region’s average progress toward achieving all SDGs is increasing but at a slower pace. Progress was at 4.4 percent in 2017, improving to 17 percent in 2023.
“We see that as a region, we’re not actually on track to meet any of the 17 goals by 2030,” she said.
The report highlighted the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global progress, with ongoing crises and conflicts disrupting supply chains and creating uncertainty.
It cited recalibrating domestic policies is crucial in addressing these challenges.
On the other hand, positive advancements were reported in achieving Goal 1 (eliminating poverty) and Goal 9 (sustainable industry, innovation and infrastructure), Beaven said.
“These are areas that have shown the most substantial progress since 2015, albeit insufficient to meet the 2030 targets,” Escap said.
“The advancements in eradicating extreme poverty and reducing the overall proportion of people living below nationally defined poverty lines partly explain the positive trajectory toward eliminating poverty,” it added.
Significant strides toward Goal 9’s advancement were said to have been made through the development of resilient and inclusive infrastructure, coupled with improved access to information and communication technology.
However, Escap said that progress in other vital areas such as addressing hunger (Goal 2), improving health and well-being (Goal 3), ensuring clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), expanding affordable and clean energy (Goal 7), and building sustainable cities and communities (Goal 11) has been comparatively modest, demanding increased attention for meaningful improvement.
“Emphasizing climate action (Goal 13) as an immediate priority remains imperative, notably due to its ongoing regression,” Escap said.
It stressed the need to incorporate effective climate action into national policies, strengthen resilience to climate-related hazards, and improve adaptive capacities.
A lack of sufficient data to measure progress highlights the need for enhanced statistical systems for better policy responses.
Escap said urgent action is needed to improve access to decent work and support economic growth (Goal 8).
Focusing on responsible consumption and production (Goal 12), safeguarding life below water (Goal 14), and life on land (Goal 15) is also essential for the Asia-Pacific region to advance the 2030 Agenda.
Building partnerships for sustainable development (Goal 17) is indispensable, Escap said, since these areas have shown the least progress since 2015.
“Yet despite these challenges and even though progress in the region is significantly behind schedule, the vision set out in the 2030 Agenda remains as relevant today as it was in 2015,” Escap said.
“The 17 SDGs continue to provide a comprehensive framework for the bold, transformative action needed to build a greener, fairer, and better world by 2030,” it said.
“Accelerating progress towards the goals is becoming ever more urgent, considering the existential challenges the region faces across the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of development.”