Asia-Pacific Must Boost Development Reform To Achieve 2030 Agenda: Report

Asia and the Pacific, a region with an impressive development  track  record,  will  need  to step up its overall development reform  effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according  to  a  new  report  launched  by the United Nations Economic and Social  Commission  for  Asia  and  the  Pacific (ESCAP), at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

The Asia-Pacific Sustainable Development Goals Baseline report is the first regional measurement methodology of its kind. The report establishes a baseline for  the SDGs through an innovative method that assesses regional progress  since 2000, to illustrate which development gaps still need to be addressed  to  achieve  the  2030 Agenda.  The report also identifies areas where there is insufficient data available to measure progress.

“While the region is making progress towards achieving the SDGs on poverty, education,  economic  growth,  industry  and infrastructure, and life below water,  we  are  seeing slow progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security, delivering agricultural sustainability, ensuring good health and well-being  for  all,  and  achieving  gender  equality,” said Dr. Shamshad Akhtar,  United  Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

The report launched by ESCAP shows that the region is moving in the wrong direction when it comes to the SDGs on reducing inequalities, creating sustainable cities and communities, and ensuring responsible consumption and production, a trend which must be reversed to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Mr. Luke Daunivalu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Fiji to the UN welcomed the strong commitment shown by ESCAP to SDG 14 – Life under Water. This is an area where ESCAP analysis has found data is currently insufficient to effectively monitor progress on a regional basis, a gap the region needs to close to  keep actions on target and strengthen the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Dr.  Maleeha Lodhi, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN highlighted that progress towards implementation will be reviewed annually to ensure priorities for cooperation can be adjusted, and that the report will help to improve the quality and availability of data and statistics should help inform the process.

The side-event also featured a panel discussion  with Member  State representatives and civil society on opportunities for regional cooperation within the framework of the recently adopted regional road map, in line with this year’s HLPF theme  on ‘Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world.’