Regional Review on the Progress, Gaps and Challenges in SDG Implementation in Asia and the Pacific

Insufficient progress across Asia and the Pacific

Source: ESCAP, Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2019

SDG data availability by indicator for Asia-Pacific, 2018

The Asia-Pacific region has progress gaps for 83 SDG indicators

50 per cent of regressions in Asia-Pacific are environmental.

despite institutional architecture established across A/P…• Often building on existing MDG structures

• Integration into national development plans & policies and national laws

• Adaption to national context

• Institutional strengthening & coordination

» Mapping responsibilities

» Creation of coordination bodies

• CSO involvement in implementation structures (some)

Challenges highlighted in the VNR

Country

Societal Governance Economic

Climate Change Environment Data TechnologyInequality Violence Education

Stakeholder Participation Coordination

Political Framework Capacity

Financial Resource Poverty Unemployment

Factor Endowment

AfghanistanArmeniaAzerbaijanBangladeshBhutanCambodiaChinaFijiGeorgiaIndiaIndonesiaIran KazakhstanKiribatiKyrgyzstanLao PDRMalaysiaMaldivesMongolia

Country

Societal Governance Economic

Climate Change Environment Data TechnologyInequality Violence Education

Stakeholder ParticipationCoordination

Political Framework Capacity

Financial Resource Poverty Unemployment

Factor Endowment

Nauru

Nepal

Pakistan

Palau

Philippines

Republic of Korea

Russian Federation

Samoa

Singapore

Sri Lanka

Tajikistan

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Tonga

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Vanuatu

Viet Nam

Many countries do not have governance mechanisms dedicated to the coordination of SDGs implementation

• National Commission/Council: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Thailand,…

• Working Group: Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Indonesia, Kiribati, Turkmenistan,…

Why are we not making more progress?

Achieving the SDGs require shifts in implementation strategies

• More focus on the comprehensive means of implementation, including financing the SDGs

• More holistic and integrated policy approaches

• Stronger focus on empowerment, inclusion and equality of all

SDG Targets: 5.6, 5.a, 5.1, 8.8, 1.4

SDG Targets: 4.1–4.4, 11.1, 5.a, 5.b, 16.7

SDG Targets: 5.3, 8.7, 10.3

SDG Targets: 5.5,8.5, 9.2,11.3, 4.3, 16.7

Governance for SDGs

Substantial barriers to participation and voice

0.5

0.52

0.54

0.56

0.58

0.6

0.62

0.64

0.66

0.68

0.7

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

Civil Society Participation Index for Asia-Pacific

Source: UNESCAP, ADB, UNDP (2019), Accelerating Progress: An empower, inclusive and equal Asia Pacific. Bangkok.

Source: CIVICUS 2018

Adverse norms and discriminatory institutions

• In parts of the region, over

70 per cent of surveyed

women face gender-based

violence.

• Significant economic costs,

in some places amounting to

over 2% of GDP.

• Empowerment and inclusion

can make a difference.

Source: UNESCAP, ADB, UNDP (2019), Accelerating Progress: An empower, inclusive and equal Asia Pacific. Bangkok.

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

Electricity

Clean Fuel

Bank Account

Clean Water

Safe Sanitation

Non-Stunting

Modern Contraception

Secondary Education

Higher Education

Full-time employment

South andSouth-WestAsia (SSWA)

North andCentral Asia(NCA)

South-EastAsia (SEA)

East andNorth-EastAsia(Mongolia)

Pacific(Vanuatu)

Wide disparities in

access to resources

and capabilities

Source: ESCAP 2018: Inequality in Asia and the Pacific in the era of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The closest a country is the to centre of the graph, the higher the D-index and higher the inequality.

D-indices for 10 basic opportunities

Best practices exist … need upscaling and outscaling

72 out 116 (i.e. 60%)Acceleration Actions cover Asia and the Pacific.

13 originate from within the region.

51 case studies received for the 2018 SDG Partnership Report

ESCAP’s SDG HelpDesk contains 51 best practices from across the region

112 case studies received for the Environmental Change Through Participation publication

Asia-Pacific Forum on

Sustainable Development

APFSD

• Annual, inclusive and

intergovernmental

• Support countries & enhance

their capacity for implementation

of the 2030 Agenda

• Provide regional perspective,

identify regional trends, share

best practices and lessons

learned

• Support follow-up and review,

assess progress and enable peer

learning related to HLPF themes

Subregional

Preparatory

Meetings

Partnerships on Knowledge

Products

High-level

Political Forum

People’s Forum

organized by Asia

Pacific Regional CSO

Engagement

Mechanism

Stakeholder participation at the APFSD

Year Total Participants Major Group and StakeholderParticipants

Participants from academia/research/ universities

2019 1000 145 45

2018 803 120 70

2017 509 85 20

2016 437 65 6

2015 409 75 10

2014 256 36 7

Conclusions

• Implementation much faster than for the MDGs

• But change is not happening fast enough

• Need to pay more attention to the structural barriers to development

• More attention is required towards integrative stakeholder engagement (or engaging integration)

• We do see good examples – these need to be scaled up and out!

• APFSD and the Regional Roadmap provide for a platform and regional framework.

Thank you !

Environment and Development

DivisionESCAP