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Education the only goal on track in Asia-Pacific
The year 2019 will be a landmark one for the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations/File)
T
he year 2019 will be a landmark one for the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Four years will have passed since world leaders adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), four years since governments recommitted themselves to eradicating extreme poverty, improving universal healthcare coverage, education and food security and achieving a sweeping set of economic, social and environmental objectives. Four years is long enough to assess our direction of travel and then refocus work where progress is falling short.
As the UN development arm in the region, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific’s (ESCAP) absolute priority is to help our members achieve the SDGs by 2030. We work to scale up their efforts through regional cooperation and South-South cooperation. So, we see stock-taking in 2019 as an opportunity, including as a chance to ensure our region remains on track toward sustainable development.
Our analysis shows that on our current trajectory only one SDG, universal education, is on track to be met by 2030. Environmental degradation and air pollution are worsening. Our region is feeling the full force of climate change, but our greenhouse gas emissions remain high. Intraregional trade and connectivity remain below their potential. Inequalities, both within and between countries, are widening.
Much good work is underway to overcome these challenges, but there is scope to step up our region’s response in three main areas.
