The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
Nearly 65% of adults in the Arab region remain excluded from formal financial systems, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Annual SDG Review 2025 paints a sobering picture of persistent financial exclusion that is undermining the region’s ability …
Central to the achievement of the Agenda for Sustainable Development is an adequate, equitably distributed and fully supported health workforce. Nurses are the largest occupational group and represent an indispensable force with which to combat inequities in access to health services and progress towards health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while …
For billions of people, mountain meltwater is essential for drinking water and sanitation, food and energy security, and the integrity of the environment. But today, as the world warms, glaciers are melting faster than ever, making the water cycle more unpredictable and extreme. And because of glacial retreat, floods, droughts, …
The world’s governments are falling far short of the pledges they made in 2015 to eradicate extreme poverty and create a world with “zero hunger” by 2030 – the first and second Sustainable Development Goals. Behind the raw numbers of the SDG data, millions of people are living with avoidable …
India, currently the most populous country globally and the fourth-largest economy, is at a crucial juncture in achieving decarbonisation. At the core is its transport sector, which is responsible for about 14% of the country’s direct energy-related emissions. Despite commendable progress in reducing emissions intensity, India faces challenges in aligning …
This new UN report says financing challenges are at the heart of the world’s sustainable development crisis – as staggering debt burdens and sky-high borrowing costs prevent developing countries from responding to the confluence of crises they face. Only a massive surge of financing, and a reform of the international …
The world wasted an estimated 19 per cent of the food produced globally in 2022, or about 1.05 billion metric tons, according to this new report by the UNEP. The Food Waste Index Report 2024 builds upon its predecessor in three key ways: Firstly, it incorporates vastly expanded data points …
For 2024 to be an exemplary year for the African continent, continental leaders in government and business alike must individually and collectively address and navigate a complex set of domestic, regional and international risks and challenges. This paper starts by providing a snapshot of current growth and development indicators and …
Developing and maintaining a secure and equitable water future underpins prosperity and peace for all. The relationship also works in the opposite direction, as poverty and inequality, social tensions, and conflict can amplify water insecurity. This report calls attention to the complex and interlinked relationships between sustainable water management, prosperity …
The number of children who died before their fifth birthday has reached a historic low, dropping to 4.9 million in 2022, according to this latest estimates released by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). This year’s United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN …
This paper evaluates the additional spending needed to meet core targets of selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while accounting for the associated cost to address climate risks. The SDGs under study are those related to human and physical capital development. An additional 3.8 percent of global GDP, or US$3.4 trillion, …
The 2023 Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition comes at a critical juncture as several shocks have hit the region in recent years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In 2022, international and domestic food and fertilizer prices hit record highs. …
The world is in the midst of a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and waste. The global economy is consuming ever more natural resources, while the world is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. The scientific community has never before been more …
India has made a policy choice to prioritize the institutionalization of the SDGs, not to look at sustainable development as a standalone or parallel framework but to make them an integral part of the national thinking about development. This Indian model of SDG localization is built around four foundational pillars: …
Analyzing how intensifying climate change threatens to increase poverty and hunger in Asia and the Pacific, this report highlights the need for transformative solutions that advance climate action, increase resilience, and protect hard-fought development gains. The report underscores the need for an integrated and more regional approach, outlines key enablers …
The Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2024 is one of the annual flagship publications of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). It provides an overview of SDG Progress in the region which serves as a foundation for many other activities conducted …
The 2023 state of the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector focuses on the intersection of ASM and sustainable development goal 5 (SDG 5) - achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. It applies the SDG 5 framework for the first time to systematically report on gender inequalities …
The Europe Sustainable Development Report 2023/24 (5th edition) provides an independent quantitative assessment of the progress by the European Union, its member states and partner countries towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In light of the upcoming European Elections and UN Summit of the future, this year’s edition identifies 10 …
This publication provides initial guidance to countries on key enabling tools for attracting public and private sector investments in conservation and how to navigate the process. It builds on a series of recent ELC protected areas and biodiversity projects, prompted by emerging investor interest in the sustainability of their investments …
The share of India’s population living in multidimensional poverty is estimated to have fallen to 11.28 per cent in 2022-23 from 29.17 per cent in 2013-14, according to this discussion paper by NITI Aayog. 24.82 crore people escaped multidimensional poverty in last nine years. Findings of NITI Aayog’s Discussion Paper …
