Accelerating progress: An empowered, inclusive and equal Asia and the Pacific responds to the theme of the 6th Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development and the 2019 session of the high-level political forum on sustainable development.
The World Youth Report on “Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, prepared by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), examines the mutually supportive roles of the new agenda and current youth development efforts.
The Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) is the most inclusive regional platform on sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.
The Gender Equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development training course aims to develop and strengthen awareness of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues within the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The principles of gender equality are integral to the goals, targets and indicators embedded across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is “grounded in [..] international human rights treaties” and is informed, among others, by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and UN Declaration on the Right to Development. The 2030 Agenda “seeks to realize the human rights of all”. It also explicitly seeks to ensure that no one is left behind, reflecting the fundamental human rights principle of non-discrimination.
The fifth in the series of Inequality of Opportunity in Asia and the Pacific policy papers (following Education, Decent Work, Clean Energy and Children’s Nutrition) , this paper highlights why it is important to reduce inequalities in access to clean water and basic sanitation. It also introduces new ways of analyzing surveys to measure inequality of opportunity and to identify the shared circumstances of those “furthest behind” in 22 ESCAP member States.
The Social Outlook for Asia and the Pacific lays out new arguments and evidence for the critical and urgent need to increase investment in people, particularly in social protection.
Developing countries in Asia and the Pacific only spend about 3.7 per cent of GDP on social protection, compared to the world average of 11.2 per cent. This under investment is the reason why 60 per cent of the population in the Asia-Pacific region has no protection if they fall ill, have a disability, become unemployed, pregnant or old.
On the occasion of International Literacy Day on September 8, UNESCO Bangkok celebrates the inspirational story of a single mother of two, whose pursuit of her dream stands as a testimony to the indefatigable human spirit. The dramatized tribute to Ms Supang and her family explores the transformational power of Lifelong Learning and skills development in a story that is both uniquely Thai and yet speaks to circumstances in every country – and particularly women’s empowerment through education to the benefit of society as a whole.