Category: SDGs

Adopted by world leaders in 2015, the 17 Goals focus on ending extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring access to clean water and sanitation, and providing quality universal education, among other targets, by 2030.

The 2024 SDG Progress Report, launched by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), highlighted persisting challenges of poverty and inequality, with gender and location playing pivotal roles.

“Our unwavering commitment is vital, as progress towards the SDGs remains uneven and inadequate across the region,” Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, wrote in the report’s foreword.

“While additional efforts are required across the board, granular data emphasizes the urgency of addressing inequalities that impact marginalized groups, including women, girls, rural populations and the urban poor, who continue to find themselves locked out of education and employment opportunities,” she added.

The annual SDG Progress Report provides an overview of progress on the global goals in the Asia-Pacific region, serving as a foundation for activities and policy responses by ESCAP and its partners.

Country divide

ESCAP report

Progress over time by LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS

The painted a worrying picture for Asian and Pacific countries in “special situations” – its Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).

The SIDS were the ones most in need of support given their unique vulnerabilities, ranging from geographical isolation to limited resources and climate change impacts. 

The COVID-19 pandemic all but erased progress these nations made towards the SDGs since 2015, leaving their achievement at a mere 5.9 per cent, according to the report.

The LDCs and LLDCs fared marginally better than the islands, registering only 11.5 per cent and 13 per cent progress, respectively, but still falling significantly short of what is needed to achieve the Goals by 2030.

Gender divide

The report also highlighted the different societal challenges faced by men and women, especially along so-called “gendered” roles.

Women’s challenges primarily related to education and employment. They had lower enrollment rates and struggled on literacy targets. Young women also encountered difficulties accessing labour markets, leading to higher rates of youth unemployment.

Men’s were more associated with health and personal safety, including new HIV infections, mortality rates attributed to diseases, suicide rates, alcohol consumption, road traffic deaths, mortality attributed to poisoning, prevalence of tobacco use.

Urban-rural divide

People living in rural areas faced pronounced disadvantages, the report noted, such as limited access to basic drinking water and sanitation facilities.

In addition, insufficient clean cooking fuels in these areas contributed to serious respiratory diseases, especially among women and girls who spent longer hours in the kitchen.

In general, urban areas exhibited better conditions, yet paradoxically, within these areas, the poorest boys and girls faced significant hurdles in completing upper secondary education.

© UNICEF/Saiyna Bashir

Asia-Pacific is home to several of the countries worst affected by climate change impact. Pictured here, the 2022 floods in Pakistan.

Urgency of climate action

Among the 17 SDGs, Goal 13 on climate action required most attention, as progress on all of its targets are off track and some are in reverse, according to the report.

This underscored the need to integrate climate action into national policies, strengthen resilience and improve adaptive capacity to cope with climate-related disasters, it noted.

The report also called for significant ramp-up in investment towards sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy sources.

One of 38 people members of the new UN advisory body on machine learning, Mr. Ndiaye spoke with UN News about the landscape ahead, building on his experience in helping to drive Senegal’s digital transformation in higher education, serving as an expert to the African Union in drafting the Pan-African Strategy on AI and in contributing to the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI).

© Courtesy of Seydina Ndiaye

Senegalese AI expert Seydina NDiaye is one of the 38 experts of the UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.

UN News: How could AI help Africa?

Seydina Moussa Ndiaye: There are several African countries that are beginning to have a dedicated strategy for artificial intelligence. However, there is a pan-African strategy that will soon be published, with a continental vision of AI development.

More and more, young people launching startups are interested in this, and they have a real thirst for knowledge in the field of AI. This growing interest can be accelerated with international help.

However, there is a wall in some areas, and AI can in fact be used to solve certain problems, including in agriculture. In the health sector, AI could in fact solve a lot of problems, especially the problem of a lack of personnel.

The other element that is also very important is the development of cultural identity. Africa has been seen as a continent with a cultural identity that has not been able to impose itself across the world. With the development of AI, we could use this channel so that African cultural identities are better known and better valued.

© UNHCR/Agnese Morganti

Bernice Kula-Kula, a refugee from DR Congo, studies computer engineering, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence on a UNICORE scholarship, thanks to Italy with UN-support.

UN News: Are there bad sides of AI threatening Africa?

Seydina Moussa Ndiaye: The biggest threat for me is colonization. We may end up with large multinationals in AI that will impose their solutions throughout the continent, leaving no room for creating local solutions.

Most of the data currently generated in Africa is owned by multinationals whose infrastructure is developed outside the continent, where most African AI experts also operate. It’s a loss of African talent.

The other important element to consider is in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. The power of AI combined with advances in biotechnology or technology could be used, and Africa could be the place where all these new solutions are actually being tested.

If it’s not supervised, we could end up with tests that would take place on humans with chips or even integrated biotechnology elements that we improve. These are technologies that we don’t really master well. In regulatory terms, there are certain aspects that have not been considered. The very framework for the application of ideas and existing regulations is not effective.

In concrete terms, and when you don’t control these things, it could happen without anyone knowing. We could have Africa being used as a Guinea pig to test new solutions, and this could be a great, great threat for the continent.

© United Nations/Kensuke Matsue

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed interacts with Sophia the robot at the “The Future of Everything – Sustainable Development in the Age of Rapid Technological Change” meeting.

UN News: Do you think that the UN’s new AI advisory group is going to be a platform that will allow you to put these problems on the table?

Seydina Moussa Ndiaye: Yes, absolutely. We’ve started our work, and it’s really very open. These are high-level people who understand international issues well, and there are no taboo subjects.

It’s important that the voice of Africa is represented in the group. International scientific cooperation will be strengthened and not limited to the major powers. At the international level, it includes everyone and also helps the least developed countries.

Currently, there is a real gap, and if this is not resolved, we risk increasing inequalities.

Launched in 2015, the Agenda set out a 15-year plan to realize 17 interconnected targets, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and change that trajectory.

In the second of a two-part series, UN News looks at how far the world has come since 2015 in tackling climate change, creating clean energy and sustainable food production and protecting the planet.

2015: Overconsumption, under-protection

In 2015, only a small fraction of the world was officially protected: 14 per cent of land and less than nine per cent of marine ecosystems. One third of global marine fish stocks were being harvested at unsustainable levels. 

Meanwhile, more and more plastics were polluting the world’s oceans, rivers, and lakes. By 2015, 60 per cent of all plastic ever produced was discarded as waste.

All country commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions combined put the world on a trajectory of a 3°C temperature rise by 2100, compared to pre-industrial levels. 

That is double the 1.5°C global temperature rise that a series of UN reports, scientists and governments agreed would help to avoid the most destructive impacts of higher temperatures and maintain a liveable climate.

United Nations

SDG 12

SDG 12: SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION

 

• Achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
• Halve per capita global food waste at retail and consumer levels and encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices
• Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture
• Phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption

Despite calls for a global phase-out, fossil fuel subsidies doubled between 2020 and 2021, in large part due to global crises.

2023: Stopping the war on nature

At the halfway mark to the 2030 deadline, global awareness of biodiversity protection has increased, but efforts to transform human interaction with nature and resource consumption still lag behind in terms of speed and scale.

In 2023, three quarters of land on Earth and about 66 per cent of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human actions. More than one third of the world’s land surface and nearly 75 per cent of freshwater resources are now devoted to crop or livestock production.

Combined with skyrocketing levels of pollution, the degradation of the natural habitat and biodiversity loss are having serious impacts on communities around the world. 

In 2023, an estimated 100 to 300 million people are at increased risk of floods and hurricanes because of loss of coastal habitats.

Many communities are building back better, from Pakistan’s launch of the biggest climate initiative in the country’s history to the UN Secretary-General’s new global Early Warnings for All initiative.

© UNDP Georgia

Increasing investments in solar, wind power, hydropower and biomass will be essential to reduce global reliance on coal and oil.

2015: Fossil fuel versus clean energy

When the SDGs were adopted in 2015, 87 per cent of the world had access to some form of electricity, but nearly 1.1 billion people did not, with most living in Africa and Asia.

Oil prices plunged to an all-time low and fossil fuels dominated the market with global investments amounting to nearly $1.3 billion. Coal alone accounted for nearly 40 per cent of global electricity generated. 

But, just 60 per cent of the world’s population had access to clean cooking fuels; the numbers in sub-Saharan Africa were much lower.

Women, in particular, bore a heavier health burden as a result, were vulnerable to indoor air pollution and respiratory disease.

2023: Drive towards renewables

A drive towards clean energy is making some inroads. While 91 per cent of the world now has access to electricity, progress hasn’t been fast or inclusive enough. The number of people with access to electricity has increased to 675 million since 2015.

Global investment in clean energy has hit near record highs at $ 1.7 trillion, and renewables now account for more than 28 per cent of global electricity, growing by nearly 5 per cent since 2015.

Nevertheless, 2.3 billion people still continue to rely on coal, kerosene or solid biomass as their primary cooking fuel. A lack of clean cooking is contributing to nearly 3.7 million premature deaths annually, with women and children most at risk. 

About 80 per cent of the world’s population without electricity continues to live in rural areas, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Studies now show that meeting these clean energy goals will require the world to triple its annual investments between now and 2030. Nations are already walking the talk, from Indonesia’s Just Energy Transition Partnership to a fresh approach of the Nairobi Declaration, adopted in September at the African Climate Summit.

United Nations

SDG 7

SDG 7: CLEAN ENERGY FOR ALL

• Increase share of renewable energy globally
• Double global rate of improvement in energy efficiency
• Expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern, sustainable energy services
• Enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology
• Expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing nations, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and land-locked developing countries

 

International funding for clean energy in developing countries has dropped to just $10.8 billion in 2021 from a peak of $26.4 billion in 2017.

2015: Zero hunger pledge

When the SDGs were adopted in 2015, more than 795 million people were facing hunger. That is 11 per cent of the global population.

In countries enduring protracted crises, hunger rates were more than three times higher than elsewhere. Poor nutrition contributed to impaired growth and development for 159 million children under age five.

© FAO/Nozim Kalandarov

A woman shops at an indoor market in Hissar, Tajikistan. (file)

2023: New approach to food security

The question of how food is produced, traded and consumed in a sustainable manner has come to the fore, with one third of all food produced globally ending up lost or wasted and more than three billion people unable to afford healthy diets.

The prevalence of hunger has dropped only marginally since 2015, to 9.2 per cent of the global population. Progress has been frustrated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in climate shocks and conflict, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has driven up the costs of food, fuel and fertilizers.

In 2022, approximately 735 million people faced hunger, which is still well above the pre-pandemic level, and 148 million children still faced stunting from poor nutrition; just over a two per cent decrease since 2015.

United Nations

SDG 2

SDG 2: END FOOD INSECURITY

 

• End hunger and malnutrition, and ensure access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food year-round for all
• Double small-scale food producers’ agricultural productivity and income
• Ensure sustainable food production systems, and implement agricultural practices that increase productivity/production and strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change and disasters
• Correct and prevent trade restrictions in world agricultural markets

 

Globally, one in three people struggles with moderate to severe food insecurity.

 

At the same time, not enough is being done to support developing economies adapt their food production to the impacts of climate change. Small-scale farmers from developing countries produce one third of the world’s food, yet they receive only 1.7 per cent of climate finance.

To transform this trend, the UN Food Systems Summit in Rome in 2021 and a subsequent stocktaking moment in 2023 have provided a platform for countries to share their experience. That led to the launch in July of the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action for accelerated food systems transformation.

© FAO

The adoption of more sustainable agriculture practices is key to increasing the productivity and income of rural farmers.

Launched in 2015, the initiative set out a 15-year plan to realize 17 interconnected targets, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Since then, the ambitious goals have shaped national action plans, from building resilient cities and reducing inequalities to taking climate action and forging strong public and private sector partnerships. 

This two-part series looks the progress made between 2015 and 2023 in key areas. The first part examines bridging the digital divide, education for all and decent work.

2015: Dawn of the digital divide

When the SDGs were adopted in 2015, the world was already in the midst of a fast-paced digital revolution, with 3.2 billion people using the internet and more than 7 billion mobile phone subscribers, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

At the same time, the first instances of a digital divide were already taking root. While 80 per cent of households in developed countries had internet access, only 34 per cent of households in developing countries were connected. Least developed countries lagged further behind, with only 7 per cent of households having online access.

For millions of people around the world, a life without digital connectivity is unthinkable, from accessing information to paying for services to getting medical help and studying online.

2023: Digital inequalities starker than ever

With a click of a button, millions of people of all ages around the world engage every single day with digital infrastructure. Yet, digital divides and inequalities are starker than ever. More than two thirds of the planet use the internet, and as of 2022, there were 8.63 billion mobile subscribers.

There was a massive jump in the number of people in least developed countries with access to the internet – 36 per cent of the population, compared to seven per cent in 2015. In comparison, 92 per cent of the population in high-income countries and 79 per cent of the population upper-middle-income countries are connected to the internet.

On a global scale, less women use the internet than men: 63 per cent of women, compared to 69 per cent of men. Meanwhile, new technologies, turbo-charged by risks posed by the increased and unchecked use of artificial intelligence (AI), can easily drive loss of data privacy and escalate risks of online harm, spreading online violence and hate speech along with mis/disinformation. 

UN agencies and partners are working hard to address bridge the digital divide led by the UN Secretary-General’s call for developing a global digital compact and the launch of his policy brief on information integrity on digital platforms.

© UNIC Pakistan

Today, globally, some 250 million children are out of school.

2015: Education, for some

When the SDGs were adopted in 2015, primary school enrolment in developing countries stood at 91 per cent. Still, 59 million children of primary school age remained out of school; about 33 million of these were girls.

Other disparities were striking. In conflict-affected countries, nearly 36 per cent of all children were out of school. About 757 million people globally could neither read nor write, of whom two-thirds were women.

The SDGs represented world leaders’ first attempt to also focus on quality education and learning across levels. With its transformative effect and impact across all other goals, education is a steppingstone for sustainable development and enduring hope for a better future, from the remote archipelagos of the Pacific to the forests of Latin America and islands of the Caribbean, the make-shift classrooms in war-torn Ukraine and refugee camps in northern Kenya.

United Nations

SDG 4

SDG 4: EDUCATION FOR ALL

• Ensure all children complete free, equitable and quality education and have access to quality early childhood development
• Increase number of young adults with employment skills for 
• Eliminate gender disparities and ensure equal access to all levels of education
• Ensure all youth and most adults achieve literacy and numeracy
• Build and upgrade education facilities to be child, disability and gender sensitive
• Increase number of qualified teachers

 

Without additional measures, 84 million children will be out of school, 300 million students will lack basic numeracy and literacy skills, and only one in six countries will achieve the target of universal secondary school completion.

2023: Half-time report card

While strides have been made, the COVID-19 global pandemic outbreak saw education across the planet take a significant hit. Nearly 1.5 billion children and youth globally were affected by school closures. 

Today, globally, some 250 million children are out of school. Of this, about 64 million children of primary school age now remain out of school. Nearly half of all refugee children globally also lack access to education. Globally, 763 million adults are illiterate.

By 2030, it is estimated that nearly 84 million children and young people will still be out of school.

The UN Secretary-General convened the 2022 Transforming Education Summit, which called for more urgent and escalated measures to deliver inclusive and quality education, particularly for girls, low-income students, students with disabilities or in the midst of crisis.

© UN Cambodia

Access to quality education is a growing concern. Globally, nearly 617 million globally are failing to meet minimum proficiency standards in reading and mathematics.

2015: World of work

In 2015, 6.1 per cent of the global population of people of working age were unemployed. This number was higher for women, who were overrepresented in vulnerable and informal jobs and more likely to be unpaid caregivers. In most countries, women employed in full-time jobs earned between 70 and 90 per cent of what men earned.

A total of 1.5 billion people around the world were employed in vulnerable jobs without formal work arrangements, according to the World Employment Social Outlook by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

United Nations

SDG 8

SDG 8: ENSURE DECENT WORK FOR ALL

• Take immediate measures to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking
• Protect labour rights, and promote safe, secure environments for all workers
• Sustain per capita economic growth and at least seven per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in least developed countries
• Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technology and innovation
• Improve global resource efficiency in consumption and production
• Decouple economic growth with environmental degradation

Global unemployment is expected to fall below pre-pandemic levels, although not in low-income countries

2023: Working out post-pandemic progress

Wage losses, job insecurity, and a rising cost of living crisis have been a common thread in the past few years, across the world, directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The global unemployment rate has overall fallen slightly to 5.8 per cent, but it is still impacted by the pandemic. In 2021, ILO found that an estimated 125 million full-time jobs were lost as a result of the pandemic, which disproportionately affected women and young people. 

Last year, more than 2 billion workers globally were employed in the informal sector without social protection coverage, according to the agency’s latest employment outlook report.

In 2021, the UN Secretary-General launched the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, to expand social protection to the four billion people and to create at least 400 million decent jobs. From 2020 to 2022, the Joint SDG Fund’s Portfolio on Integrated Social Protection provided critical financing to sustain and expand social protection coverage in 39 countries around the world, with UN country teams supporting governments in reaching 147 million vulnerable people with access to new or extended social protection benefits.

© UNDP Indonesia

Indonesia has been a trailblazer in the shift away from fossil fuels to clean energy, securing greener jobs and livelihoods for communities.