Asia-Pacific faces a make-or-break moment for SDGs

As the world edges closer to 2030, the Asia-Pacific region faces an urgent reckoning with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A recent report from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) reveals that progress on numerous goals is stagnating or even regressing - especially on climate action, decent work and responsible consumption. With only five years left to meet the SDG targets, ESCAP highlights, the need for bold, targeted action and stronger regional cooperation has never been more critical.

In this interview, FairPlanet speaks with Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, about the findings of the 2025 Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report. Alisjahbana unpacks the region’s key development hurdles - including limited fiscal space, widening data gaps and environmental setbacks - and outlines the strategies, partnerships and policy shifts needed to drive progress.

As the countdown to 2030 accelerates, this conversation explores what’s holding the region back and what it will take to move from stagnation to meaningful change. With calls for rapid advancement growing louder, Alisjahbana also reflects on how to navigate the tension between urgency and equity and the importance of ensuring that acceleration doesn’t come at the cost of deepening disparities.

FairPlanet: The report highlights that progress on many SDGs in Asia and the Pacific is off track or stagnating. In your view, what are the most significant systemic barriers preventing faster progress towards these goals?

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana: With only five years remaining until 2030, we must prioritise and focus on actions that have strong multiplier effects across different sectors so that we move closer to as many targets as possible. The Asia-Pacific region faces economic, environmental and social uncertainties such as climate change and a fundamental demographic shift. 

Given these transitions, we must urgently promote technological change while maintaining fiscal stability, the principal means to ensure sustainable development. Innovations can restructure our economies, bring new opportunities and reweave the fabric of society. Universal access to digital technologies, new technology applications and data and connectivity can revolutionise education, healthcare and urban development. However, we must also be mindful that the technological change necessary to expand our possibilities could deepen existing divides.

Similarly, the limited fiscal space and high borrowing costs curb the investments necessary for sustainable development. With debt servicing a significant share of government revenues, some countries spend more on interest payments than health care. Effective mobilisation of revenue through improved tax administration as well as increased private sector financing, through strengthened financial regulations and monitoring as well as deepening of domestic banking and capital markets, will be key.

Other major obstacles include gaps in data, which limit evidence-based policymaking and targeted funding. Weak institutional frameworks and policy inconsistencies can also dilute progress. Addressing these barriers requires strong governance, improved data systems, effective mobilisation of investments and inclusive digital transformation. 

As you mentioned, one of the key findings is that data gaps persist, with over a third of SDG indicators lacking sufficient information. What are the main reasons behind this data shortage, and what steps can be taken to bridge this gap effectively?

The SDG data are produced from multiple sources, creating a complex data landscape which requires strong multisectoral coordination mechanisms. National Statistical Systems need to establish more inclusive data governance structures involving all stakeholders, including government, development partners, civil society and private sector.

More investment in statistics is also needed to ensure evidence-based implementation of the SDGs for everyone and everywhere. The report shows that the share of total resources spent on development of statistical systems in Asia and the Pacific is declining. Stronger partnerships are required to fill the data gap for the SDGs. 

The report states that progress on climate action (SDG 13) is regressing at an alarming rate, while unsustainable production and economic inequality remain major challenges. What policy shifts or investments are urgently needed to reverse these trends?

Lack of progress towards environmental sustainability is a key obstacle to regional progress towards the 2030 targets. A significant area of work is disaster risk, which continues to impede progress in our most vulnerable countries, namely the Pacific region. Here, ESCAP is supporting the resilience of these countries through early disaster warning systems that can help populations respond effectively.

It is also critical to support countries by providing capacity building and technical assistance to policymakers to develop climate laws and regulations that support SDG 13. A more recent example is our work to develop a space for shared experiences and learning on the energy transition. This can accelerate the adoption of greener energy and have knock-on effects on other relevant SDGs, such as SDG 7 (Clean and Affordable Energy).

The report notes that least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) in the region require special attention, particularly on issues like decent work, economic growth and urban sustainability. What are some successful strategies from within these regions that other countries can learn from?

Responsible consumption and production (Goal 12) is regressing across LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS. Moreover, LDCs and LLDCs both have shown regression in achieving decent work and economic growth (Goal 8), while LDCs and SIDS have experienced similar challenges in advancing sustainable cities and communities (Goal 11). The progress made by SIDS in reducing GHG emissions has boosted their performance on Goal 13, while still suffering the increasing impact of natural disasters. At the same time, LLDCs have experienced an overall regression in the same goal.

Attention required by Countries in Special Situations 

Countries in special situations are a diverse group of countries facing unique vulnerabilities and development challenges, including climate change, natural disasters and environmental degradation. Social indicators in many such countries remain below the regional average despite strong efforts. While LDCs need economic diversification, skills development and investment in infrastructure to boost productivity and reduce informality, LLDCs require special attention in trade facilitation, digital transformation and climate-resilient agriculture to overcome geographical constraints.

For SIDS, focusing on blue economy strategies, resilient infrastructure and economic diversification beyond tourism is important. Among their common priorities, these three groupings require regional cooperation, including South-South cooperation, concessional financing, digital integration and gender-inclusive policies.

Stronger governance, labour rights and institutional capacity are also crucial.

Successful strategies 

Some successful examples include Bhutan’s high-value tourism model, which ensures sustainable growth; Mongolia’s green pasture employment, which supports nomadic livelihoods; Nepal’s hydropower exports, which drive economic resilience; Fiji’s Blue Economy, which promotes marine-based industries; and Vanuatu’s climate-resilient urban planning, which enhances disaster preparedness.

These strategies offer lessons in sustainability, job creation and economic diversification for similar economies.

On urban sustainability

Urbanisation can have very different characteristics in LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS. In the Pacific islands, urban areas can be populations in the tens of thousands and are not comparable to the mega-cities of East and North-East Asia and South-East Asia. Urban solutions, therefore, must be tailored to their specific contexts. Different traditions, uses of land and issues including informal settlements and land tenure are prominent urban issues.

Likewise in LLDCs, many of the most pressing challenges relate to provision of basic urban services such as water, sanitation and hygiene and developing municipal solid waste management practices, which are often inefficient or lack the institutional capacities to expand urban services to growing populations.

In all of these countries, a key enabler to sustainable urbanisation is access to financing to plan, develop and maintain infrastructure for growing populations. Without stable support to expand or upgrade infrastructure, cities and urban areas in countries will see a widening gap in urban development and basic urban services. No matter the scale of an urban area, solutions exist but require a tailored approach and better planning to accommodate future growth.

There is no one-size-fits-all urban development across our region, and LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS especially need support and capacity building if their urban residents are to enjoy an improved quality of life. 

The report calls for stronger collaboration between governments, development partners and local communities to improve SDG monitoring and implementation. Can you share any specific examples of partnerships that have been particularly effective in closing SDG gaps? 

The report showcases 17 successful initiatives from 10 countries that harness the power of communities and academia in providing insights and data on the SDGs. These initiatives cut across a diverse range of topics, from natural disasters to quality learning to refugees’ well-being and child nutrition.

One concrete example is the Community Architects Network (CAN) in Thailand. It is an innovative cooperative of local architects, planners and community leaders. They train residents to map their own neighbourhoods, giving them the skills to collect detailed, real-time information about where and how they live. In Bangkok, residents of informal settlements used GPS devices and participatory mapping techniques to document their living conditions and access to essential services. The data revealed serious gaps: inadequate sewage systems, limited access to clean water and insufficient infrastructure.

But more importantly, this information can be made available to policymakers, who can use it to plan better services and directly address these pressing needs.  

Now that these findings are published, what steps is ESCAP taking to translate this report into real-world policy action? Which governments, institutions or stakeholders do you hope to influence, and how?

Advancing SDG priorities is not merely technical, it has real impacts on the planet and people. As the report highlights, governments, development partners and local communities are already deploying innovative approaches to fill information gaps and improve SDG monitoring.

This impacts a range of thematic issues and population groups, from education and health to youth, women and girls and refugees. However, the right means such as strong political leadership, strengthened partnerships and mobilising investments are needed to deploy these innovations at scale. 

Was there a particular statistic, trend or challenge that stood out to you the most in the preparation of this report - something that you found especially surprising or concerning? 

This year, ESCAP conducted an analysis of progress made by the Asia-Pacific region compared to the rest of the world. The results show that the region is outperforming the global average on most of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, a sobering result is that for four goals the pace of progress in Asia and the Pacific is slower than the rest of the world, including Goal 13 on Climate Action in which the region is actually regressing.

Another striking development is the declining share of the region in total global resources available for statistical development. Even though the region has managed to increase the proportion of resources allocated to countries in special situations more efforts are needed to increase the total investment in statistics. 

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Image by Tony Pham.