Asia-Pacific “SDG Progress” Report, 2024

Asia-Pacific “SDG Progress” Report, 2024

Important for Prelims:

Asia-Pacific SDG Progress Report 2024, United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Important for Mains:

Asia-Pacific SDG Progress Report- 2024: Key Facts, Key Recommendations, Importance of Asia-Pacific SDG Progress Report, India's Progress Report on SDGs, Concerns, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Conclusion.

22/02/2024

Why in news:

Recently, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP) has released the Asia-Pacific SDG Progress Report – 2024.

  • According to the report, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Asia-Pacific region could be delayed until 2062, 32 years beyond the scheduled deadline.

About the Asia-Pacific SDG Progress Report:

  • The Asia and Pacific SDG Progress Report, one of the flagship publications of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP), is an annual report that provides a holistic analysis of the success and challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Asia Pacific region.

Significance of Asia-Pacific SDG Progress Report:

  • This report provides a concise review of SDG progress and provides UN Member States with more equitable, inclusive and strategic advice to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • The report focuses on the success of efforts towards the Sustainable Development Goals and the specific challenges facing different sectors.
  • The annual SDG Progress Report provides an overview of progress on the global goals in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • This report serves as the basis for the activities and policy responses of ESCAP and its partners.

Key facts related to the report:

  • According to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) progress reports, there has been uneven and inadequate development among the five sub-regions of Asia and the Pacific.

Delay in progress:

  • The Sustainable Development Goals in the Asia-Pacific region will likely be achieved only by 2062 instead of the scheduled year 2030.
  • Only 11% of the 116 measurable SDG targets are being met. If the current trajectory continues, the region is projected to achieve only one-third of the required progress by 2030.

Climate Action:

  • Progress on SDG 13 (climate action) is seriously lagging, with all SDG 13 targets either stagnating or on slow pace, which hampers the integration of climate action into national policies and resilience to climate-related disasters. Underlines the urgent need to strengthen.
  • Currently, about 67% of the 169 SDG targets in the Asia-Pacific region are not measurable.
  • 62.5% of indicators under the Climate Goal (SDG 13) lack the data needed to monitor progress.
  • Data availability has improved since 2017 but remains inadequate for 53 targets, including 3 climate action targets.

Academic Development:

  • Despite overall progress in school enrollment rates, women and girls in the region continue to face significant challenges in accessing education and employment opportunities.
  • They have low enrollment rates and struggle to become literate. Young women also face difficulties accessing labor markets, leading to high rates of youth unemployment.
  • Meanwhile, the challenges faced by men are related to their health or personal safety.
  • They suffer from high rates of suicide, chronic diseases and deaths from road accidents.
  • Progress on goals such as ending hunger (SDG 2), good health and living standards (SDG 3), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7) and sustainable urban and community development (SDG 11). has also been limited.
  • These goals are closely related to climate change and address the challenges that could hinder progress in the region.
  • Climate change and extreme weather events have been identified as serious global risks over the next decade, emphasizing the importance of addressing climate action to achieve the SDG goals.
  • Dedicated research and analysis aimed at estimating the cost of supporting children with disabilities in the Philippines played a significant role in influencing recent legislation to provide disability allowance, providing support to children with disabilities.
  • Nationwide digital training programs in Vietnam have highlighted the value of public-private partnerships in accelerating digital transformation and closing the skills and employment gap for youth and migrant workers.
  • Meanwhile in North and Central Asia, national statistical systems in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have been upgraded to better support stateless populations.

India's progress report on SDGs:

  • According to this report, India's performance has improved on 85 parameters of the Sustainable Development Goals, while in 27 cases the progress has remained almost stable. Whereas in 36 cases the progress has been poor.
  • India's overall SDG score improved by 6 points, from 60 in 2019 to 66 in 2020-21.
  • Notable achievements include Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) and Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy) with overall goal scores of 83 and 92 respectively.

Concerns:

  • Malnutrition: The situation of malnutrition in the country has become worse than before.
  • While in 2015, 14 percent of the country's population was suffering from malnutrition, in 2021 this figure increased to 16.6 percent. Similarly, the problem of anemia among women in the country is almost the same as before.
  • Suicide: The number of suicides has also increased in the country.
  • Sanitation: Progress has lagged behind even in the case of dirty water coming out of houses.
  • Where in 2020, 26.6 percent of the contaminated water coming out of homes was being cleaned. Whereas in 2022 this figure has come down to 20 percent.
  • Resource utilization: Resource utilization in the country has increased, with the per capita material footprint in India increasing from 4.8 tonnes in 2015 to 5.2 tonnes in 2019.
  • Unemployment rate: The unemployment rate in the country increased from 7.7 percent in 2018 to 7.9 percent in 2020.
  • Sustainable Tourism: Progress on the issue of sustainable tourism has also declined.
  • Refugee Problem: The number of refugees in the country which was 0.8 per lakh in 2015 has increased to one in 2022.
  • Research and Development: No increase has been recorded in the expenditure on research and development.
  • Emissions: According to the data, emissions from the agricultural sector have also increased between 2015 and 2019.
  • Apart from this, progress has also lagged behind in matters of marine pollution and sustainable use of marine resources.

Key recommendations of the report:

  • There is an urgent need to address the inequalities affecting marginalized groups, including women, girls, rural populations and the urban poor, who find themselves deprived of education and employment opportunities.
  • There is a need for a significant increase in investment in sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy sources to meet the challenges posed by climate change and achieve various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

  • The 17 goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 focus on ending extreme poverty and hunger by 2030, ensuring access to clean water and sanitation, and providing quality universal education, among other goals. Sustainable Development Goal-17 are as follows:
    • Ending poverty in all its forms around the world.
    • Ending hunger, promoting food security and improved nutrition and sustainable agriculture.
    • To promote health, safety and healthy living for people of all ages.
    • To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education by providing learning opportunities to all.
    • Achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls.
    • Ensuring access to sanitation and sustainable management of water for all.
    • Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.
    • Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
    • Promoting resilient, inclusive and sustainable industrialization.
    • Reducing inequality between and within countries.
    • Building safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements.
    • Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
    • Take immediate action to tackle climate change and its impacts.
    • Conserve and use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
    • Efforts to prevent the increasing loss of terrestrial ecosystems, protect forests, land degradation and biodiversity while promoting sustainable use.
    • To promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development and make them effective and accountable at all levels to ensure justice for all.
    • Strengthening the means of implementation, including revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development.

Conclusion:

India's commitment and success in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is commendable. However, India needs to adapt to changes and improve adaptive capacity to deal with climate disasters, especially with climate action integrated into national policies to address Sustainable Development Goal concerns. At the same time, we need more investment in sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy.

Source: Down to Earth

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Main Exam Question:

Examine India's overall Sustainable Development Goal achievement and related concerns in the light of the Asia-Pacific “SDG Progress” Report, 2024.