NEW DELHI: The Asia-Pacific region, comprising over 50 countries including India, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, is not on track to achieve any of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, said a UN report.
Under the SDGs, adopted by all UN member countries in 2015, the governments across the globe are expected to work on multiple targets to end poverty, improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests.
The report on SDG progress, released by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on Tuesday, shows that the Asia-Pacific region as a whole fell short of its 2020 milestones even before entering the global pandemic. “On its current trajectory, the region may achieve less than 10% of the SDG targets,” it said, flagging how the region is on track to reach only nine out of 104 measurable targets by 2030 at the current pace of progress.