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Asia-Pacific falling behind sustainable development goals
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has criticised Asia-Pacific countries for being slow in delivering the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a joint report.
A study called “Fast-tracking the SDGs: Driving Asia-Pacific Transformations” by the United Nations (ESCAP), ADB and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said that while the rest of the world was also grappling with the Coronavirus, the Asia-Pacific region was progressing too slowly on delivering sustainable development goals (SDGs).
“The region has the longest way to go in shifting towards sustainable and just economies. It has an impressive record of economic growth and reducing poverty. However, the quality of that growth is dubious.
“Beyond the immediate social and economic impacts, we still know too little about this new virus to draw conclusions about the scale or scope of its long-term effects. However, it is clear that a return to business as usual will not serve a region that is already off-track to achieve the SDGs,” it added.
The UN says the Sustainable Development Goals are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges people face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected and, in order to leave no one behind, the UN says it is important they are all achieved by 2030.
Others are recycling, not wasting water and standing up for human rights.
“As governments and other stakeholders ready themselves to deliver on a Decade of Action towards SDG achievements within the new reality of COVID-19, six entry points and four building blocks for accelerating transformation can help get the region on track,” the report said.
The six transformations, include strengthening human well-being and capabilities, shifting towards sustainable and just economies, building sustainable food systems and healthy nutrition patterns, achieving energy decarbonisation and universal access to energy, securing the global environmental commons and promoting sustainable urban and peri-urban development (peri-urbanisation relates to those processes of dispersive urban growth that create hybrid landscapes of fragmented urban and rural characteristics).
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia in February this year said it has set goals for its fourth phase of action plans to meet SDGs based on the principles of quality, equity, inclusiveness and lifelong learning by 2030.
Human resource development is the top priority and the ministry plans to achieve it by strengthening the quality of scientific and technological education.
The Kingdom’s education sector’s plan for 2019-2030 had been prepared with the goal of continuing to implement reforms, according to the ministry.
ADB said during 2019 that Cambodia had a good chance of achieving its social protection agenda under the SDGs but will need to balance different social protection investments.
Cambodia achieved lower-middle-income status in 2015 and aims to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030.
The report shows that digital transformation, enhanced local governance, increased transparency and anti-corruption measures are other commitments made by the government to achieve the goals, the report said.
ADB said 400 million people in the Asia-Pacific region live in extreme poverty and 1.2 billion people live very close to the poverty lines that have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
“The poorest populations are most affected by the pandemic on multiple levels. The importance of social safety nets and effective targeting has been brought to the fore,” the bank said.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50726927/asia-pacific-falling-behind-sustainable-development-goals/