Sustainable Urbanization

Regional Report on Mainstreaming Leave No One Behind in National Urban Policies and Programmes in South Asia

Over the past few decades, the Asia-Pacific region has witnessed significant social development driven by economic growth, which has generated new jobs, increased labour incomes, strengthened social protection systems, and improved access to basic services and other amenities. Nevertheless, South Asian countries continue to face a wide range of systemic challenges that undermine inclusive and sustainable development. For example, the devastating social and economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to plague the subregion in the near future.

Localizing the Sustainable Development Goals to Address Interlinked Crises in the Post-Pandemic era

The world is facing a series of multiple and interlinked crises; a perfect storm that is testing the limits of current development paradigms. As countries and cities across Asia and the Pacific struggle to recover from the socioeconomic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis continues to ravage the region. Added to that, the war in Ukraine and the growing food and energy crisis is undermining prospects for a true recovery and in turn affect the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region.

Waste Management and Sustainability

As part of its aim in supporting the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Youth 4 Climate Action Project (Y4CAP) resolved to host a webinar on “waste management and sustainability," highlighting the benefits of waste management and how can waste be more sustainable, why it matters, sustainable waste management practices, and coordination and planning for sustainable waste management.