The East and North-East Asia Multistakeholder Forum on Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals convened high-level officials and representatives from various stakeholder groups in the subregion, reaffirming their continued resolve and shared commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Amidst the backdrop of slow progress in SDG implementation across the Asia-Pacific region, the subregional forum serves as a collaborative platform involving various stakeholders to assess progress and challenges within the 2030 Agenda and to collaboratively seek solutions.
In a call to action on the climate emergency, “East and north-East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region continue to struggle with taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Countries continue to regress on Goal 13, and this must be given priority to reverse the persistent negative trend. China, Japan and the Republic of Korea account for more than 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Stepping up multilateral action to achieve the shared goal of carbon neutrality could offer a pathway towards much needed acceleration of climate action in the subregion.” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
East and North-East Asia is currently not on track to achieve any of the 17 SDGs by 2030. There is good progress on several goals. The subregion gained ground on Goal 3 (Good health and well-being), by now ahead in achieving mortality-related indicators. Countries in the subregion have also advanced on Goal 10 (Reducing inequalities), with its population living below 50 percent of median income. The subregion’s progress on Goal 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) is supported by the adoption and implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies, both at the national and local levels. However, the subregion continues to face acute challenges on environment-related goals. The persisting challenge of resource use inefficiency is reflected on the subregion’s relapse in achieving Goal 12 (Sustainable consumption and production) across all available indicators, except, for renewable energy capacity where there is welcome progress. Most severe is the subregion’s poor performance on Goal 13 (Climate action), with the subregion accounting for over 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
More than 70 delegates from six countries are taking part in the subregional forum to share their views and provide recommendations on how to accelerate the progress towards Goal 1 (No poverty), Goal 2 (Zero hunger), Goal 13 (Climate action), Goal 16 (Peace, justice, and strong Institutions) and Goal 17 (Partnership for the goals).
Discussions from five subregional forums in the Asia-Pacific region will also feed into regional and global conversations on the 2030 Agenda in 2024: at the 11th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) in February and the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July.
