Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Accelerating action for the SDGs and building resilience in Asia-Pacific

The Asia-Pacific region is gaining speed in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) planning and primed for transformative change. Yet more needs to be done to pick up the pace, according to a recent report that has revealed that on its current trajectory, Asia and the Pacific will not achieve any of the 17 SDGs by 2030.
How can we work together to take urgent action in addressing sustainable development challenges, How can we empower societies and build resilience to, among others, the increasing impacts of climate change and natural disasters are some of the key questions that the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will address at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2019 in New York this month.
Themed ‘Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality’, this year’s HLPF also aims at mobilising efforts to achieve SDG4: Quality Education, SDG8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG10: Reduced Inequalities, SDG13: Climate Action, SDG16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and SDG17: Partnerships for the Goals.
In addition to bringing the outcome of regional level deliberations to the global platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ESCAP will hold a series of side events and other activities in collaboration with member states and various partners. UN under-secretary-general and executive secretary of ESCAP Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana will be leading the ESCAP delegation.
Some 16 Asia-Pacific countries – including Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nauru, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Vanuatu – will also be conducting voluntary national reviews (VNR) on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at HLPF 2019.
ESCAP has provided capacity building support to volunteering countries, as well as a regional exchange of peer experiences and lessons learned at the 6th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD).