The UN forum urges countries to work together immediately to avoid potential setbacks in achieving sustainable development.
The 11th APFSD began in Bangkok, with attendees calling for countries to quickly enact urgent measures, supported by strong and ongoing international cooperation.
The serious caution implied that nations faced the danger of falling even further behind in their efforts to achieve sustainable development goals amidst ongoing global crises.
Speaking to the audience, Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General, highlighted the crucial importance of working together globally and pointed out that the current multilateral systems are insufficient for the job.
According to her, no nation or area can successfully reach the Sustainable Development Goals or handle current global issues on its own. She emphasized the importance of significant changes that were acknowledged by world leaders in September.
Organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and running in the Thai capital from February 20 to 23, the Forum serves as a crucial platform uniting key development stakeholders, including senior government and UN officials, the private sector, and representatives from youth and civil society. The event aimed to facilitate the exchange of experiences, mobilize regional action, and devise solutions.
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, has outlined six key areas for making significant changes: improving food systems, ensuring access to affordable energy, enhancing digital connectivity, promoting education, creating more job opportunities and social protection, and addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
During a recorded speech, Paula Narvaéz, the leader of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), presented troubling statistics that suggest the Asia-Pacific region is not on track to meet 90% of the 118 measurable Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
In the upcoming four days, attendees of the Forum were anticipated to thoroughly assess the region’s advancements towards particular Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as eradicating poverty, achieving zero hunger, taking action against climate change, promoting peace, establishing fair and effective institutions, and building partnerships to achieve the goals.
The results will be presented at the international High-Level Political Forum in July and the Summit of the Future in September in New York.
On the sidelines, ESCAP, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) jointly launched the Asia-Pacific SDG Partnership Report 2024 titled “People and Planet: Addressing the Interlinked Challenges of Climate Change, Poverty, and Hunger in Asia and the Pacific.”
The report brought attention to the interrelated difficulties and potential remedies, stressing the immediate importance of collaborative actions to address issues of climate change, poverty, and hunger in the area.
Source: news.un.org
