URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

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UNECE

Sustainable development

in the UNECE Region:

Facing a Headwind in 2024

Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

UNITED NATIONS

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024 URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

Sustainable Development

in the UNECE Region:

Facing a Headwind in 2024

United Nations

Geneva, 2024

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

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Sales N° E.24.II.E.13

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Foreword

The Sustainable Development Goals Summit of 2023 marked an essential high-level

commitment to accelerate progress towards Agenda 2030. Agreeing to the United Nations

Secretary-General’s Rescue Plan for People and Planet, world leaders injected new confidence

in the ability to deliver a better future. However, with the resounding impacts of the Covid-19

pandemic, the continuous war against Ukraine, the shocks arising from climate change, the high

interest rates and still-elevated inflation, efforts to advance towards the SDGs are facing strong

headwinds, both globally and in the region of the United Nations Economic Commission for

Europe.

These challenges remind us again of the pressing need for international cooperation and

solidarity, as well as of the importance of scaling up action at regional and country level. With

these commitments at its core, the eighth UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development

is being organized in 2024, bringing stakeholders together to promote action, find solutions and

foster peer learning to achieve the sustainability transformation in the UNECE region.

To inform the debate, it is essential to know where the region stands in fulfilling the 2030 Agenda,

examining which targets are on track to be achieved and which are not. The Regional SDG

Progress Report provides this information, revealing some of the adverse impacts of the crises

on the prospects for achieving the SDGs. Progress remains on track for only a few targets, and

the areas in which trends must be turned around have been increasing in the last years.

Looking ahead to the Summit of the Future in September 2024 – the next global opportunity to

reinvigorate the SDGs – we all recognize that these Goals are our future, providing us with hope

and steering our actions. This report presents stories by the United Nations country teams,

international agencies, and all UNECE programme areas. Those stories keep hope alive,

illustrating the actions of the countries and the international community that make change

happen.

Tatiana Molcean

United Nations Under-Secretary-General

UNECE Executive Secretary

iii

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1

Progress in the UNECE region .............................................................................. 2

How is progress assessed? ................................................................................................ 2

How many targets are on track? ......................................................................................... 2

Which targets are on track? ............................................................................................... 4

Stories .............................................................................................................. 10

Key messages ................................................................................................................. 10

Second SDG Dialogue “Towards 2030: Social and economic inclusiveness in

Azerbaijan” ..................................................................................................................... 14

Child poverty ................................................................................................................... 19

Filling a reporting gap on policy frameworks to eradicate poverty: methodology and

data availability ............................................................................................................... 23

SDG indicator on overweight among children: how are countries doing with data

availability? ..................................................................................................................... 26

Promotion of result-based budgeting in healthcare sector of the Republic of Belarus to

meet SDG targets and strengthening health protection ..................................................... 29

Artificial glacier helps mountain village in Kyrgyzstan meet water needs ............................ 31

TIR Convention, the United Nations global border crossing facilitation solution ................. 34

A new financing mechanism for green investments in North Macedonia ............................ 39

Adaptation of cities to climate-related extreme events ..................................................... 42

How UN standards and partnerships helped to unlock geothermal energy in Albania ......... 46

Urban trees for climate and SDGs: mobilizing action at the local, national and

international level............................................................................................................ 50

Voices heard: navigating progress through citizen-driven decision making......................... 54

Advancing environmental justice and good governance through the Aarhus Convention

and the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers ........................................... 58

Third SDG Dialogue “Reflections on the outcome of the global SDG Summit 2023 and

the role of Supreme Audit Institutions in SDGs implementation” ....................................... 63

Mystery of Sary Kol – a game for change ........................................................................... 66

Achieving the SDGs through public-private partnerships by promoting quality, reliable,

sustainable and resilient infrastructure ............................................................................ 69

National indicators for measuring progress with SDGs ...................................................... 72

Technical notes on the progress assessment ..................................................... 74

Data................................................................................................................................ 74

Assessment measure ...................................................................................................... 74

Estimation and aggregation ............................................................................................. 74

Target values ................................................................................................................... 75

Indicators used in the assessment ................................................................................... 77

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Figures

Figure 1 National poverty line and the proportion of population living below it (SDG 1.2.1)

in Azerbaijan, 2005–2022 ................................................................................... 15

Figure 2 Sources of household income by income quintile, Azerbaijan, 2022 ......................... 16

Figure 3 Account ownership at a financial institution or with a mobile-money-service

provider (SDG 8.10.2), Azerbaijan, 2011–2022..................................................... 16

Figure 4 Freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

(SDG 6.4.2), Azerbaijan, 2010–2022 .................................................................... 17

Figure 5 Water productivity in Azerbaijan, 2010–2022 ........................................................... 18

Figure 6 Child material deprivation in Europe, 2021, per cent ................................................ 21

Figure 7 Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight, per cent .......................... 27

Figure 8 Flow of data and documents in the eTIR system....................................................... 36

Figure 9 Structure of the Green Finance Facility for small and medium-sized enterprises ....... 40

Figure 10 Structure of the Green Finance Facility for underserved individuals or

households ....................................................................................................... 40

Figure 11 Extreme heat warning of the Met Office ................................................................. 44

Figure 12 Geothermal map of Albania .................................................................................. 47

Figure 13 Weighted average canopy cover in functional urban areas (FUA) with available

data .................................................................................................................. 52

Figure 14 Percentage of countries with legal provisions on access to information,

participation, and/or access to justice in the environmental context, 2021 .......... 59

Figure 15 Number of findings and recommendations by the Aarhus Convention

Compliance Committee per sector as of October 2021 ....................................... 60

Figure 16 Example of the pollutant release and transfer register of Norway indicating the

use of energy (diesel consumption) by an operator per year................................. 61

Introduction

Every year, all five United Nations regional commissions organize regional forums for sustainable

development for international exchanges among governments and other stakeholders. In the

region of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which comprises

countries

of Europe, North America and Central Asia,

the Regional Forum on Sustainable

Development

will be held for the eighth time on 13 and 14 March 2024 in Geneva.

The 2030 Agenda cannot be fulfilled without relevant and timely

statistics

to track progress. Data

are needed to enable us to understand the overall levels of progress, to design and monitor the

results and impact of policy actions, and to identify areas, groups or regions that risk being left

behind.

UNECE disseminates knowledge and data on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

through its designated platforms – the

Knowledge Hub, Dashboard

and

Database.

Guidance for

national statistical offices on how to manage a system for statistics and indicators for SDGs is

contained in

the UNECE Road Map

. Every year since 2020, the UNECE Statistical Division has

prepared a report

on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals in the UNECE region,

to inform debates of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development. This

fifth report

provides

an up-to-date assessment of progress as well as stories about regional and country-level actions

for sustainable development.

The

assessment

covers every goal and target for which there are data and for which it is possible

to set a target value. While the assessment looks at the trends at the regional level only, it is

understood that variation among countries is sizable in all areas and a trend in any individual

country may differ from the general trend observed in the region. The regional assessment

presented in the present 2024 report relies on

the global indicator framework for SDGs

and the

available data on UNECE countries in

the United Nations Global SDG Indicators Database

as of

15 December 2023.

Technical notes on the progress assessment

at the end of this report explain

the methodology used.

The agencies and United Nations country teams participating in the Regional Coordination Group

on Data and Statistics for Europe and Central Asia and all UNECE programmes provided

stories.

These 17 stories provide rich insights into the ways in which various regional and country level

actions relate to sustainable development outcomes. Most of the stories pertain to the goals that

are under in-depth review by the 2024 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development: 1

(end poverty), 2 (zero hunger), 13 (climate action), 16 (peace and justice) and 17 (partnerships for

the goals). The stories show concrete ways in which progress towards SDGs is being made in the

region.

UNECE (2022).

Road map on statistics for Sustainable Development Goals – second edition.

Geneva: United

Nations.

UNECE (2020).

Towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the UNECE region: a statistical portrait of

progress and challenges.

Geneva: United Nations

UNECE (2021).

Is the UNECE region on track for 2030? Assessment, stories and insights.

Geneva: United Nations.

UNECE (2022).

Halfway to 2030: how many targets will be achieved in the UNECE region? Snapshot and insights in

2022.

Geneva: United Nations.

UNECE (2023).

Growing challenges for sustainable development: can the UNECE region turn the tide in 2024?

Geneva: United Nations.

United Nations (2022).

Global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals and targets of the 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Adopted by the General Assembly in A/RES/71/313 (Annex) in 2017. Changes

and refinements 2018–2022: E/CN.3/2018/2, E/CN.3/2019/2, E/CN.3/2020/2, E/CN.3/2021/2, E/CN.3/2022/2.

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Progress in the UNECE region

How is progress assessed?

The progress assessment relies on

the global indicator framework for SDGs

and the available

data on UNECE countries in

the United Nations Global SDG Indicators Database

as of

15 December 2023.

Data

collected in 2020 or later make it possible to include trends since the

onset of the Covid-19 pandemic for 143 out of the 160 indicators used in this assessment. For 44

of them, data are available up to the year 2022.

For each indicator, the assessment uses

desired target values

for 2030. The 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development explicitly or implicitly defines target values for 77 indicators included

in this progress assessment. For the others, the “champion area” approach is used to define the

region’s target value.

For each country and indicator,

anticipated values

were estimated for 2030, based on the pace

of progress thus far. These anticipated values are considered at the regional level, based on the

median across all UNECE countries. The assessment is provided by comparing the anticipated

values to the desired target values.

It is acknowledged that

variation

among countries can be significant and the situation in any

individual country may differ from the assessment given to the entire region. For information on

the

methodology,

see

Technical notes on the progress assessment.

Progress for the UNECE region can be measured towards 117 of the 169 SDG targets. The chart

on the next page presents the anticipated progress towards these targets in the region. Each

target is coloured according to the gap between anticipated and required progress. The colour is

green if the pace of progress is sufficient to reach the target value by 2030; yellow if progress

needs to accelerate to reach the target value; and red if the currently observed trend runs counter

to the desired direction. If the target cannot be assessed, it is shown in grey.

How many targets are on track?

If the current path is followed,

the region will achieve only 20 targets

(17 per cent of measurable

targets) by 2030. This is down from 21 targets assessed as being on track last year.

For 80 targets

(up from 79 last year),

progress needs to accelerate,

and

for 17 targets

(up from

15 last year),

the current trend must be reversed.

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Which targets are on track?

In recent years, the UNECE region has been shaken by the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine,

the energy crisis and surging inflation. As earlier UNECE reports

have shown, progress towards

the SDGs was already too slow in the region before these crises. The 2023 assessment

indicated

that the region was falling further off track. With the inclusion of the data that has become

available in the past year, the present assessment reveals additional negative impacts of the

crises on the prospective achievement of the SDGs, alongside a few positive developments.

The region is not on track to reduce

poverty

by half by 2030 (goal 1).

The share of people living in poverty according to national definitions

(target 1.2) is decreasing in most UNECE countries, but not quickly

enough to halve the level by 2030. In one third of countries with data,

more than 20 per cent of the population live below the income poverty

threshold (indicator 1.2.1). Measures of multidimensional poverty

(indicator 1.2.2) consider various aspects of deprivation. They indicate

that the share of people experiencing poverty is higher than when it is

measured based on income only, and more than half of the countries with data have

multidimensional poverty levels above 20 per cent. Extreme poverty according to the

internationally-defined poverty line (target 1.1) remains rare in the UNECE region.

Those at the highest risk of poverty, such as persons with disabilities and families with young

children, are well covered by social protection in the UNECE region (target 1.3), but not everyone

who would benefit from this type of support is receiving it. While the coverage of unemployment

cash benefits is expanding in most countries, less than half of unemployed persons across the

region receive them (indicator 1.3.1). Access to basic drinking water services is universal,

whereas access to the basic sanitation services (indicator 1.4.1) would need to improve faster to

reach full coverage by 2030.

food security and diversity

(goal 2) no target is on track.

Access to sufficient and nutritious food (target 2.1) is not universal in the

UNECE region. In half of the countries in the region, the share of adults

experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity (indicator 2.1.2) has

increased since 2015, and in one third of the countries, more than 10 per

cent of all adults experience food insecurity. Undernourishment

(indicator 2.2.1) is rare with only eight countries showing values above

zero. Food security and good nutrition concerns both the quantity and

quality of food, and efforts to reduce childhood obesity (indicator 2.2.2) and anaemia in

reproductive-age women (indicator 2.2.3) need to be accelerated.

Progress is being made towards maintaining a diverse and nutritious food supply for future

generations (target 2.5) as the number of animal breeds and plants for which genetic resources

UNECE (2021).

Is the UNECE region on track for 2030? Assessment, stories and insights.

Geneva: United Nations.

UNECE (2022).

Halfway to 2030: how many targets will be achieved in the UNECE region? Snapshot and insights in

2022.

Geneva: United Nations.

UNECE (2023).

Growing challenges for sustainable development: can the UNECE region turn the tide in 2023?

Geneva: United Nations

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Progress in the UNECE region

are stored (indicator 2.5.1) is growing. However, the increase in the proportion of local breeds at

risk of extinction (indicator 2.5.2) must be reversed. The region has witnessed a continuous

decrease in the orientation of government expenditures towards agriculture (indicator 2.a.1).

health

and

well-being

(goal 3), three targets on reducing premature mortality are on

track while improvements must accelerate on all the other targets.

Progress assessment is possible for all the 13 targets under goal 3. The

region is set to achieve targets on child and maternal mortality (targets

3.1 and 3.2) and non-communicable diseases and mental health

(target 3.4).

The pace of progress on sexual and reproductive health (3.7) is sluggish.

Across the UNECE region, one quarter of women still have an unmet need

for modern methods of family planning (indicator 3.7.1). The prevalence of tobacco use (indicator

3.a.1) has been decreasing in nearly all countries, but slowly, as a quarter of all people aged 15

years and older across the region are still users. The share of the child population receiving

recommended vaccinations (indicator 3.b.1) is high, but the region is not on track to achieve

universal access by 2030.

Healthcare coverage (indicator 3.8.1) is slowly improving, while the relative cost of healthcare for

households is on the rise (indicator 3.8.2). The pandemic put stress on health systems and

highlighted gaps in public health capacities where progress has been stagnant (target 3.d).

The region must address disparities to achieve targets on

education

(goal 4).

Slow progress towards universal and quality education (target 4.1) is related to persisting

inequalities between advantaged and disadvantaged students. While gender parity in proficiency

in reading and mathematics (indicator 4.5.1) has been achieved, stark

gaps remain between urban and rural students, the native-born and the

foreign-born, and the rich and the poor. Differences across countries

also impede regional progress towards education targets. Near-

universal participation in early-childhood education (indicator 4.2.2) in

most countries is offset by a downward trend in one third of the countries

in the region.

The share of youth and adults with information and communications technology skills is

increasing slowly (indicator 4.4.1) and participation in education and training (indicator 4.3.1) of

working age women and men has expanded only marginally since 2015. The region is on track to

ensure minimum required qualifications for teachers at all levels (indicator 4.c.1) except in pre-

school education.

Schools in the region are well equipped and most countries are already providing universal

access to computers and the internet as well as other basic services in schools (indicator 4.a.1).

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Gender equality

(goal 5) is improving but at the current pace most targets will fall short

by 2030.

Progress on gender equality can only be measured for less than half of

targets. Improvements continue to be slow on policy and legal

frameworks that combat discrimination and support gender equality

(target 5.1). Gender disparities at home (target 5.4) would also have to

narrow a lot faster. The share of women participating in political and

economic life (target 5.5.) is increasing in nearly every country in the

region. The proportions of elected seats held by women in parliaments

and local governments (indicator 5.5.1) have seen greater growth, which, if sustained, would lead

to levels above one third by 2030, hence still short of parity. In technology, the target of women’s

empowerment measured through universal mobile phone ownership (indicator 5.b.1) is well on

track to be achieved.

Most

water

(goal 6) and

energy

(goal 7) targets are progressing too slowly to be

achieved.

Access to safely managed drinking water (target 6.1) is widespread in the

UNECE region, and 20 countries report levels above 99 per cent of the

population. The recent slowdown of improvement would, if continued,

nonetheless leave the region short of the desired target of universal

access by 2030. Without an acceleration of progress, the region will also

come up short on other sanitation and water targets. While the use of

safely managed sanitation services is expanding (indicator 6.2.1), the

current pace of improvement is not enough to attain their universal use by 2030. The trend on

water quality needs to be reversed as the proportion of safely treated domestic wastewater flows

is decreasing in more than half of the countries (indicator 6.3.1).

Water use across the region is becoming more efficient (indicator 6.4.1) and stress on freshwater

resources is decreasing (indicator 6.4.2), but acceleration is needed to achieve the 2030

ambitions. Transboundary water cooperation is strong (indicator 6.5.2), but the rate of

implementation of integrated water resources management (indicator 6.5.1) needs to increase.

The region is on track in establishing mechanisms by which individuals and communities can

contribute meaningfully to decisions about water and sanitation management (target 6.b).

Access to electricity is universal, and nearly all people in the region use

clean fuels for cooking, heating and lighting (target 7.1). Reliance on

renewable energy (indicator 7.2.1) is increasing in more than three

quarters of the countries and energy efficiency (indicator 7.3.1) is

improving in nearly all countries. An acceleration of efforts is critical to

ensure continued access to affordable and sustainable energy.

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Progress in the UNECE region

Progress on

inclusive economic growth

and

decent work

for all (goal 8) needs to

accelerate.

Following the immediate post-pandemic economic recovery, the rate of

growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) per person (indicator 8.1.1)

and per employed person (indicator 8.2.1) has been slowing across the

region. Unemployment (indicator 8.5.2) has declined recently in nearly

all countries, but this reduction would need to pick up pace to arrive at

2030 targets.

Most countries in the region have enacted dedicated strategies for youth employment, and this

target is on track to be achieved (target 8.b). Nonetheless, the region must accelerate efforts to

reduce the share of youth not in employment, education or training (target 8.6), which is still over

10 per cent in most countries. Countries must also accelerate efforts around access to financial

services (target 8.1), formalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (target 8.3), resource

use efficiency (target 8.4), labour rights (8.8), access to financial services (8.10) and aid for trade

(target 8.a) to achieve employment and economic growth that leaves no one behind.

With three targets on track, investments are required to meet most targets on

infrastructure, industrialization and innovation

(goal 9).

Data are available for assessing seven out of the eight targets under

goal 9. The share of medium- and high-tech manufacturing value

(indicator 9.b.1) has increased slowly in the UNECE region and exceeds

half of total value-added in 11 countries. To accelerate progress,

investments in research and development (target 9.5) need to be built up

and access to finance for small-scale industries (target 9.3) needs to

improve. The declining trends in the proportion of passengers and freight

transported by rail (indicator 9.1.2) need to be reversed to achieve sustainable and resilient

infrastructure (target 9.1).

The region has progressed well with inclusive and sustainable industrialization (target 9.2), the

carbon-intensity of economic production (target 9.4) is decreasing, and access to information

and communications technology (target 9.c) is widespread. If the current pace of progress can

be maintained the region should achieve these three targets.

Inequalities

within and between countries (goal 10) are narrowing, but not quickly

enough.

Many countries expanded the reach of social transfers during the Covid-

19 pandemic, and available data point to positive impacts on income

inequality. The share of individuals living at below 50 per cent of their

country’s median income level (indicator 10.2.1) has been decreasing in

two thirds of the countries, but not quickly enough, with every tenth

person across the region still in that group. Financial soundness and

regulation (target 10.5) have returned to the path of improvement in 2021,

albeit still falling short of 2030 ambitions. Official development assistance (target 10.b) also

started to increase in 2021 and will need to pick up pace to get on track.

While more work is needed to achieve safe migration and mobility (target 10.7), the region is on

track to reduce the costs of migrant remittances (target 10.c).

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Progress towards

safe and sustainable cities

(goal 11) is mixed.

The region is set to achieve targets on access to adequate housing and

basic services (target 11.1) as the proportion of urban population living in

slums (indicator 11.1.1) has decreased markedly in all countries with

data. Air pollution in cities (target 11.6) has gone down rapidly in nearly

all countries. The region is also on track with adopting and implementing

strategies for disaster risk reduction (target 11.b).

The impact of such strategies is mixed. The economic impact of disasters is becoming less

severe (indicator 11.5.2), but the number of people in the region affected by disasters (indicator

11.5.1) continues to increase. The region must therefore accelerate efforts to strengthen

resilience to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. Improving the preservation,

protection and conservation of cultural and natural heritage (target 11.4) must also accelerate.

Only two

climate

and

environmental

targets (goals 12–15)

are on track; for seven

targets the trend must be reversed.

Subsidies related to the consumption and

production of fossil fuels (target 12.c) have

recently begun to increase in most countries.

This makes it unlikely that the region can get on

track with cutting greenhouse gas emissions

(target 13.2). While disaster risk reduction

strategies have been adopted comprehensively

on national and local levels (indicators 13.1.2 and 13.1.3), the number of persons affected by

disasters (indicator 13.1.1) has continued to increase. The region must accelerate progress on

the sustainable use of natural resources (target 12.2) and waste reduction and treatment (targets

12.4 and 12.5).

Recent data indicate that progress towards reducing marine pollution

(target 14.1) and conserving coastal areas (target 14.5) requires

acceleration. The region must reverse trends in sustainable fishing

(target 14.7), and research and development on marine technology

(target 14.a), which are moving in the wrong direction. The pace of

progress is on track on combating unreported and unregulated fishing

(target 14.6) and legal protections of access rights for small-scale

fisheries (target 14.b).

The region is progressing towards sustainable forest management, and

forest area is increasing in most countries in the region (target 15.2), but

not quickly enough to reach the 2030 targets. Faster improvement is also

needed in protecting terrestrial biodiversity areas (indicator 15.1.2) and

mountain ecosystems (target 15.4), adopting frameworks for sharing

benefits and accessing genetic resources (target 15.6), reducing the

impact of alien invasive species (target 15.8), and providing official

development assistance for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity (indicator

15.a.1/15.b.1).

For a full list of climate and environment targets and indicators, see United Nations Environment Programme

(2019).

Measuring progress: towards achieving the environmental dimension of the SDGs.

Nairobi: United Nations.

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Progress in the UNECE region

The region is failing to halt land degradation (target 15.3) and the loss of biodiversity (target 15.5).

Only a third of countries have lowered species’ extinction risk (indicator 15.5.1) since 2015.

The region must address critical issues to improve

peace and justice

(goal 16).

Countries in the UNECE region are getting safer. Homicide is rare in most

countries (indicator 16.1.1) and robberies (indicator 16.1.3) are

decreasing. Still, one quarter of people across countries with data do not

feel safe walking alone after dark (indicator 16.1.4), and overall progress

to reduce violence across the region is too slow (target 16.1).

The region falls short in reducing corruption and bribery (target 16.5).

While previously assessed as being on track, newly available data on the prevalence of bribery

(indicator 16.5.1) show an upturn in most countries with data – a trend that needs to be reversed.

The region must also reverse trends to eliminate human trafficking (target 16.2) and strengthen

public institutions (target 16.6).

Progress with access to justice (target 16.3) is mixed. The rate of robberies reported to the police

(indicator 16.3.1) is improving slightly, whereas two thirds of countries are seeing an increase in

the share of unsentenced detainees in the prison population (indicator 16.3.2).

The number of countries in the region with an independent national human rights institution in

compliance with the Paris Principles (indicator 16.a.1) remains at 31 (out of 56). Decision-making

bodies across the region are becoming more reflective of the populations they represent (target

16.7) but acceleration is needed to achieve proportionate representation of women and young

people in parliaments and judiciaries by 2030.

Partnerships and evidence

for sustainable development (goal 17) must be

strengthened to achieve targets.

Trend needs to be reversed for three SDG targets under goal 17.

Macroeconomic stability (target 17.13) has deteriorated; the share of

domestic budgets funded by domestic taxes (target 17.1) declined in

2020 in nearly every country with data; and the use of country-owned

results frameworks in development interventions is decreasing in the

region (target 17.15).

Progress towards development assistance to least developed countries (target 17.2), technology

transfer (target 17.7), more open trade (target 17.10) and improved market access for developing

countries (target 17.12) is slow. As countries work on crisis recovery, they have fewer resources

to commit to international cooperation and support for the implementation of the SDGs.

However, recent data show that in 2021 financial and technical development assistance for

SDGs (target 17.9) returned to a path of growth, which would need to pick up pace to attain the

2030 ambition.

Data availability for monitoring the SDGs is improving. The number of global SDG indicators that

could not be assessed in the UNECE region because of insufficient availability of country data

decreased from 77 in 2023 to 71 in this assessment. The region needs to intensify its investment

in statistical capacity (targets 17.18, 17.19).

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The agencies and United Nations country teams participating in the Regional Coordination Group

on Data and Statistics for Europe and Central Asia and all UNECE programmes provided

stories.

These 17 stories provide rich insights into the ways in which various regional and country level

actions relate to sustainable development outcomes.

Key messages

Second SDG Dialogue

“Towards 2030: Social and

economic inclusiveness in

Azerbaijan”

UN Azerbaijan

A new productivity push is needed in the economy

that would ensure sustained growth and

expansion.

Addressing urban-rural disparities and minimizing

the gender wage gap are important priorities to

enhance inclusive economic growth.

Effectively targeted social protection is key for

protection and social and economic inclusion of

low-income vulnerable households.

Enhancing environmental sustainability, including

water use efficiency, is crucial for the

sustainability of economic growth and social well-

being.

Let us speed up reporting on child poverty!

Child poverty

UNICEF

Filling a reporting gap on

policy frameworks to

eradicate poverty:

methodology and data

availability

UNICEF

SDG indicator on

overweight among

children: how are countries

doing with data

availability?

UNICEF

Data to report on SDG indicator 1.b.1 are

available but under-utilized.

Additional efforts need to be exerted by countries

to monitor the situation of child malnutrition.

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Promotion of result-based

budgeting in healthcare

sector of the Republic of

Belarus to meet SDG

targets and strengthening

health protection

UNFPA Belarus

In the context of the changing market of medical

services, the course towards innovation, the

increasing needs of the population with the

advent of new medicines, the development of

technologies, and the ageing of the population,

the healthcare sector concentrates its efforts on

improving and expanding the practice of using

result-oriented budgeting methods that ensure

sustainable financing of services and the

achievement of the SDGs.

An innovative solution helps villagers stock up

water for a dry summer.

Artificial glacier helps

mountain village in

Kyrgyzstan meet water

needs

FAO Kyrgyzstan

TIR Convention, the United

Nations global border

crossing facilitation

solution

UNECE Transport

A new financing

mechanism for green

investments in North

Macedonia

UNDP North Macedonia

Adaptation of cities to

climate-related extreme

events

United Nations Office for

Disaster Risk Reduction

The TIR system with its electronic TIR procedure

turns borders into bridges. It is a trade, transport

and border crossings facilitation tool permitting

smooth and efficient customs operations at the

borders.

The Green Finance Facility (GFF) UN Joint

Programme has established a new financing

mechanism that provides affordable finance for

small and medium-sized enterprises and

households of marketable but underserved target

groups.

The Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative has

effectively encapsulated diverse initiatives

undertaken by local governments to tackle urban

heat and wildfire issues. By facilitating knowledge

exchange, MCR2030 fosters a shared

understanding of these challenges and empowers

local actors and policymakers to collaborate.

Albania assessed its geothermal resources,

boosting the preparedness for low-carbon energy

transitions and inspiring other countries in the

region to explore their geothermal resources.

How UN standards and

partnerships helped to

unlock geothermal energy

in Albania

UNECE Sustainable Energy

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Urban trees for climate and

SDGs: mobilizing action at

the local, national and

international level

UNECE Forestry, Housing

and Land Management

Voices heard: navigating

progress through citizen-

driven decision making

UNDP North Macedonia

We need urban trees and nature to deliver

climate, biodiversity and sustainable

development goals in cities, where most people

live.

UNDP in North Macedonia promotes citizens-

centred decision making by engaging individuals

regardless of their age, sex, place of living,

ethnicity or social group to get involved, thus

directly contributing towards SDG16, more

specifically the target 16.7 – Ensure responsive,

inclusive, participatory and representative

decision-making at all levels.

The Convention on Access to Information, Public

Participation in Decision-making and Access to

Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus

Convention) and the Protocol on Pollutant

Release and Transfer Registers (Protocol on

PRTRs) provide a solid framework for

governments to engage the public effectively in

implementing the SDGs, in particular SDG 16.

These instruments empower people to exercise

the rights to access to information, participate in

decision-making and seek justice effectively,

inclusively and safely.

Under the Government leadership, all

stakeholders, including Supreme Audit

Institutions, international partners, private sector,

civil society and academia need to work together

to support the implementation of Azerbaijan’s

National Commitments for accelerated progress

towards SDGs.

Supreme Audit Institutions can be instrumental in

ensuring the accountability of public institutions

on SDG implementation performance.

Ensuring predictable, sustainable and sufficient

development finance as well as its effective use

are critical for the achievement of SDGs.

A mobile game from Kyrgyzstan reached the final

of the international competition Games for

Change, which illustrates how effective

partnerships can address empowerment of girls.

Advancing environmental

justice and good

governance through the

Aarhus Convention and the

Protocol on Pollutant

Release and Transfer

Registers

UNECE Environment

Third SDG Dialogue

“Reflections on the

outcome of the global SDG

Summit 2023 and the role

of Supreme Audit

Institutions in SDGs

implementation”

UN Azerbaijan

Mystery of Sary Kol – a

game for change

UN Kyrgyzstan

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Achieving the SDGs

through public-private

partnerships by promoting

quality, reliable,

sustainable and resilient

infrastructure

UNECE Economic

Cooperation and Trade

National indicators for

measuring progress with

SDGs

UNECE Statistics

As a means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda

for Sustainable Development, public-private

partnerships (PPPs) remain essential to

accelerate progress towards the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs).

Most UNECE countries have developed national

indicators and reporting platforms to measure

progress with SDGs on the national level and

support the production of the SDG Voluntary

National Reviews. The evidence base for SDGs is

therefore significantly stronger than can be

deducted from the availability of internationally

agreed indicators alone. To improve

understanding of the situation, UNECE has

developed a tool for country self-assessment of

SDG indicator availability.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Second SDG Dialogue “Towards 2030: Social and economic

inclusiveness in Azerbaijan”

UN Azerbaijan

A new productivity push is needed in the economy that would ensure sustained

growth and expansion.

Addressing urban-rural disparities and minimizing the gender wage gap are

important priorities to enhance inclusive economic growth.

Effectively targeted social protection is key for protection and social and

economic inclusion of low-income vulnerable households.

Enhancing environmental sustainability, including water use efficiency, is crucial

for the sustainability of economic growth and social well-being.

On 14 June 2023 the second SDG Dialogue “Towards

2030: Social and economic inclusiveness

in Azerbaijan”

was held bringing together over 100 representatives from government agencies,

the United Nations (UN), international financial institutions (IFIs), the diplomatic community, the

private sector, civil society and academia. The event was organised by the National Coordination

Council on Sustainable Development of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Economy, and the UN.

Participants reviewed Azerbaijan’s progress towards inclusive growth and reflected on additional

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policy measures to enhance social and economic inclusiveness in the country in line with the

central principle of SDGs of

leaving no one behind.

The analysis of Azerbaijan’s progress on inclusive growth and social inclusion was conducted in

line with

the Inclusive Growth Index (IGI)

of the United Nations Conference for Trade and

Development (UNCTAD), which is comprised of four pillars: (i) Economy; (ii) Living conditions;

(iii) Equality; and (iv) Environment; and 27 indicators across these four pillars. For the purposes

of this analysis, additional indicators on expenditures on health, education, and social

protection have been added under the third pillar to capture the financing aspects of these social

sectors.

The analysis showed that the Government of Azerbaijan has consistently implemented a number

of large-scale state programmes aimed at enhancing the well-being of the population and their

social and economic inclusion, with significant results achieved. Azerbaijan’s economy has seen

a notable transformation in the three decades since independence in 1991. The gross domestic

product (GDP) per capita has grown around three times between 2005 and 2021. This has

resulted in the country’s progress to an upper middle-income level. The most significant

outcome of the efforts has been the reduction of poverty. The proportion of population living

below the national poverty line decreased from nearly 30 per cent in 2005 to 4.9 per cent in 2015.

After rising to 6.2 per cent in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, by 2022 the poverty level fell to

5.7 per cent (Figure

1).

Figure 1

National poverty line and the proportion of population living below it (SDG 1.2.1) in

Azerbaijan, 2005–2022

Source:

State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan

The unemployment rate was under 5 per cent since 2010, surged to 7.2 per cent in 2020 due to

the pandemic and stabilized at 5.6 per cent in 2022. However, around 36 per cent of the

employed work in agriculture which produces 6–7 per cent of GDP. Unleashing the productivity

growth in agriculture and expansion of high-skill employment will be important in going forward.

Labour productivity in Azerbaijan, measured as GDP per person employed, dropped due to the

Covid-19 pandemic in 2020; however, a gradual increase is observed starting 2021. While output

per worker remains lower than in other upper-middle income countries in Europe and Central

Asia, its growth rate in recent years has been one of the highest among them.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Figure 2

Sources of household income by income quintile, Azerbaijan, 2022

Source:

State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan (2023).

Key findings of the household survey

Breakdown of household income by quintiles shows that the main source of income for

households in the lowest income quintile is self-employment, followed by employment and

social transfers, while the main source in the highest income quintile is employment, suggesting

that formal employment is instrumental for higher household incomes in Azerbaijan (Figure

2).

Figure 3

Account ownership at a financial institution or with a mobile-money-service

provider (SDG 8.10.2), Azerbaijan, 2011–2022

Source:

Global Findex Database,

World Bank

In 2021 the wages of women were on average 64.8 per cent of that of men. The gender wage gap

was more significant in science and technology, financial services, transportation,

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manufacturing and mining. Coverage of the unemployment benefit increased from 1.6 per cent

in 2016 to 19.1 per cent in 2020, which is critical to sustain the livelihoods as well as to support

upskilling and re-skilling of unemployed persons.

Recently released data by the World Bank’s financial inclusion index (Findex) indicates that in

2022 bank account ownership in Azerbaijan reached to 46 per cent of the population aged 15

years and older (Figure

3).

This is an important progress for expanding financial inclusion of the

population. Nonetheless, Azerbaijan’s performance on this indicator remains below regional

average.

Figure 4

Freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

(SDG 6.4.2), Azerbaijan, 2010–2022

Source:

Statistical Bulletin: Environment in Azerbaijan, 2023

According to the inclusive growth concept, economic growth and socially inclusive co-

production associated with greater economic opportunity will be unsustainable without efficient

and sustainable use of natural resources. The key is to create more economic value with fewer

resources in order not to compromise people's future well-being.

Among natural assets, water resources play a critical role for the sustainable development of

Azerbaijan where more than 70 per cent of water resources are generated outside the country.

Given the continuing expansion of the economy, water stress, measured in terms of freshwater

withdrawal as a proportion of available water resources, has been steadily increasing in the past

decade, reaching 57.5 per cent in 2022 (Figure

4).

Water stress level is considered high when this

measure is in the range from 40 to 80 per cent. The volume of water consumption has also been

increasing since 2014, mainly driven by increase in irrigation and agriculture. Concerning water

use efficiency, water productivity fluctuated in the past decade until falling to 3.70 United States

dollars of GDP per cubic metre in 2020. However, significant improvement in water productivity

has been observed in 2021 and 2022 (Figure

5),

which, if continued, could be a game changer in

mitigating the increasing water stress in the country.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Figure 5

Water productivity in Azerbaijan, 2010–2022

Source:

Statistical Bulletin: Environment in Azerbaijan, 2023

Looking ahead

A new productivity push is needed in the economy that would ensure sustained growth and

expansion. Efforts aimed at productivity enhancement should consider technological

improvement and innovations in all spheres of the economy, better trade integration and

diversification of exports, as well as expanded investments in skills, research and development

and technology transfer. Policies that target more balanced rural-urban development would be

needed to boost the productive capacities and employment opportunities in all parts of the

country. It will be important to continue policies on reducing the gender wage gap with the view

to increase the ratio of women’s monthly average wages to men’s monthly average wages to 80

per cent by 2026, in line with the Strategy of Socio-Economic Development in 2022-2026.

Effectively targeted social protection schemes need to be continued to protect the households

in low-income groups from high food inflation, especially in the periods when relatively high food

inflation is observed, among others due to global developments. Accordingly, shock-responsive

social protection mechanisms could be introduced, that is, mechanisms for better social

protection for low-income and vulnerable groups during possible emergencies such as an

economic recession or a pandemic.

Considering the increasing water stress in the economy, improving water use efficiency and

water productivity of GDP should be prioritized going forward. This would require boosting

investments in agriculture, water supply and waste treatment to enhance the sustainable use of

land and water resources and ensure sustainable waste management.

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Child poverty

UNICEF

Let us speed up reporting on child poverty!

Child poverty is distinct from adult and household poverty as children's needs and experiences

of poverty are different from those of adults. For example, children's nutritional and educational

requirements vary by age and are not the same as for adults. Thus, child poverty needs to be

conceptualised and explicitly measured. This is important because a household-level estimation

of poverty or material deprivation may misrepresent or obscure the actual situation of children’s

deprivation.

SDG indicator 1.2.2 explicitly mentions children, and the official reporting mechanism includes

a specific line to report on the material deprivations children suffer. Thus, it requires a child-

focused measure, not just the disaggregation of household estimates.

Fortunately, most of the countries in the region have data to properly report on this indicator. For

example, Eurostat presents data on child-specific material deprivations

for children aged less

Eurostat Statistics Explained.

Glossary: child deprivation.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

than 16 years, which are strictly comparable across countries (based on EU SILC). While the data

do not allow for intra-household disparities across children (a feature which could be improved

in the future, along with more data about children across a range of other indicators and

domains), they are representative for all children in each country and for some sub-national

groups (by age of the child; by household composition, or by educational attainment level of their

parents.). Based on EU-SILC in the European Union 13 per cent of children younger than 16 years

of age were materially deprived in 2021.

Other countries in the European and Central Asia region

also have estimated child poverty based on material deprivations using national household

surveys

However, despite the existence of child-specific material deprivation data it is not reported to the

UN SDG Indicators Database. Only one country (Armenia) is officially reporting on child-specific

material deprivation. In contrast, about 30 countries report household-level material

deprivations in the SDG database.

Interestingly, not only is it possible to estimate child poverty using SILC periodically (in principle

every three years), but the information can also be disaggregated. Eurostat has reported that

material deprivation among children whose parents have low levels of education is about ten

times higher than among children whose parents have high levels of education.

In Armenia,

child-specific material deprivation among rural children was 50 per cent higher than among

urban children in 2017

An important characteristic of the situation, which underlines the need for reporting, is the gap

between the child-specific estimate of material deprivation and the disaggregation of the annual

household indicator on deprivation

. According to Eurostat, the percentage of children (less

than 18 years old) in severely materially and socially deprived households

in 2021 was 7.5 per

cent and in 2022 8.4 per cent,

which is just above half of the rate for the child-specific measure

(Figure

6).

Moreover, SILC data can be used to assess trends. The first measurement of child-specific

deprivation (using 2014 SILC data and the same indicators as in 2021) was almost twice as high

as the 2021 estimates.

Eurostat Statistics Explained( 2023),

Children – material deprivation.

Eurostat data browser 2024,

Material

deprivation rate by age group – EU-SILC survey.

For example, the Integrated Living Conditions Survey in Armenia.

Eurostat Statistics Explained (2023).

Children – material deprivation.

Eurostat data browser 2023,

Child specific

material deprivation rate by educational attainment level of their parents (children aged less than 16 years)

Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia,

Armenia – poverty snapshot over 2008–2017. Part I.

Eurostat Statistics Explained.

Glossary: child deprivation.

Eurostat Statistics Explained.

Glossary: severe material and social deprivation rate (SMSD)

Eurostat data browser (2023).

Severe material and social deprivation rate by age and sex.

Guio A-C, Marlier E, Vandenbroucke F, Verbunt P (2020).

Micro- and macro-drivers of child deprivation in 31

European countries.

Eurostat statistical working-papers. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

While these estimates are not available in the Eurostat database, they were carried out using the same methodology,

indicators, and cut-off point. Even if not strictly comparable, they provide an approximate order of magnitude for the

change in child-specific material deprivation between 2014 and 2021. It is expected that the series will be available

every three years starting from 2021 and the results will be fully comparable between countries and years of data

collection.

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Figure 6

Child material deprivation in Europe, 2021, per cent

Source for child-specific material deprivation: Eurostat Statistics Explained 2023,

Children – material

deprivation.

Source for children in materially deprived households: Eurostat data browser 2024,

Severe material and

social deprivation rate by sex.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

There is a positive and promising story regarding child poverty in the Europe and Central Asia

region, in particular the reduction in the percentage of children experiencing material deprivation.

There is plenty of data to report from countries in the region based on the EUROSTAT results

(which are expected to be periodically updated every three years starting from EU-SILC 2021).

There is just a need to channel the information to the UN Global SDG Indicators Database

properly, which is an issue that goes beyond data flows. As there is no custodian for this indicator,

the World Bank, UNDP, and UNICEF have been officially entrusted to assist countries and

national statistical offices in reporting and are committed to collaborate with all Governments in

this regard. Moreover, the data for most countries show substantial progress in reducing child-

specific material deprivation. This is a story worth telling. In addition, the data should be used to

learn about which policies have contributed to this success story, for example, updating the

Eurostat analysis of micro- and macro-determinants of child-specific deprivation.

UNICEF is

ready to participate and collaborate with the national statistical offices that engage in such

efforts.

Guio A-C, Marlier E, Vandenbroucke F, Verbunt P. 2020.

Micro- and macro-drivers of child deprivation in 31

European countries.

Eurostat statistical working-papers. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

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Filling a reporting gap on policy frameworks to eradicate poverty:

methodology and data availability

UNICEF

Data to report on SDG indicator 1.b.1 are available but under-utilized.

The provision of public services, like health and education, is important for the realisation of child

rights and crucial to children's quality of life. It is also a major determinant of poverty and

inequality among children and across the whole population. Considering this, as part of the 2020

Comprehensive Review, the UN Statistical Commission accepted a proposal by Save the

Children and UNICEF for an indicator to measure SDG target 1.b concerning sound policy

frameworks to accelerate poverty eradication, which was previously lacking any indicator.

Indicator 1.b.1, Pro-poor public social spending, measures the proportion of government

expenditure in direct transfers (cash and near-cash transfers) in health and in education which

benefit the monetary poor. However, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic prevented progress in

reporting this new indicator.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

As of December 2023, information about the share of public social spending benefitting the poor

was available for only ten countries in the UN SDG Indicators Database. Only one country from

Europe and Central Asia, the United Kingdom, is among the ten. It is interesting to compare this

situation to SDG 10.4.2 (Redistributive impact of fiscal policy) which basically uses the same

underlying data – almost 40 countries in the region are reporting it.

Benefit or fiscal incidence analyses (the basis of indicator 10.4.2) are required to measure pro-

poor public spending. Such analyses compute the benefits individuals or households receive

from different public services by linking budget data with nationally representative household

surveys. The methodology was developed and documented in the 1970s

, based on even earlier

work carried out in the US and UK as early as the 1930s and 1940s. Excellent documentation,

training, and data have been produced and collected by the Commitment to Equity Institute at

Tulane University (CEQ), including a manual on how to carry out benefit incidence analysis.

Benefit incidence analysis attributes monetary value to in-kind transfers (for instance, in

education and health services) accruing to groups or segments of the income/consumption

distribution (e.g. quintiles). Although usually for simplicity and ease of calculation, average

government costs are used, this is clearly an over-simplification (also, the distribution of benefits

varies across sub-sectors such as primary/secondary education, preventive/curative health

services, or cash transfers/old age pensions). In addition, the unit cost of services is not the same

throughout each country, not even within provinces or cities.

While some of these differences

are related to marginalised areas receiving less resources (and poorer quality services), in other

cases, differential unit costs are warranted (and if the information is available, it should be used

in the analysis). For cash and near-cash transfers, their monetary values are used directly.

In the context of the SDGs, indicator 1.b.1 focuses on the share of public social spending

accruing to those living in monetary poverty. In a way, this is simpler than traditional benefit

incidence analysis. Instead of analyzing the distribution of benefits across quartiles, quintiles, or

deciles, only two groups are used (the monetary poor and the nonpoor). The rationale for using

the definition of the monetary poor based on national poverty lines is that government spending

should benefit poor citizens in their own country. This makes it consistent with SDG 1.2.1

(headcount of poverty based on national poverty lines) and should indeed be considered together.

International organizations have collected and disseminated data which can be used to report

on 1.b.1. For instance, the

Atlas of Social Protection Indicators of Resilience and Equity

(ASPIRE)

measures the benefits of social protection programmes (e.g. social assistance and social

insurance) for more than 100 countries. However, the data are reported by income/consumption

quintiles. Consequently, additional work is necessary to properly compare those with monetary

poverty headcounts.

The UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti has estimated the benefit incidence of public

spending on education for 42 countries

. The analysis is based on enrolment and expenditure

data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and wealth disparities from the World

Inequality Database on Education (WIDE). The latter is mostly based on Multiple Indicator and

Meerman, J (1979). Public expenditure in Malaysia: who benefits and why. Oxford University Press for the World

Bank.

Selowsky M (1979). Who benefits from government expenditures? A case study of Colombia. Oxford University Press.

Lustig N (ed.) (2018). Commitment to equity handbook: estimating the impact of fiscal policy on inequality and

poverty. Brookings Institution Press.

Mehrotra S, Delamónica E (2007). Eliminating human poverty: macroeconomic and social policies for equitable

growth. Zed Books.

UNICEF (2020). Addressing the learning crisis: an urgent need to better finance education for the poorest children.

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Cluster Surveys (MICS) and Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). Those surveys provide an

asset-based wealth index but do not include a consumption/expenditure module. Thus, wealth

quintiles from those surveys will not necessarily correlate with poverty measures based on

income/consumption surveys, which means additional calculations are needed to use these

data for reporting indicator 1.b.1.

In addition, the work of the Commitment to Equity (CEQ) Institute provides comparable data

covering at least two of the three sectors (education, health, and social transfers) for over 30

countries. Most of them are middle-income countries, and they cover more than half of the

world's population. However, data for very few countries from Europe and Central Asia are

available, which underlines the need to fully utilize the information countries in the region already

have. Otherwise, Governments cannot assess if their financial efforts in social sectors are having

the required impact to eradicate poverty.

Government spending on social sectors is a strong tool to evaluate the commitment

Governments make to protect and invest in their own people, in particular children.

Thus,

efforts are needed to combine the already existing (and reported) data on: (i) public spending in

education, health and direct transfers, and (ii) the utilization of these services by different

population groups (including the monetary poor); in order to (iii) assess the share of public

expenditures in these sectors accruing the poor population in the country (SDG indicator 1.b.1).

UNICEF (2021). Strengthening the evidence on the correlation between fiscal equity and social outcomes for

children.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

SDG indicator on overweight among children: how are countries

doing with data availability?

UNICEF

Additional efforts need to be exerted by countries to monitor the situation of child

malnutrition.

Childhood overweight is a condition that increases the risk of diet-related noncommunicable

diseases later in life. It has been prompted by industry marketing, greater access to processed

foods, and inadequate physical activity levels. That is why it has been included in the SDG

indicator framework as an important indicator of child malnutrition under SDG 2 (indicator

2.2.2.a).

Prevalence of overweight is the weight for height >+2 standard deviation from the median of the

World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards among children under five years of

age. In 2022, overweight affected 37 million children under age five worldwide, or 5.6 per cent.

The prevalence is higher, at 7.1 per cent in Europe and Central Asia, representing 3.7 million

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children under 5, 10 per cent of all overweight children worldwide.

The proportion varies greatly,

the highest in Greece (15 per cent) and lowest in the Republic of Moldova (3 per cent) (Figure

7).

Figure 7

Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight, per cent

Source:

UNECE,

Dashboard for SDGs

UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) –

2023 edition interactive dashboard.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

There are, however, several observations that point to limitations in actual data availability on

this important SDG indicator and call for action.

First,

the estimates are available for only 33

countries (59 per cent) in the UNECE region and 31 countries in UNICEF's Europe and Central

Asia region. That means these countries have data for at least one year between 1990 and 2022,

which was used to generate annual modelled estimates for official SDG reporting. The remaining

countries do not have any data point on overweight among young children

included in the global

database used for SDG monitoring.

Second,

for many of the 33 countries with estimates included in the SDG database, the data are

very sparse and old. The estimates for countries with at least one data point are all modelled in

the SDG database, with the aim of providing annual estimates and a harmonized trendline for all

countries, given sparse data. According to the Joint Mortality Estimates database of UNICEF,

WHO, and the World Bank

, which is the basis of the SDG data for this indicator, only 18 of 33

have at least one data point on the indicator since 2015, and only 11 (18 per cent) have one data

point since 2018, that is the last five years. The countries are Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,

Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, United States and

Uzbekistan. Except for Lithuania (surveillance data), all other countries’ sources are surveys

(Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys for seven countries).

Prevention of all forms of malnutrition (including wasting and overweight) is achieved through

ensuring adequate maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy and lactation; optimal

breastfeeding in the first two years of life; nutritious, diverse and safe foods in early childhood;

and a healthy environment, including access to basic health, water, hygiene and sanitation

services and opportunities for safe physical activity. All these necessary inputs for good nutrition

are vulnerable to the changes wrought by conflict, climate change and the lingering effects of the

Covid-19 pandemic. Coordinated actions are needed across nutrition, health and social

protection sectors – especially in countries most affected – to reduce child malnutrition, while

data collection and analysis should be an integral part of these efforts. The nutrition situation of

children should be monitored for all ages, both at the national and disaggregated levels, if the

countries and international community are to deliver on the promise to fight child malnutrition

while leaving no one behind in this endeavour.

UNICEF, WHO, World Bank

UNICEF,

Database

Group.

Joint child malnutrition estimates, 2023 edition.

on Child Malnutrition

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Promotion of result-based budgeting in healthcare sector of the

Republic of Belarus to meet SDG targets and strengthening

health protection

UNFPA Belarus

In the context of the changing market of medical services, the course towards

innovation, the increasing needs of the population with the advent of new

medicines, the development of technologies, and the ageing of the population,

the healthcare sector concentrates its efforts on improving and expanding the

practice of using result-oriented budgeting methods that ensure sustainable

financing of services and the achievement of the SDGs.

Financial planning for the implementation of the SDGs will be more successful if governments

treat the 2030 Agenda as a whole and use disaggregated data (by gender, age, disability, place of

residence) as much as possible in planning, monitoring and performance evaluation of

investments. It is also important to ensure a gender-responsive approach when tracking

spending.

This is especially significant for healthcare systems, reflected in the indicators of SDG 3, but are

also critical for the implementation of other SDGs. Considering the prevalence of state financing

of the healthcare system, improving the efficiency of public finance management based on

result-based budgeting approaches is especially relevant for the Republic of Belarus.

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UNFPA in Belarus, under the framework of the Joint Programme “Promoting new tools of

sustainable development budgeting that prioritize vulnerable populations in Belarus” (Joint SDG

Fund), has the leading role in the process of budgeting practices change at a local and national

level during 2020–2022 by profound research and analytical work on performance-based

budgeting in health financing system. The achieved result is strengthening the capacities of the

healthcare facilities management through identifying their needs on results-based budgeting.

The initial survey involving 97 medical organizations of Belarus showed and identified the needs

to strengthen the capacity of healthcare managers and economists on the implementation of

certain strategic area of reforms – measuring costs and revenues on a diagnosis related group

(DRG) basis. Proposed better financing practices in the health sector found relevant feedback

due to an implemented capacity-building programme for healthcare managers and the

introduction of performance-based budgeting in a permanent healthcare training programme.

This ensured sustainability of the result and became the basis of an experiment on financing

inpatient medical care in Grodno region.

In addition, supported and realized comprehensive analysis of the impact of the introduction of

a budget expenditure planning system based on the use of expenditure standards per patient in

inpatient settings by DRG on the budgets of healthcare organizations, including a Comparative

analysis of model budgets and actually used budget funds of healthcare organizations in the

Grodno region, led to continuation of piloting by the Ministry of Health in accordance with the

Resolution No. 146 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of 23 February 2023.

Implementation of the DRG model as a result-based budgeting method has made it possible to

justify the needs and reallocate funds worth well over 800,000 United States dollars to cover the

costs of inpatient medical care for state healthcare providers in the Grodno region for 2023. The

formation of the basic standard cost per patient for inpatient care has improved the financing of

the Grodno region: the minimum standard for budgetary provision of healthcare costs per

inhabitant of that region for 2023 amounted to 312.2 USD

against 238.6 USD

in 2022. It has

also become one of the factors improving citizens’ financial protection in healthcare all over the

country. Thus, the minimum standard for budget provision of healthcare costs per inhabitant in

the Republic of Belarus for 2023 amounted to 408.7 USD

against 351.5 USD

in 2022.

Ongoing and supported reforms are a good example of joint efforts and resource mobilization for

SDG 17. UNFPA expertise allowed the country to achieve sustainable results of health outcomes

and financial allocations for social and medical care services for its population in the conditions

of the geopolitical escalation, epidemiological and economic challenges. For instance, life

expectancy in Belarus of 72.4 years is higher than in the neighbouring Russia (69.4 years) and

Ukraine (69.6 years).

The Government spends almost 20 per cent of its expenditures on health

ensuring Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index of 79 in 2021, which was

similar to Estonia’s and exceeds the value of Lithuania and Latvia

Law of the Republic of Belarus No.231-3 on the republican budget for the year 2023.

Exchange rate of the National

Bank of the Republic of Belarus as of 1 January 2023.

Law of the Republic of Belarus No.142-3 on the republican budget for the year 2022.

Exchange rate of the National

Bank of the Republic of Belarus as of 1 January 2022.

The World Bank,

World Bank Open Data.

Bulletin on the execution of the consolidated and republican budget, 2021. Ministry of Finance of the Republic of

Belarus.

World Health Organization,

The Global Health Observatory. (2021) UHC Service Coverage Index (SDG 3.8.1).

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Artificial glacier helps mountain village in Kyrgyzstan meet water

needs

FAO Kyrgyzstan

An innovative solution helps villagers stock up water for a dry summer.

Following the Kyrgyz tradition, Manzura Orolbaeva welcomes guests with homemade bread and

a saucer of melted butter. The bread is made from grain grown on their farm and the butter from

the livestock they keep.

Agriculture is the main source of income and food for a large part of the local population in this

mountain village of Kara-Dobo in southern Kyrgyzstan, but due to the dry climate and lack of

arable land, it is difficult to grow crops here. Water is particularly challenging to access.

For Manzura, her nearest water source is a mountain spring located two kilometres away. Every

day, this 63-year-old woman and her loved ones walk there and back, not once but several times

a day, to bring back enough water for the people, animals and plants on their farm.

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"You can live without gas; you can live without the Internet, but you cannot live without water,"

said Manzura.

Water is scarce not only in Kara-Dobo, but also in many other villages in this region of little

rainfall. In the winter, it is cold with almost no snow, and in summer, it is very hot with virtually no

rain. The main water sources are mountain springs, but they are often in hard-to-reach places.

As a high-altitude country, Kyrgyzstan has been experiencing the effects of climate change

acutely. Variations in temperatures are leading to unreliable precipitation patterns and more

frequent peaks in temperature are causing aridity and drought, especially in mountain pastures.

To increase the communities’ resilience to these weather anomalies, experts from the Food and

Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) proposed the construction of an artificial

glacier in the region as part of the project “Shared prosperity through cooperation in border

regions of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan”.

Funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, the project is implemented jointly by FAO and

the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and is aimed at enhancing cross-border

environmental and socio-economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. It also

works to build confidence and trust between local governments, communities and civil society

organizations. The project uses climate-smart agricultural practices to preserve and sustain

common natural resources. It directly supports implementation of SDG targets 6.5 on integrated

water resources management, including transboundary cooperation, 6.6 to protect and restore

water-related ecosystems, and 6.b to support and strengthen the participation of local

communities in improving water and sanitation management.

Many took the idea of an artificial glacier as a joke, says Manzura Orolbaeva, but the residents of

the village of Kara-Dobo supported the initiative.

"If we do not water the gardens, everything dries up. We will have nothing to cover our expenses

or to feed our cattle,"

said Manzura.

The villagers undertook the construction themselves, with FAO providing technical and financial

support. Constructing the artificial glacier began with installing an underground pipeline. In just

one week, 55 people manually dug a trench and laid pipes from the mountain spring to the

pasture, where their livestock graze. The end of the pipe was then raised 20 metres above the

ground.

While these works were going on, Manzura’s house became a type of "headquarters" where the

villagers planned the course of work. She treated everyone who dug the trench with tea and

homemade pastries.

In the winter, the glacier was born. The water from the pipe began to freeze and slowly turn into a

huge ice tower. Then in the summer months, the mountain of ice slowly melts, providing

residents with regular access to fresh water for irrigation and for their own use. During the first

winter, the glacier grew to more than 70,000 cubic metres of ice.

"Now our experience interested residents of other villages, who at first did not believe us,"

said

Manzura.

“Perhaps next year in our area there will be other artificial glaciers. Because water is

life,"

she added.

Local authorities plan to install one more glacier from their own funding sources and include the

expenses into the local budget plan.

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In Kyrgyzstan, FAO is supporting several projects to address water scarcity and help villagers use

it judiciously. For example, an electronic system for measuring the volume of irrigation water has

been recently introduced, with technical and financial assistance from FAO, in the Kochkor

district of the Naryn region of Kyrgyzstan. Digital technologies like these have not only helped in

the rational distribution of water but also eliminated conflicts among farmers over this vital

resource.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

TIR Convention, the United Nations global border crossing

facilitation solution

UNECE Transport

The TIR system with its electronic TIR procedure turns borders into bridges. It is a

trade, transport and border crossings facilitation tool permitting smooth and

efficient customs operations at the borders.

When countries around the world began closing borders

and imposing lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic,

the global supply chains were deeply affected. With

customers buying in bulk out of fear, shops struggled to

restock their shelves. At that moment, everyone realised

that border crossing facilitation is key to our lives and

economies independently of pandemics.

There are various UN conventions that govern the transport of goods across borders, ensuring a

smooth and efficient transit through customs. However, when countries are obliged to

implement strict border measures, these usual conditions which apply to transport were set

aside. In the case of the Covid-19 pandemic, this resulted to thousands of trucks being stuck at

borders, leading to shortages in food and other essential goods. It also led to inhumane

conditions for truck drivers and customs officials who were stuck for days and weeks, without

access to necessities and their families.

Perhaps one of the most well-known of the transport conventions is the customs Convention on

the International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR Carnet - or the TIR Convention. You may

have seen the blue TIR sign on the back of trucks all over Europe and Asia. This convention allows

trucks to transit through multiple countries without being stopped and examined by the customs

until they reach the destination country. This system is used by 78 countries around the world

and facilitates the seamless transport of millions of tons of goods each year – anything from

medicine to food and other necessities.

Everything you need to know about the TIR Convention – the TIR Handbook.

The eTIR International System was recognised as the UN tool / convention that protects people

from Covid-19 while facilitating and simplifying border crossing procedures by the UN system

and governments. The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s report entitled “Shared

responsibility, global solidarity: Responding to the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19”,

published in March 2020 mentions: “Innovative

tools such as UN eTIR/eCMR systems and other

tools that allow the exchange of electronic information without physical contact and facilitate the

flow of goods across borders should be used”.

Furthermore, after our initial call to implement eTIR procedure (7 April 2020), 10 countries plus

the European Union have so far responded positively, to connect their National Systems to the

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eTIR International System. As a result, one after the other, the contracting parties to the TIR

Convention are connecting their national customs systems to the eTIR international system

developed and hosted by the TIR secretariat.

The interconnection of national customs systems to the eTIR international system and the

implementation of the eTIR procedure will clearly turn

borders into bridges.

The applications that constitute the eTIR system are presented in

Table 1.

All applications are

interconnected and have been designed to disseminate data for transport documents.

Table 1

Applications that constitute the eTIR system

Application

Description

It is the main application of the eTIR. It has been developed by

the TIR secretariat and it is hosted by UNECE. All customs

authorities and the private sector (IRU) will be interconnected

to the eTIR international system and exchange data every time

a TIR event is happening.

eTIR international system

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International TIR Data bank

ITDB is developed and hosted by the TIR secretariat. All

customs authorities and National Road transport associations

are connected to ITDB. It is the system where customs approve

new users of the TIR system and provide all information about

withdrawal of users and customs seals photos. It currently

includes data for more than 40,000 trucking companies using

the TIR system.

The TIR secretariat developed the eTIR national application to

reduce the time required for a national customs system to

interconnect to the eTIR international system. It is provided at

no cost to customs authorities and is interconnected already to

the eTIR international system.

eTIR National Application

eTIR mobile applications for The TIR secretariat prepared mobile applications for the

the drivers and customs vehicles drivers and the customs officers which include the

eTIR/ITDB data. The only thing that the customs officers have to

officers

do under the eTIR procedure when a commercial vehicle

arrives at the borders would be to scan with their mobiles the

QR Code in the mobiles of the vehicles’ drivers and get all the

information required.

Figure 8

Flow of data and documents in the eTIR system

The flow of data and documents (Figure

is as follows:

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1. National road transport associations submit data about new users in ITDB and customs

approve those users.

2. The trucking industry submits the advance TIR data through the eTIR portal to the

customs authorities.

3. The truck arrives at customs, is being checked and sealed. Then customs “transform”

the advance TIR data received to a customs declaration by using the eTIR national

application. Also, the systems check with IRU’s systems about the validity of the

electronic guarantee.

4. The eTIR international system receives the declaration data and automatically sends it to

all customs on the way and at destination.

5. When truck arrives at borders, customs officers are scanning the QR codes in drivers’

mobile phones and get all information required for them to know about the specific truck

in their mobile phones.

Everything about the TIR international system can be found in the eTIR specialized website

www.etir.org.

TIR system contribution to SDGs

Direct

Trade and transport facilitation measures directly help informal businesses

to better participate in foreign trade. General provisions, such as

transparency, which is being achieved with the implementation of the

electronic TIR procedure, are also critical for integrating smaller firms into

global value chains (SDG target 8.3).

Digital trade and transport measures, i.e. electronic submissions of

declarations, reduce the time goods spend at borders, support achieving

higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological

upgrading and innovation (SDG target 8.2).

The deployment of digital technologies and the implementation of the

computerized procedures of well-known UN Conventions (TIR) have

become a positive enabler for national economies, facilitating business

continuity and connecting electronically traders with the transport industry,

customs authorities and border agencies.

Sharing good practices to develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient

infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure that serves

digitalised border crossing procedures (SDG target 9.1).

Reducing cumbersome procedure to improve the efficiency of transit,

especially crucial for LDCs and LLDCs.

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The TIR system is one of the very first public private partnerships in the UN

system since the operations of the international guarantee of the system is

mandated by the governments to be provided by the International Road

Transport Union (IRU). It will also strengthen public-private coordination

platforms at the national and regional levels, providing the necessary multi-

stakeholder consultative mechanism for the trade and transport recovery

plan.

Indirect

The simplification of procedures and standardisation of fees and charges

applicable to trade will foster more predictable, higher levels of revenue

collection for customs, ensuring significant mobilisation of resources from

a variety of sources.

The TIR system facilitates and speeds up the transport, transit and

clearance of critical protection goods such as medicines contributing to

good health and well-being targets.

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A new financing mechanism for green investments in North

Macedonia

UNDP North Macedonia

The

Green Finance Facility

(GFF) UN Joint Programme has established a new

financing mechanism that provides affordable finance for small and medium-

sized enterprises and households of marketable but underserved target groups.

The programme worth $46 million is financed by the

Joint SDG Fund,

the Government of the

Republic of North Macedonia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

(EBRD). It is based on strong partnerships between UN agencies, international financial

institutions (IFIs), the Government and private sector, with blended finance from public and

private sources for green loans and performance-based grants for renewable energy (RE) and

energy efficiency (EE) investments toward green transition in North Macedonia. Under

coordination of the UN Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia, UNDP is the lead

implementing agency with UNECE, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and EBRD

as implementing partners.

Within GFF, EBRD provides finance ($30m) to local banks (currently signed contracts with

Sparkasse Bank, ProCredit Bank) and leasing companies to on-lend to small and medium-sized

enterprises (SMEs). As part of the package, the GFF through the partner financial institutions will

provide ex-post, performance-based payments of up to 10 per cent of the loan principal for SMEs

(Figure

9).

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Figure 9

Structure of the Green Finance Facility for small and medium-sized enterprises

In addition, UNDP provides support to five of the target groups of creditworthy but underserved

individuals or households: female-headed households, single parents, households with persons

with disabilities (PWDs), Roma households and households affected by Covid-19. IOM provides

supports to two additional target groups: returning migrants and remittance recipients, to invest

in RE and EE. GFF will provide 30 per cent of the loan principal in ex-post, performance-based

payments for target groups of households or individuals (Figure

10).

Figure 10

Structure of the Green Finance Facility for underserved individuals or households

One additional specific feature of this UN joint programme is the provision of technical support.

Namely, GFF has engaged teams of project consultants and verification consultants/

independent assessors, who will work with the banks and with clients. Project consultants will

provide technical assistance to the banks and loan recipients supporting the project design

process to ensure that projects align with the investment criteria. Verification consultants/

independent assessors will ensure that funded investments have been completed according to

the original investment plans. UNECE has already provided

technical assistance

to the

consultants’ teams on design and verification of EE and RE projects.

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The project is expected to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Green Finance Facility model in

North Macedonia, which serves as a use-case and model to Governments, financial institutions,

investors, and others in the region. GFF has been designed with the view for scaling and

replicating across the Western Balkans and even to other regions, after a successful

implementation.

Furthermore, the project aims to catalyse impact beyond a one-off project investment using a

combination of market push and pull activities that address barriers to the adoption of renewable

energy and energy-efficient solutions. Ultimately, the project should drive a paradigm shift

through the establishment of a mechanism and a standard for financing and adoption of RE and

EE solutions.

In North Macedonia, more than 60 per cent of electricity generation is coal-fired

. Furthermore,

only a small percentage of the population are utilizing renewable energy and energy-efficiency

solutions. Combined, these factors contribute to significant greenhouse gas emissions (7.5

million tons from the burning of fossil fuels

) and high levels of air pollution. Enabling access to

affordable financing for renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions in the country will

significantly contribute to advancements towards SDG 7 and SDG 13.

The Green Finance Facility UN joint programme will be implemented until April 2026 and is

expected to result in 70,068 megawatt hours of annual energy savings, 80,510 tons of CO2-

equivalent emissions avoided, and 10.7 megawatts in new renewable energy capacity.

The Joint SDG Fund's joint programmes are under the prestige leadership of the Resident

Coordinator Office and implementing United Nations agencies. With sincere appreciation for the

contributions from the European Union, Governments of Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy,

Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain,

Sweden and Switzerland, and our private sector funding partners, for a transformative movement

towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.

SDG Voluntary National Review July 2020

National GHG inventory, December 2020

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Adaptation of cities to climate-related extreme events

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative has effectively encapsulated diverse

initiatives undertaken by local governments to tackle urban heat and wildfire

issues. By facilitating knowledge exchange, MCR2030 fosters a shared

understanding of these challenges and empowers local actors and policymakers

to collaborate.

Context

Climate change poses a major challenge for both the environment and society, and is a pressing

issue worldwide today. Amid rapid urbanization, urban areas and their residents face heightened

vulnerability to climate change impacts, particularly concerning extreme heat events.

The

The World Bank, Analysis of heat waves and urban heat island effects in central European cities and implications

for urban planning, 2020

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latest statistics reveal an increase in the frequency of forest fires across most European

countries compared to the previous decade.

The Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative (MCR2030)

focuses on enhancing urban resilience

against various disasters, including urban heat and wildfires. In terms of urban planning, various

cities in the region are re-evaluating urban planning and design to incorporate green spaces and

create more permeable surfaces to absorb heat. Acknowledging the evolving risks attributed to

climate change, MCR2030 encourages cities to respond and adapt to diverse risks, fostering

knowledge sharing among networked cities. Consequently, MCR2030 directly contributes to the

attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive,

safe, resilient and sustainable. This initiative aligns with global frameworks such as the Paris

Agreement, the New Urban Agenda, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

2015–2030.

Given the escalating negative impact of climate-related hazards in the European region,

MCR2030 Europe and Central Asia have prioritized climate-related extreme events in their

regional work plan for 2023–2024. This focused approach, supported by the consensus among

Regional Coordinating Committee members and MCR2030 Resilience Hub cities, involves

organizing a series of webinars and developing a knowledge repository comprising diverse case

studies from the region. Below are some of the case studies captured through UNDRR’s

MCR2030 knowledge product “Flames of change: innovating heat and wildfire governance for

inclusive communities.”

Case of Barcelona, Spain

In Barcelona, the densely populated urban landscape, coupled with its proximity to neighbouring

cities in the metropolitan area, exacerbates the heat island effect, intensifying the city's

vulnerability to extreme heat events. While the coastal location offers daytime relief from the

sea's cooling effect, it contributes to higher night-time temperatures in seaside neighbourhoods.

This thermal dynamic disproportionately affects vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children

and low-income families, emphasizing the importance of considering intersecting vulnerabilities.

Barcelona has implemented multifaceted strategies to address these challenges.

The Climate

Shelter Network,

now comprising 230 accessible spaces, aims to provide thermal comfort within

a 10-minute walk for 97 per cent of the population. Initiatives like the

Ephemeral Shadow

Challenge

focus on creating temporary cooling solutions, while

Energy Advisory Points

strive to

enhance energy efficiency. The

Highly Complex Buildings Program

actively supports vulnerable

communities in improving their living conditions.

Recommendations underscore the significance of stakeholder engagement for successful

adaptation measures, advocating for participatory processes to ensure communities' needs are

heard and addressed. Urban planners are urged to adopt flexible strategies, integrating

absorptive, adaptive, and transformative skills to enhance resilience amid uncertainty. A holistic

approach is also emphasized, underscoring the integration and synergy of elements and

disciplines within the city to foster collaboration and coordination toward a shared objective.

These initiatives hold potential for replication but require adaptability and coordination across

various urban landscapes to address local needs effectively.

European Commission Joint Research Centre, San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., Durrant, T., Boca, R. et al.,

Forest fires in

Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2022,

Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

UNDRR, MCR2030 Europe and Central Asia, Flames of change: innovating heat and wildfire governance for

inclusive communities, 2024.

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Case of Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

In Greater Manchester, combating the escalating threat of extreme heat demands immediate

collaborative action and effective governance. Acknowledging the cross-sectoral nature of heat

risks, the region emphasizes governance structures like the Greater Manchester Resilience

Forum and engages actively in networks like the UN's Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative. The

declaration of a climate emergency in 2019 spurred initiatives such as the 5-Year Environment

Plan, driving goals toward carbon neutrality by 2038 and promoting solutions like urban cooling

and increased green spaces via endeavours like the City of Trees. The region showcases

commitment through events like the Mayor's Green Summit and innovative partnerships like

GMCA/Environment Agency/United Utilities to revolutionize water management, integrating

nature-based solutions and sustainable urban drainage systems to mitigate flood risks and

urban heat effects.

Figure 11

Extreme heat warning of the Met Office

Source:

Met Office, 15 July 2023

Greater Manchester's dedication to strengthening resilience is evident in initiatives like

Resilience 4 Communities,

aimed at empowering vulnerable areas through co-creating

resilience solutions to future climate change risks. Collaborative projects, such as the one with

the National Consortium for Societal Resilience, focus on understanding and aiding older

populations during extreme heat events, fostering community support systems for these

circumstances. The region advocates for proactive measures to support vulnerable groups

during heatwaves, emphasizing accessible information, proactive checks, and early warnings to

enhance community resilience.

In a landscape increasingly impacted by climate change, Greater Manchester champions a

proactive, inclusive approach to combatting heatwaves, striving to support vulnerable

populations and strengthen community resilience through accessible information dissemination,

proactive assistance, and early warning systems.

Case of Athens, Greece, for an inclusive community engagement

A table-top evacuation exercise that took place in October 2023 has integrated disabled

individuals into disaster preparedness strategies in Athens, Greece. The simulation showcased

earthquake-induced fire incidents, emphasizing inclusive evacuation planning and the

participation of disability representatives. Encouraging academic, operational and disabled

community networking, the exercise highlighted the importance of early involvement of persons

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with disabilities in the scenario preparation. Participants agreed on the necessity of regular

exercises involving local stakeholders to bolster community resilience against multi-hazard risks

amid challenges like wildfires and the Covid-19 pandemic's co-existence, or other hazards. The

exercise took place under the framework of the activities’ roadmap of the European Centre for

Forest Fires, which belongs to the Network of the Specialised Centres of the Council of Europe

EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement, having as a main goal to improve the awareness and

resilience to major risks within the population.

Recommendations advocate for

Universal Design

in emergency planning, stressing the

importance of including disabled individuals throughout disaster management. Tailored

approaches for different impairments, like

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs),

are

urged for regular testing, especially in disaster-prone areas. Standard operational procedures for

rescuing disabled persons, a global training module for responders, accessible emergency

messages, and certified built environments are proposed. Prioritizing risks during complex

emergencies through "risk triage" and integrating multi-hazard assessments into development

planning are advised for comprehensive risk reduction strategies.

Conclusion

The MCR2030 initiative has effectively encapsulated diverse initiatives undertaken by local

governments to tackle urban heat and wildfire issues, disseminating these efforts among

stakeholders within the network. By facilitating knowledge exchange, MCR2030 fosters a shared

understanding of these challenges and empowers local actors and policymakers to collaborate

based on a unified comprehension of the issues at hand, not only within the region but also

beyond its borders.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

How UN standards and partnerships helped to unlock

geothermal energy in Albania

UNECE Sustainable Energy

Albania assessed its geothermal resources, boosting the preparedness for low-

carbon energy transitions and inspiring other countries in the region to explore

their geothermal resources.

Albania has abundant geothermal resources, and they were largely untapped and underexplored.

UNECE helped Albania assess its geothermal potential and develop a roadmap for sustainable

utilization, using the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) and the

United Nations Resource Management System (UNRMS), which are international standards for

managing energy and mineral resources. The project boosted Albania’s energy security and

sustainability and supported SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy) and SDG 13 (Climate action).

Albania also inspired other countries in the region to follow its example and explore their

geothermal resources.

Albania’s quest for energy security and sustainability

Albania’s growing energy demand and carbon footprint reduction present a dual challenge. The

country’s electricity generation mainly comes from hydropower, which is vulnerable to climate

variability and droughts. Fossil fuels, mostly imported from neighbouring countries, account for

the remaining 10 per cent, exposing Albania to supply disruptions and price fluctuations. Albania

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needs to tap into its abundant renewable energy resources, especially geothermal energy, to

diversify its energy mix and enhance its energy security.

Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable and reliable source with significant potential in Albania.

This potential remains largely untapped due to the lack of data, technology and investment. In

2023, Albania received support from UNECE’s Regular Programme on Technical Cooperation

(RPTC) to assess its geothermal potential using international standards for the classification and

management of energy and mineral resources and enhance stakeholders’ and public’s capacity

and awareness of the benefits and challenges of geothermal energy development.

Exploring Albania’s geothermal diversity and potential

Albania has three major geothermal regions with different characteristics and opportunities for

geothermal energy development (Figure

12).

The Kruja geothermal zone, which extends 180

kilometres from the Adriatic Sea to the Greek border, has seven hot spring groups and three

boreholes that produce hot, mineralized water at temperatures up to 80°C. The Ardenica

geothermal zone, located in Albania’s coastal area, has six boreholes that discharge waters at

temperatures from 32 to 67°C from depths between 1200 and 2425 meters. The Peshkopia

geothermal zone, located in the Northeast of Albania, has a group of thermal springs that flow at

43.5°C on a river slope and a significant yield of cold mineralized water springs in the riverbed.

Figure 12

Geothermal map of Albania

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

How Albania unlocked its geothermal potential with UN standards and

partnerships

The project followed a systematic and participatory approach to assess and manage the

geothermal resources in Albania, using the UNFC and UNRMS as the guiding frameworks. The

project involved several activities, such as:

•

Collected and analyzed data on the geothermal resources in Albania through a desk study

and a field survey.

Developed a geothermal resource portfolio for Albania, which classified and categorized

the geothermal resources according to their feasibility and maturity using UNFC.

Prepared a case study report, which presented the results and findings of the geothermal

resource assessment and portfolio and provided recommendations for further

exploration and development in alignment with the UNRMS.

Organized a national workshop, which brought together various stakeholders to discuss

and validate the case study report and to exchange knowledge and experiences on

geothermal energy development.

Developed a roadmap for geothermal energy development in Albania, which outlined the

vision, goals, objectives, actions and indicators for the sustainable utilization of

geothermal resources, aligned with the national and regional energy strategies and

policies and the SDGs.

Communicated and disseminated the results and outputs of the project to the relevant

stakeholders and the public through various channels and platforms.

•

Lessons learned and best practices for geothermal energy development in

Albania

The project revealed valuable lessons learned and best practices for geothermal energy

development in Albania, which could also be helpful for other countries with similar geothermal

potential and challenges. The project showed that:

•

UNFC and UNRMS are helpful and practical tools for assessing and managing geothermal

resources, as they provide a holistic and harmonized approach that considers the

technical, economic, social and environmental aspects of the resources and their

alignment with the SDGs.

The involvement and engagement of the stakeholders and the public throughout the

project cycle is essential for the success and sustainability of the geothermal energy

development, as it ensures the ownership, participation and acceptance of the project

outcomes and outputs.

Collaboration and coordination among the stakeholders at the national and regional

levels is crucial for geothermal energy development, as it enables the sharing of data,

knowledge, experiences and resources and creates synergies and opportunities for joint

actions and initiatives.

The communication and dissemination of the project results and outputs are essential for

geothermal energy development, as they raise the stakeholders’ and public’s awareness

and interest in geothermal resources and their potential benefits and challenges, and

promote advocacy and support for geothermal energy development.

•

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Albania’s geothermal success: from assessment to action

The project achieved remarkable results and impacts regarding Albania’s technical and socio-

economic aspects of geothermal energy development. The project proposed various direct-use

applications for geothermal resources, such as district heating, spa, greenhouse, aquaculture,

and mineral salt extraction. These applications could provide economic, social and

environmental benefits for the local communities and industries and contribute to achieving the

SDGs. The project also:

•

Provided the first comprehensive and systematic assessment of the geothermal resource

potential in Albania, using the UNFC and UNRMS as the common language and framework

for classifying and managing the resources.

Increased the stakeholders and the public’s knowledge of geothermal resources and their

potential benefits and challenges for the energy sector and Albanian society.

Enhanced the capacity and skills of the stakeholders to apply the UNFC and UNRMS to

their geothermal resources and to plan and implement geothermal energy projects

sustainably.

Fostered dialogue and cooperation among the stakeholders at the national and regional

levels and facilitated the exchange of information and best practices on geothermal

energy development.

Supported the development and implementation of the national and regional energy

strategies and policies, and contributed to the achievement of SDG 7 (Affordable and

clean energy), SDG 13 (Climate action) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the goals).

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Urban trees for climate and SDGs: mobilizing action at the local,

national and international level

UNECE Forestry, Housing and Land Management

We need urban trees and nature to deliver climate, biodiversity and sustainable

development goals in cities, where most people live.

Tree-lined streets attract residents, shoppers and tourists, even on hot days.

In our urban era, cities are where most people live and where most emissions are generated. To

achieve our global goals, we need effective solutions to help cities cope with their exposure to

the effects of climate change and other mounting challenges such as deadly heatwaves, water

scarcity, floods and strained energy systems.

Trees and forests in and around cities are efficient and cost-effective nature-based solutions that

can deliver on SDGs, particularly on SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 13 (climate

action) and 15 (life on land). Importantly, they can simultaneously deliver other local, national

and global goals including the Paris Agreement, Sendai Framework, Convention on Biological

Diversity and New Urban Agenda.

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Urban trees and nature can cool our cities by up to eight degrees Celsius, thereby also reducing

energy consumption. They increase resilience to floods and landslides, capture significant

amounts of localized pollution from traffic, and their beauty and shade can attract residents,

shoppers and tourists to make neighbourhoods and cities more vibrant. Greenways can provide

space for pedestrians and cyclists, promoting clean transportation and healthy lifestyles.

Delivering these benefits requires the right tree, in the right place, for the right reason. Selection

must be based on the desired benefits considering that trees will have to survive in a changing

climate and urban context. This requires careful and inclusive city and green space planning for

today as well as the future. One very important element of this panning is an urban forest master

plan, which determines the ideal structure and distribution of an urban forest, green spaces and

their connection though corridors, and how they complement local architecture, infrastructure

and functions. The plan will need to assess data on current tree cover and should promote

equitable tree cover for all, including the more vulnerable neighbourhoods. Implementing the

plan will require cities sustainably manage existing tree cover and likely will also foresee

establishing new tree cover.

Evidence suggests that the many benefits of planning, establishing and sustainably managing

urban trees and forests are at least five times greater than the cost of doing so. However, data on

canopy cover (the ground area of a city covered by tree or vegetation canopy) collected over the

past 30 years suggests that rather than expanding, urban tree cover has slightly declined in most

countries with available data (Figure

13).

The data on functional urban areas comprise commuting zones, which typically include less

densely populated peri-urban and even rural areas. Thus, the canopy cover in urban cores is

often significantly lower than the averages presented in

Figure 13.

Yet these are the areas where

urban tree cover can deliver many of its most important benefits to the highest number of people,

such as reducing the urban heat island effect. The declining trend of urban tree cover must be

reversed, with concerted efforts to significantly increase tree cover in densely populated areas

and cities with low canopy cover compared to their ecological potential.

There are many ways to increase tree cover in cities. For example, bringing trees near densely

populated areas may be achieved by increasing the number of street trees, neighbourhood

“pocket” parks, and developing green corridors. Another solution is to develop “Petite Forests,”

which can be planted in areas with limited square meters available for planting, such as

schoolyards, courtyards and small plazas. The UN Petite Forest Network is promoting this as a

solution to build dialogue between local governments and communities, increase environmental

awareness, and deliver the many benefits of urban trees in even dense urban locations.

The

UNECE Trees in Cities Challenge

engages city mayors to make tree planting pledges and

commit to sustainable urban forest management measures. At the time of writing, over 80 cities

have made pledges to plant 13 million trees. The

Informal Network on Urban Nature

supports

practitioners in participating cities as well as other experts and policymakers.

These benefits can be particularly relevant in dry cities, many of which experience heat and

weather extremes. Yet cities facing water stress and scarcity also face greater challenges in

sustaining and expanding urban trees and nature. This is why UNECE invited interested partners

at UNFCCC COP-28 to join the Trees in Dry Cities Coalition, which supports peer exchange,

technical cooperation, and city pilots that inform national policy dialogue, programmes and

support.

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Figure 13

Weighted average canopy cover in functional urban areas (FUA) with available data

Note:

“A functional urban area (or metropolitan area) is composed of a city plus its surrounding, less

densely populated spatial units that make up the city’s labour market, its commuting zone. This commuting zone

generates a daily flow of people into a city and back (home to their dwelling).” (European Union/FAO/UN-

Habitat/OECD/The World Bank. 2021.

Applying the degree of urbanisation: a methodological manual to define cities,

towns and rural areas for international comparisons, 2021 edition)

Source:

UNECE, 2023; developed using data from OECD.Stat, 2023,

Land cover in functional urban areas.

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Tree cover tends to be higher around cities than it is in the urban core.

Indeed, many of the challenges and opportunities for urban trees as a nature-based solution for

climate and SDGs require national action and support. National policies and programmes can

enable, support and fund local efforts to sustainably manage and expand urban trees and forests.

Aligning policy and action across levels of government is thus essential to efficiently deliver both

local and national objectives.

The

San Marino Regional Urban Forestry Action Plan,

adopted by the UNECE Committee on

Forests and the Forest Industry in November 2023, helps guide collective efforts for a greener

and more vibrant urban environment. It identifies how local and national governments can

collaborate to plan and sustainably manage urban trees and forests to provide a multitude of

health, biodiversity, climate and sustainable development benefits. Importantly, it also provides

a framework for how businesses, communities, academics, NGOs and international

organizations like the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe can also contribute

based on their respective strengths.

Urban trees and forests are a systemic solution to localize the SDGs and climate action.

Coordinated policy and action by local and national governments can promote this at scale. We

can start today – and we must, as trees planted now will need time to mature and deliver their

benefits as cities strive to adapt to the impacts of climate change in the coming decades.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Voices heard: navigating progress through citizen-driven decision

making

UNDP North Macedonia

UNDP in North Macedonia promotes citizens-centred decision making by

engaging individuals regardless of their age, sex, place of living, ethnicity or social

group to get involved, thus directly contributing towards SDG16, more specifically

the target 16.7 – Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative

decision-making at all levels.

In an era of rapid change, digitalization, and increased mobility, decision-making should not be

the exclusive privilege of a select few. The decisions affecting a community must involve those

directly impacted by them. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in North

Macedonia has embraced a proactive approach, engaging individuals across diverse

demographics to contribute to decision-making processes. UNDP implements several initiatives

that go beyond the conventional decision-making models, striving to involve the citizens

including youth, local community members, representatives of vulnerable groups and socially

excluded.

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Citizens first!

Diturim Xheladini is a young man who wants to contribute to improving the quality of life in his

hometown. He is the president of the Youth Council in Bogovinje, one of the 44 municipalities in

the country in which Community Forums were organized as part of the Empowering Municipal

Councils project that UNDP implements with the support of the Swiss government and the

Ministry of Local Self-Government. The citizens have a chance to select which priority

infrastructure projects will be implemented in their local communities.

"Young people are a numerous advocacy group with great ambitions, with different culture,

tradition and different experiences. This has an impact on the discussion, as we can share our

unique viewpoints and perspectives, thus helping to achieve the best and most appropriate long-

term solutions for the various problems in the municipalities we live in, especially the problems

young people are facing with”,

says Diturim.

On the other side of the country, Mitko Ruskov, a pensioner who had spent numerous years

working in Switzerland, was among the participants in the Community Forums in the municipality

of Novo Selo.

"We took part in this forum and sought support for the cleaning and maintenance of our irrigation

canals, as a majority of our municipality's residents are involved in agriculture. Additionally, we

advocated for the promotion of rural tourism. I believe that we, as residents, have the best

understanding of the needs of our community”,

explains Mitko.

To date, over 13,200 citizens, with women comprising 49 per cent of the participants, have

actively engaged in establishing local priorities within the 44 partner municipalities. Looking

ahead, the Community Forums will extend to an additional 20 municipalities nationwide by the

year 2026.

The Community Forums' methodology has taken root and been officially embraced by municipal

councils as a pivotal tool for decision-making at the local level. This institutionalization is

reflected in the Statutes of 73 municipalities, constituting an impressive 90 per cent of the local

governments across the country.

Creating Future Together!

In early 2021, the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia started the process of drafting

the National Development Strategy (NDS), with support provided within the framework of a

project implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in coordination with

the Office of the Resident Coordinator of UN in North Macedonia and supported by the UK Good

Governance Fund as well as the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic. NDS is a visionary

strategic document aiming to chart country's development path for the next 20 years. This

endeavour involves a broad consultation process, inclusion of all stakeholders, as well as

building inter-generational, inter-ethnic, inter-party and gender consensus among key societal

stakeholders. The strategic planning process is unique as its emphasis on citizens’ active

involvement.

The NDS extends beyond the mere creation of a strategic document; it constitutes a

comprehensive process aimed at fostering societal consensus and cultivating shared vision for

the future. Thus far, over 5,000 participants have actively engaged in more than 40 Dream Labs,

with a noteworthy inclusion of diverse demographics — over 50 per cent were women, more than

30 per cent comprising young people, and over 20 per cent from vulnerable groups.

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"As a young woman, I want to contribute my knowledge and energy to the betterment of my own

country, choosing to invest in its development, rather than exploring the possibilities to go abroad.

A large number of stakeholders are involved in shaping the National Development Strategy, and

this gives me hope that our challenges and suggestions will be heard. The Dream Labs are a step

forward, and we need to achieve the goal together”,

says Marija Savevska, a person with cerebral

palsy and a member of the civic organization Sozvezdie.

“The involvement of all pertinent stakeholders is paramount in crafting the National

Development Strategy (NDS). This method not only furnishes us with pertinent data but also

affords us invaluable insights into the perspectives of the citizens. The ultimate outcome is a

strategy that aligns more closely with the collective sentiments of all those engaged in the

process”, points out Andreja Stojkovski, Director of the PRESPA Institute.

Over 250 representatives from all the ministries and other relevant public institutions were

involved in the process. More than 200 experts from various fields and the Macedonian Academy

of Sciences and Arts (MANU) are among the key stakeholders in the formulation of the document.

NDS is expected to enable the largest SDG push in the last years of the 2030 Agenda.

Hey youngsters! Wanna be change-makers? Go for it!

According to the latest Youth Trends Survey, conducted by the Agency for Youth and Sports in

2022, as many as 77.5 per cent of young people believe that they are not properly involved in

decision-making processes at the local and national level. But this is probably not the biggest

problem. The same survey shows that every third young person in the country has no interest in

engaging in the public debate about the social contract. For 37.2 per cent of young people, apathy

and lack of interest are the main reason for non-involvement in youth organizations and social

processes, because they feel that their voice will be lost in the social noise.

These numbers may seem overwhelming, but they certainly don't mean we should "start waving

the white flag." On the contrary, this call for help is an incentive for all social factors to include

young people, but not only as a statistically necessary quota and not only like-minded people

from whom they will receive applause. With an open approach we have included the youth

originality, rebelliousness, innovativeness, creativity, knowledge and enthusiasm in the creation

of the new National Youth Strategy 2023-2027, a process led by the Agency for Youth and Sports

and supported by UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and OSCE.

Damjan Zlatanovski is a young European ambassador whose main interests are the environment,

culture and art. One of his favourite topics for discussion with his peers, but also with the adults,

is how to achieve greater involvement of young people in society.

"Giving young people the compass to create their own future provides precise and valuable

insights into the challenges we face, brings a fresh perspective in step with the times and

effectiveness of the conclusions reached, but also has the function of stimulating self-awareness

that as individuals we possess the ability to influence change, inspire and create policy.

Participation in the process of creating the National Strategy for Youth, besides sowing a

promising future, will also bring fruit by giving a sense of belonging, respect, improving personal

development and skills and empowering us, the youth,"

says Damjan.

Conclusion

By fostering an environment where citizens are active participants, UNDP ensures that policies

and initiatives resonate with the needs and aspirations of the people. This inclusivity not only

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enhances the quality of decisions but also reinforces a sense of ownership and accountability

among the community members. The specific focus on SDG 16, particularly on target 16.7,

demonstrates UNDP's dedication to creating a framework for responsive, inclusive, participatory

and representative decision-making. This target aligns perfectly with the organization's vision of

leaving no one behind. By actively involving individuals at all levels, UNDP contributes directly to

the broader global agenda of fostering peace, justice and strong institutions.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Advancing environmental justice and good governance through

the Aarhus Convention and the Protocol on Pollutant Release and

Transfer Registers

UNECE Environment

The Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making

and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) and the

Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (Protocol on PRTRs) provide

a solid framework for governments to engage the public effectively in

implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and all its SDGs, in

particular SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. These instruments

empower people to exercise the rights to access to information, participate in

decision-making and seek justice effectively, inclusively and safely.

The world is facing a number of fundamental environmental challenges, such as climate change,

pollution from chemicals and wastes and loss of biodiversity. While everyone is affected by the

current environmental challenges to some degree, those facing poverty and discrimination live

usually closer to a pollution source and bear a higher burden of environmental degradation due

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to their work and living conditions, limited awareness of environmental risks and inadequate

healthcare.

Addressing critical environmental challenges and protecting the most vulnerable people require

profound transitions towards sustainable development. The effective engagement of civil society

at all levels greatly reinforces and complements the ability of Governments to address these

problems. Improved access to information and public participation in decision-making

contribute to public awareness of environmental issues, give the public the opportunity to

express concerns without any retaliation, address inequalities and enable public authorities to

take due account of such concerns, which ultimately leads to enhanced quality and the

implementation of decisions.

The Aarhus Convention and the Protocol on PRTRs thereby provides a solid and comprehensive

framework for Governments to engage the public effectively in implementing the 2030 Agenda

for Sustainable Development. With 46 UN Member States and the European Union now

Parties

to the Aarhus Convention

and with 37 UN Member States and the European Union

Parties to the

Protocol on PRTRs,

both instruments are widely recognized as the leading example of the

implementation of principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. Both

treaties are open for accession by any UN Member State and attract the interest of States outside

the UNECE region – as instruments to which such States might eventually accede, as an

inspiration for developing similar instruments in other regions or as a model for development of

national legislative and policy frameworks (Figure

14).

Figure 14

Percentage of countries with legal provisions on access to information,

participation, and/or access to justice in the environmental context, 2021

Source:

UNEP 2023.

Environmental rule of law: tracking progress and charting future directions,

p. 63.

Based on

reports by Parties

and stakeholders, the Aarhus Convention and the Protocol on PRTRs

have seen several important achievements in implementing Sustainable Development Goal 16

across the region and beyond.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Laws and practices

have been revised to bring them into line with the Convention and the

Protocol on PRTRs. There is a growing body of compliance jurisprudence based on the

Convention and the Protocol on PRTRs, and the legislation that implements it (Figure

15).

Figure 15

Number of findings and recommendations by the Aarhus Convention Compliance

Committee per sector as of October 2021

Source:

UNECE.

Number of findings and recommendations by the Aarhus Convention Compliance

Committee per sector

(as of October 2021)

With respect to

protection of environment defenders

(target 16.10, indicator 16.10.1), the

Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention

undertook a wide

range of activities to assist Parties and interested Member States to ensure the safety of

environmental defenders. This included in-person visits to several countries, the consideration

of complaints concerning the persecution, harassment and penalization of environmental

defenders, providing input on the development of new instruments and guidance to protect

environmental defenders, consultations with vulnerable environmental defenders, speaking

engagements, awareness raising and promotional activities.

With respect to

access to information

(target 16.10, indicator 16.10.2), the majority of Parties

have already adequately addressed the Convention’s provisions in this area in their national

legislation.

Parties have also established and are operating a number of

special structures

facilitating

implementation of access to environmental information and public participation in decision-

making provisions. Many Parties have made considerable efforts to develop and further use

modern digital technologies to promote e-governance and open data for environmental matters.

Electronic tools (environmental portals, e-meeting tools, applications, e-notifications) are

increasingly used to disseminate environmental information, including in case of emergencies,

and to hold public consultations.

The Protocol on PRTRs introduces a new dimension in that it implies

reporting obligations for

the private sector

and may therefore be seen as a tool promoting corporate accountability in a

See UNECE.

Electronic information tools case studies.

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specific context as exemplified for Norway (Figure

16).

PRTR reporting systems invite the public

to participate in the regulatory system, both by monitoring the environmental performance of

facilities and sectors and by engaging in dialogue with companies and government agencies on

ways of improving such performance.

Furthermore, the Protocol on PRTRs promotes integration of different information systems

breaking down the silos across the sectors in tracking emissions in air, water and soil and transfer

of wastes. This is critical for achieving SDGs, energy transition and monitoring green and circular

economies.

Figure 16

Example of the pollutant release and transfer register of Norway indicating the use

of energy (diesel consumption) by an operator per year

With regard to

public participation in decision-making

(target 16.6 and 16.7), Parties continue

to sharpen procedures for public participation in decisions, as well as widen the scope of

decisions and decision-making stages where public involvement is required. For environmental

impact assessment procedures, participation is increasingly ensured by Parties in the screening

procedure, at the scoping stage, and at the stage of draft environmental impact assessment

decision prior to its adoption. Other types of decisions affecting the environment, where Parties

made efforts to ensure public participation, include building and planning decisions, integrated

environmental permits/authorisations, decisions on the environmental protection measures,

decisions on authorization of projects that may have a significant impact on Natura 2000 sites,

decisions on nature and landscape protection, decisions on forest management, environmental

licensing, decisions on the lifetime extension, and decisions related to management of

radioactive waste.

With regard to

access to justice

(target 16.3, indicator 16.3.3), Parties have made some progress

in addressing challenges faced by the members of the public in this area by: (i) increasing

admissibility of public interest litigation in environmental matters; (ii) increasing review by courts

and other review bodies of the substantive legality of challenged decisions, acts and omissions;

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

(iii) measures introduced to remove or reduce financial barriers; and (iv) promotion of

awareness-raising and specialization of judiciary and other legal professionals in environmental

matters. The Parties are also encouraged to continue developing specific statistical

arrangements to collect, coordinate, aggregate and process the information from various

statistic providers needed for monitoring the implementation of article 9 of the Convention and

therefore contributing to achieving the relevant target 16.3.

A special and active role in this sphere is played by

Aarhus Centres,

which have been established

in 15 countries including South and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia with leading

support by OSCE. Aarhus Centres cover both the national and local levels by offering guidance

to the public, performing awareness-raising activities, facilitating access to information and

public participation, and assisting Governments in the performance of their functions and in

cooperating with the public.

Furthermore,

non-governmental organizations

(NGOs) have been leading actors in monitoring

and facilitating the implementation of the principles of the Convention throughout the UNECE

region as well as in relevant international forums. They often are valuable partners in

disseminating information, in raising awareness and in helping countries build the necessary

capacities for greater access to information, public participation in decision-making and access

to justice.

By promoting transparency and public participation in

international decision-making,

the

Aarhus Convention is helping to improve a wide range of international processes dealing with

matters relevant to environmental concerns such as climate, health, chemicals, trade, finance

and biodiversity. It has been also used as reference for the review of safeguard and information

policies of other agencies of the United Nations as well as international financial institutions.

The Aarhus Convention has already acted as a

model example for initiatives in other regions

and forums aimed at applying the principles contained in the Convention, namely the Escazu

Agreement – Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in

Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. Where requested and within

available resources, the secretariat and Parties to the Convention are offering advisory support

to the process in Latin America and the Caribbean and to initiatives in other regions and forums.

The UNECE has also been supporting the United Nations Environment Programme in its efforts

to promote the Bali guidelines on the application of Principle 10 and other relevant activities.

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Third SDG Dialogue “Reflections on the outcome of the global

SDG Summit 2023 and the role of Supreme Audit Institutions in

SDGs implementation”

UN Azerbaijan

United efforts, political will and firm actions are needed to advance concrete,

integrated and targeted policies and actions towards a sustainable and resilient

path that leaves no one behind by 2030.

Under the Government leadership, all stakeholders, including Supreme Audit

Institutions, international partners, private sector, civil society and academia

need to work together to support the implementation of Azerbaijan’s National

Commitments for accelerated progress towards SDGs.

Supreme Audit Institutions can be instrumental in ensuring the accountability of

public institutions on SDG implementation performance.

Ensuring predictable, sustainable and sufficient development finance as well as

its effective use are critical for the achievement of SDGs.

On 24 October 2023 the third SDG Dialogue

“Reflections

on the outcome of the global SDG

Summit 2023 and the role of Supreme Audit Institutions in SDGs implementation”

was held

bringing together more than 150 participants from government agencies, the United Nations (UN),

Supreme Audit Institutions, international financial institutions (IFIs), the diplomatic community,

the private sector, civil society and academia.

The participants of the event organised by the National Coordination Council on Sustainable

Development of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Economy, and the UN, exchanged information and

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

discussed the outcomes of the Global SDG Summit 2023 and the High-level Dialogue on

Financing for Development.

The Government of Azerbaijan extensively supported the global discussions and the Political

Declaration of the SDG Summit 2023, and was one of the 32 countries in the world that submitted

its

National commitment to SDG Transformation,

which builds on the Strategy of socio-

economic development for 2022-2026, the first State Programme “The great return to the

liberated territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, the national efforts on introduction of

Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs), the Sustainable Finance Roadmap of the

Central Bank of Azerbaijan, the outcome documents of the first and second SDG Dialogues on

green transformation

and

inclusive growth,

as well as the

Declaration

from the 2nd International

Mine Action and SDGs Conference.

At the third SDG Dialogue, members of the delegation of Azerbaijan at the global SDG Summit

briefed on the Summit highlights and shared the National commitment on SDG Transformation

submitted by Azerbaijan. The discussions held during the SDG Dialogue touched upon the

measures needed for SDG acceleration and financing in Azerbaijan.

Globally, public spending is said to carry a critical role in financing of SDGs given that state

budgets are the main instruments of financing development needs. Increasing number of

countries in the world are taking measures to improve the effectiveness of public spending on

SDGs. Accordingly, the third SDG Dialogue also focused on reviewing the SDG financing trends

in Azerbaijan and the role of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) in monitoring of the performance of

Government institutions in SDGs implementation as well as the effectiveness of public

expenditures on SDGs. It brought together the representatives of SAIs from other countries to

share their experiences in performance audits and ensuring the effectiveness of public spending

on SDGs.

Given that the SAI of Azerbaijan undertook performance audit on five SDGs in 2021 and 2022, the

third SDG Dialogue facilitated a platform to share the early findings of these audit exercises with

stakeholders and the broader audience. Performance audits conducted by SAI of Azerbaijan

included:

1. An efficiency audit of the State Service for Development and Restoration under the

Ministry of Culture, focusing on the effectiveness of the "2014-2020 State Program on the

restoration and protection of historical and cultural monuments".

2. An evaluation of forest management under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources,

which highlighted deficiencies in the legislative framework, administrative activities, and

forest restoration practices impacting the national SDGs implementation.

3. An audit assessing the new subsidy mechanism in horticulture, indicating shortcomings

in administrative management despite efforts to create conditions for success.

4. Performance audits evaluating chronic kidney disease activities and the improvement of

surface water supply for agriculture, both revealing inefficiencies in administrative

management and insufficiently organized measures in achieving desired outcomes

within specified timeframes.

Detailed reports of these performance audits are provided on

the INTOSAI Atlas on SDGs.

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Looking ahead

A whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach is needed to ensure that all stakeholders,

including Government institutions, Supreme Audit Institutions, UN, international partners,

private sector, civil society and academia work together to implement Azerbaijan’s National

Commitments for accelerated progress towards SDGs. The UN Family in Azerbaijan will continue

to work side-by-side with partners to achieve inclusive sustainable development. In line with the

SDG Summit commitment on enhancing SDG financing, the UN looks forward to further expand

the collaboration with the Ministries of Economy and Finance on implementing Integrated

National Financing Framework. Azerbaijan’s plan to submit the Fourth Voluntary National Review

of SDG implementation in 2024 is also welcome and the UN will support this important exercise.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Mystery of Sary Kol – a game for change

UN Kyrgyzstan

A mobile game from Kyrgyzstan reached the final of the international competition

Games for Change, which illustrates how effective partnerships can address

empowerment of girls.

Erkinay is a young girl studying to be a seamstress in a vocational school. She lives in a small

mountain village near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Everyone around her hints that it is time

to think about marriage, but she dreams of a great career as an actress. One day, on the shore of

Sary Kol, a lake near the village, she meets a mysterious woman in black. This is how the game

Mystery of Sary Kol begins. After this, the players are invited to make decisions for Erkinay, and

her fate depends on these decisions.

“When starting this project, we wanted to give girls the opportunity to dream, make decisions and

feel independent,”

says Munara Beknazarova, who had the idea for the game.

Munara Beknazarova runs Open Line Public Foundation, which works to prevent domestic

violence and protect the rights of girls. The Foundation developed the Mystery of Sary Kol game

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to help girls learn and protect their rights. The game was developed with financial support from

UNICEF as part of the joint European Union and United Nations Spotlight Initiative.

This global and local partnership supported Kyrgyzstan to tackle a long-term serious issue of

child, early and forced marriage, the elimination of which is SDG target 5.3. As of 2018 when the

latest data was reported, 13 per cent of 20–24-year-old women in Kyrgyzstan had been married

or in a union already before age 18, and 0.3 per cent before age 15 (United

Nations Global SDG

Indicators Database,

indicator 5.3.1). The figures are likely an underestimate since many child

marriages go unreported from fear of social stigma. The game serves as a great example of how

such issues can be addressed in a multi-stakeholder partnership (SDG target 17.17).

Successful start

In two years, the mobile game has been downloaded more than 40,000 times. After its launch,

the Open Line Public Foundation conducted a survey among its users. It showed that those who

played the game felt significantly more strongly that child marriage is a crime and were more

willing to help those who are forced into marriage.

The game also made the girls much more confident that they could, through dialogue, convince

their parents to abandon the practice of forced marriage.

“We were happy to hear from users that they were able to help all the characters in the game

successfully go through the challenges and feel the change,”

Munara rejoiced.

According to her, the game’s reach is dozens of times greater than traditional lectures and

meetings. Moreover, it is important to dilute traditional teaching methods with interactivity. And

games, through immersion and engagement with the characters, can achieve more effective

results.

International recognition

In July 2023, the game made it to the world’s largest annual Games for Change festival, which

celebrates games that promote positive social change. Moreover, it was a finalist in the Best

Civics Game category. More than 340 games and apps from around the world were entered in

this category.

Munara recalls that while researching mobile game development, she came across the Games

for Change website. There was an entire section with a catalogue of digital and non-digital games

addressing social issues.

“I was really inspired by the vision that Games for Change pursue. And there I was, years later,

attending this festival in New York and presenting our game from Kyrgyzstan there!”

Munara

proudly notes.

The game’s power

“Games can and should be more than just fun. They should also have a meaning. Today we are

raising new players who are changing and moving towards positive change through games,”

says

Munara.

With its educational component, the Mystery of Sary Kol also breaks the stereotype of girls who

play mobile games. It is believed that games on mobile phones are a “waste of time”. But thanks

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

to games like the Mystery of Sary-Kol, girls not only develop themselves, but also expand the

limits of gender stereotypes and attitudes.

By the way, this is not Munara’s first successful work. Earlier she launched the game Spring in

Bishkek, which was downloaded more than 150,000 times.

For information

The game “Mystery of Sary Kol” was created by the Open Line Public Foundation with the

participation of an international team of developers, and with the support of

UNICEF in

Kyrgyzstan

as part of the Spotlight initiative, a joint initiative by the European Union and the

United Nations to end violence against women and girls in Kyrgyzstan. The game can be

downloaded from Google Play and App Store.

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Achieving the SDGs through public-private partnerships by

promoting quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient

infrastructure

UNECE Economic Cooperation and Trade

As a means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

public-private partnerships (PPPs) remain essential to accelerate progress

towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

By providing a financing mechanism that can mobilize private funds into infrastructure

development and harness the private sector innovation capabilities, PPPs aligned with the SDGs

can improve people’s lives and create value for society. However, not all PPP projects are aligned

with the SDGs, and some may even have negative economic, social and environmental impacts.

Furthermore, with

infrastructure being responsible for 79 per cent of all greenhouse gas

emissions

and

2023 set to be the warmest year on record and greenhouse gas levels continuing

to increase,

it is essential to evaluate PPP and infrastructure projects against the SDGs and

ensure that they contribute to the three pillars of sustainable development: environmental,

social and economic.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

While traditional PPPs present challenges and limitations to implement the 2030 Agenda, the five

outcomes of the

UNECE “PPP for the SDGs” approach

go beyond the mere “value for money”

criteria to focus infrastructure in delivering “value for people” and “value for the planet”. These

outcomes are:

1. Increase access to essential services and reduce social inequality and injustice

2. Improve economic effectiveness and fiscal sustainability

3. Enhance resilience and environmental sustainability

4. Promote replicability and the development of further projects

5. Fully involve all stakeholders

Through this approach and its pioneering tool, the

PPP and Infrastructure Evaluation and Rating

System (PIERS),

UNECE is addressing these challenges and the need for significant investments

in infrastructure that is of high quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient. The PIERS methodology

provides a set of criteria and indicators to evaluate infrastructure projects against these

outcomes throughout the stages of the PPP process. It is an evaluation methodology that uses a

scoring system based on these criteria to assess PPP and infrastructure projects against the

SDGs. It also provides feedback on how to improve project performance in terms of sustainability.

The main objective of this evaluation methodology is to assist Governments in particular – but

also businesses, lenders, and debt providers – in how they identify, design and implement

infrastructure projects and deliver public services that comply with the SDGs. To help

Governments and all stakeholders use this methodology effectively, UNECE has also developed

online platform for PIERS.

This online platform enhances the accessibility and facilitates the

usage of the PIERS methodology by providing guidance on how to apply the criteria and indicators

in different contexts and sectors.

Since its launch in 2022, the PIERS methodology has been used for evaluating over 200

infrastructure projects in 35 developed and developing countries belonging to the UNECE region

and beyond. These projects range from large-scale infrastructure such as bridges, metro rails

and power stations, to small-scale community projects such as charging stations for electric

vehicles, medical facilities, and school infrastructure. Many of these were submitted to the 7th

edition to the UNECE International PPP Forum where 49 projects from 33 countries were

presented and evaluated using the PIERS methodology, for a total capital expenditure of 38.7

billion United States dollars of investment. Some examples of these projects are:

•

the

1915 Çanakkale Bridge project,

the longest suspended bridge in the world across the

Dardanelles in Türkiye, which improved the livelihoods of the affected communities

through an extensive stakeholder engagement process and the creation of local jobs;

energy renovation project for public buildings in Ljubljana,

Slovenia, that reduced

greenhouse gas emissions by significantly reducing the energy consumption and

increasing the share of renewable energy sources in public buildings; and

school reconstruction project in Kaunas district,

Lithuania, that reduced energy

consumption and CO2 emissions by renovating old buildings and increased access to

education to more than 500 children by building new schools in compliance with the

nearly-zero emission building (NZEB) standard.

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By using the PIERS methodology, these projects demonstrate how PPPs can be an effective tool

to achieve the SDGs, if they are designed and implemented with people’s interest at their core.

The UNECE methodology also helps these projects showcase their achievements and best

practices and inspire others to follow their example.

In this regard, the PIERS methodology is best suited for projects at the early stages of

development, when changes and improvements are mostly possible and less costly. By using the

PIERS methodology at the onset of the project development lifecycle, Governments, at local or

subnational level, can gain valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of their PPP and

infrastructure projects, and in terms of creating value for people and value for planet.

As part of its PIERS programme, UNECE is providing support to its member States in assessing

their PPP and infrastructure projects using the PIERS methodology. They receive

recommendations from UNECE on how to improve their performance or align better with the

SDGs. These recommendations help Government identify projects that are aligned with the

SDGs. They could also help these projects improve their quality, efficiency and impact, as well

as attract more investors, donors, or partners who are more and more committed to support the

SDGs.

For example, in Ukraine, where the reconstruction and recovery needs were

estimated in 2023

by the World Bank at about 411 billion United States dollars,

the UNECE has been supporting the

Government in applying the PIERS methodology to develop and implement reconstruction

projects that are aligned with the SDGs.

Kyrgyzstan has also benefited from UNECE support,

where several PPP projects at the early stages of development have been evaluated using the

PIERS methodology, especially small-scale PPP projects with important development impacts.

Against the backdrop of the triple planetary crisis – climate change, pollution and biodiversity

loss – and with the increase in man-made and natural disasters, sustainable PPPs and

infrastructure with people as the main beneficiaries are key to accelerate progress towards the

SDGs halfway to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UNECE is scaling up the implementation of the PIERS methodology in its member States and

beyond through cooperation with other UN regional commissions.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

National indicators for measuring progress with SDGs

UNECE Statistics

Most UNECE countries have developed national indicators and reporting

platforms to measure progress with SDGs on the national level and support the

production of the SDG Voluntary National Reviews. The evidence base for SDGs is

therefore significantly stronger than can be deducted from the availability of

internationally agreed indicators alone. To improve understanding of the situation,

UNECE has developed a tool for country self-assessment of SDG indicator

availability.

From its inception, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognized the importance of

strong national statistics. Building statistical capacity (especially in developing countries) and

developing measurements of progress on sustainable development (targets 17.18 & 17.19) are

included in the Agenda as means of implementation. Under the United Nations Statistical

Commission, a global indicator set was developed for follow up and review. Furthermore, the

Agenda calls for Member States to produce national statistics using the global indicator

framework, and to complement these statistics with regional and national indicators.

Much has been achieved since the establishment of the global indicator set in 2016. At that time,

internationally agreed methodologies existed for about 60 per cent of global indicators – a large

challenge lay ahead for the international statistical community. Even more dire was the

availability of data – only for about 35 per cent of indicators was data widely available (i.e., for

most, but not all countries). For 25 per cent of indicators data was available in less than half of

countries. No data was available for the remaining 40 per cent of indicators – they were new,

without (agreed) methodologies to calculate them.

By the end of 2020, internationally agreed-on methodologies were developed for all indicators.

By the end of 2023, data for two-thirds of SDG indicators are regularly produced by most

countries.

Despite this progress, indicator availability remains a big challenge. As of 16 January 2024, for 42

indicators of the global set, data in the UN Global SDG Indicator Database is available for less

than 25 per cent of countries.

To understand how this lack of data impacts the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, we need to

distinguish between two use cases for SDG data: 1) for international purposes, to calculate

aggregates and track the SDGs on regional and national levels, and 2) for national purposes, to

track the implementation of the SDGs nationally.

UN Global SDG Indicator Database – Data Availability.

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For international purposes, data availability is a critical concern. In the UNECE region, which

includes many of the most statistically developed countries, only about two-thirds of all targets

can be tracked on the regional level.

Arguably, the second use case is more important for the success of the SDGs, as the goals and

targets are implemented nationally. An important question is therefore:

Is the SDG data on the

national level enabling policymakers to track national progress and are they enabled to make

informed decisions about national SDG implementation?

Forty-nine UNECE countries (out of 56) have established a platform for national SDG data, which

reveal considerable differences between national availability and the availability of SDG data in

the global database. To ensure international comparability, the global database only includes

indicators that were produced following the internationally agreed methodology. Many countries

are, however, producing so-called proxies, that is, approximations of indicators in the global set.

Forty-two UNECE countries have developed national indicators sets, designed to capture their

respective targets in a way that is relevant for national implementation.

While proxy and national indicators are not useful for tracking the SDGs on a global or regional

level due to issues of international comparability, they can provide critical information for the

national implementation of the SDG targets. The availability of data on the national level is also

important for a second international mechanism to track the implementation of the SDGs: the

Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). VNRs are becoming increasingly data-driven, and many

countries consider relevant national indicators and proxies. In all, the evidence base for SDGs is

therefore significantly stronger than can be deducted from the availability of internationally

agreed indicators alone.

The UNECE Steering Group on Statistics for

SDGs is currently working towards

assessment of national indicator availability.

The Steering Group is producing an

addendum chapter on data availability to

the

2nd edition of the UNECE Road Map on

Statistics for SDGs

and a tool for countries to

self-assess their national availability of

indicators and to organize their work as

coordinators of the national statistical system

for SDG statistics.

A challenge is that only a few national

statistical offices have been given additional

resources to work on SDG indicators. This

work is often done as an additional task using existing resources. Often, there are more urgent

priorities on which to provide data and progress in increasing data availability for SDGs remains

slow. Midway through the SDG journey, there is still time to accelerate this pace of improvement.

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Technical notes on the progress assessment

Data

The progress assessment is based on the Global indicator framework for the Sustainable

Development Goals

. The data were downloaded from

the United Nations Global SDG

Indicators Database

on 15 December 2023. For some indicators, the report relies on

the UNECE

Statistical Database.

This is the case where the UNECE Database, through its existing data

collection, has a more comprehensive coverage of countries or data on more recent years for

UNECE countries, or where the UNECE Database provides more precise or consistent

measurements for the UNECE region. This concerns indicators 3.6.1 on road traffic deaths and

9.1.2 on passenger and freight volumes. Indicator 3.7.1 on family planning is sourced from the

United Nations Population Division, indicator 8.1.1 on annual growth rate of the gross domestic

product per capita from the World Bank, and indicator 8.5.1, unemployment rate, from the

International Labour Organization.

Assessment measure

The assessment uses the Anticipated Progress Index, a method developed by the United Nations

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

and applied by all five

United Nations regional commissions.

The Anticipated Progress Index measures whether a target will be achieved by 2030 based on the

rate of change observed between 2000 and 2023. Recent data are given more weight than earlier

data in estimating anticipated indicator values for 2030. For targets that will not be achieved, the

index reports the anticipated gap between the target value and the projected value for 2030

relative to the progress required between 2015 and 2030.

Estimation and aggregation

The anticipated values for 2030 are estimated using the available data between 2000 and 2023.

The time-weighted linear regression used for the estimation gives more importance to more

recent data. The assessment uses all available indicators where at least two data points are

available for at least 15 UNECE countries and for which it is possible to set a target value (see

Target values).

In total, the assessment uses 160 indicators across 117 targets and all 17 goals

United Nations (2017).

Global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals and targets of the 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development.

6 July 2017. A/RES/71/313 and refinements E/CN.3/2018/2 (Annex II),

E/CN.3/2019/2 (Annex II), and E/CN.3/2020/2.

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (2023). Annex 1: Technical notes –

methodology to measure progress. Pp. 37–41 in

Asia and the Pacific SDG progress report 2023: championing

sustainability despite adversities.

Bangkok: United Nations.

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Technical notes on the progress assessment

(see

Indicators used in the assessment).

For 71 indicators, insufficient country data are available

to assess progress for the region. Seventeen indicators are excluded because they are not

measured for the UNECE countries (for example, indicators pertaining to least developed

countries only) or because it is not possible to determine a desirable direction of development

(for example, the indicator on the extent of water-related ecosystems).

Some indicators consist of several components. For example, indicator 1.3.1 (Proportion of

population covered by social protection) consists of 11 social protection benefits, and indicator

3.c.1 (Health worker density by occupation) consists of separate measures for nurses, doctors,

pharmacists and physicians. In such cases, all components with data are used in the

calculations, and the progress index for the indicator is the average of the indices of its

components. Altogether, 421 data series were used.

The estimation described above is carried out on the country level. For the regional level

assessment, the median value is used for most indicators. For a subset of indicators, the mean

provides a better summary of the distribution of values across the region.

For indicators with

binary values, which show the existence of a certain policy in a country, the summary value for

the region is the percentage of countries with such a policy.

In this report, the assessment results are presented at the level of SDG targets. In aggregation to

the target level, each indicator has an equal weight (independent of its number of components)

under the corresponding target.

Target values

The methodology uses target values for each indicator (or its component), which are expected to

be reached by 2030. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development explicitly or implicitly defines

target values for 77 indicators included in this progress assessment. For the other indicators, the

“champion area” approach is used to define the region’s target value. Three variants of this

approach are applied.

The most common variant identifies top performers in the region according to the rate of change.

Top performers are defined as the five countries with the highest compound annual growth rate

between the earliest observation available and 2015. When the earliest empirical observation is

2015 or later, the growth rate is the compound annual growth rate between this value and the

next available value. The target value is set as the product of the mean growth rate of the top

performers and the regional median value in 2015.

For some indicators, such as those on internet connections and use, the very rapid progress

cannot reasonably be applied to the future. For these, top performers are identified as the five

countries with either the highest or lowest values in 2015 depending on whether the desirable

direction of change is an increase or a decrease. The target is then set as the mean value in 2015

among these top performers.

To set a reasonable target value for certain indicators, it is necessary to transform the data

disseminated in the Global SDG Indicator Database into a different unit of measurement. For

example, data for indicator 17.17.1 on funds committed to public-private partnerships are

The regional value represents the mean value for indicators 2.5.1, 3.6.1, 4.1.1, 10.7.2, 12.4.1, 15.2.1, and 16.1.1.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

reported in total United States dollars. The size of national economies varies across the UNECE

region, and it would not be appropriate to set a dollar-value target according to the largest or best

performing economies. In these cases, we normalize data values based on gross domestic

product for the corresponding year so that the data reflect per cent of gross domestic product. It

is then possible to apply a universally appropriate target value based on per cent of gross

domestic product. Data for indicators 8.a.1, 10.b.1, 15.a.1, 15.b.1, 17.7.1, 17.17.1, and 17.9.1

have been transformed in this way.

For a small group of indicators, it is not obvious whether rapid change or low or high absolute

levels are desired (for example, 9.2.2, Manufacturing employment as a percentage of total

employment). For such indicators, top performers are taken to be the countries with the highest

gross domestic product per capita in 2015 and the target value as the average value for 2015 of

these top performers.

For a few indicators, a desirable direction of change and a target value cannot be determined.

This is typically the case with indicators that are meant to provide a dashboard for a qualitative

overall assessment of the situation (for example, indicator 6.6.1 on changes to water-related

ecosystems over time). Such indicators were left out of the assessment.

Outliers are dropped from the target-value estimation using the interquartile range method.

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Technical notes on the progress assessment

Indicators used in the assessment

Indicator short name

GOAL 1 – No Poverty

Extreme poverty

1.1.1

- Proportion of population below international poverty line (%)

- Proportion of employed population below international poverty

line (%)

1.2.1

Proportion of population living below the national poverty

line (%)

1.2.2

Proportion of population living in multidimensional poverty

(%)

1.3.1

- Proportion of population covered by social assistance programs

(%)

- Proportion of population covered by social assistance programs,

lowest income quantile (%)

- Proportion of population covered by social insurance programs

(%)

- Proportion of population covered by social insurance programs,

lowest income quantile (%)

- Proportion of unemployed persons receiving unemployment

cash benefit (%)

- Proportion of population above statutory pensionable age

receiving a pension (%)

- Proportion of population with severe disabilities receiving

disability cash benefit (%)

- Proportion of population covered by at least one social

protection benefit (%)

- Proportion of children/households receiving child/family cash

benefit (%)

- Proportion of mothers with newborns receiving maternity cash

benefit (%)

- Proportion of vulnerable population receiving social assistance

cash benefit (%)

1.4.1

Proportion of population:

- Using basic drinking water (%)

- Basic sanitation services (%)

1.5.1

- Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters

per 100,000 population

- Number of directly affected persons attributed to disasters per

100,000 population

1.5.2

Direct economic loss attributed to disasters relative to GDP

(%)

1.5.3

Score of adoption and implementation of national DRR

strategies in line with the Sendai Framework

1.5.4

Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement

local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national

disaster risk reduction strategies (%)

Indicator

National poverty

Multidimensional poverty

Social protection

Access to basic water and

sanitation services

Deaths/missing/affected from

disasters

Economic loss from disasters

Disaster risk reduction

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Indicator short name

ODA grants for poverty reduction

Government spending on

education and health

GOAL 2 – Zero Hunger

Prevalence of undernourishment

Moderate or severe food

insecurity in the population

Prevalence of stunting

Prevalence of malnutrition

Indicator

1.a.1

Official development assistance grants for poverty

reduction, by donor countries (% of GNI)

1.a.2

Proportion of total government spending on essential

services, education (%)

2.1.1

Prevalence of undernourishment (%)

2.1.2

Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the

adult population (%)

2.2.1

Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted (%)

2.2.2

- Proportion of children moderately or severely wasted (%)

- Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight (%)

2.2.3

Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia (%):

- Pregnant

- Non-pregnant

2.3.1

Productivity of small-scale food producers (agricultural

output per labour day, constant PPP 2011 USD)

2.5.1

- Number of local breeds for which sufficient genetic resources

are stored for reconstitution

- Number of transboundary breeds for which sufficient genetic

resources are stored for reconstitution

- Plant genetic resources accessions stored ex situ (number)

2.5.2

Proportion of local breeds classified as being at risk as a

share of local breeds with known level of extinction risk (%)

2.a.1

Agriculture orientation index for government expenditures

Prevalence of anaemia

Production per labour unit

Plant and animal genetic

resources in conservation

facilities

Local breeds at risk of extinction

Agriculture orientation index

GOAL 3 – Good health and well-being

Maternal mortality ratio

Births attended by skilled health

personnel

Under-five mortality

3.1.1

Maternal mortality ratio

3.1.2

Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel (%)

3.2.1

- Under-five mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births)

- Infant mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births)

3.2.2

Neonatal mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births)

3.3.1

Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected

population

3.3.2

Tuberculosis incidence (per 100,000 population)

3.4.1

Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer,

diabetes or chronic respiratory disease (probability)

3.4.2

Suicide mortality rate (deaths per 100,000 population)

3.5.2

Alcohol consumption per capita (aged 15 years and older)

within a calendar year (litres of pure alcohol)

Neonatal mortality

HIV infections

Tuberculosis

Cardiovascular disease, cancer,

diabetes or chronic respiratory

disease

Suicide

Harmful use of alcohol

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Technical notes on the progress assessment

Indicator short name

Road traffic deaths

Modern methods for family

planning

Adolescent births

Indicator

3.6.1

Road traffic fatalities, rate per million inhabitants

3.7.1

Women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have

their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods (%)

3.7.2

- Adolescent birth rate (per 1,000 women aged 10-14 years)

- Adolescent birth rate (per 1,000 women aged 15-19 years)

3.8.1

Universal health coverage (UHC) service coverage index

3.8.2

Proportion of population with large household expenditures

on health as a share of total household expenditure or income

(%):

- Greater than 10%

- Greater than 25%

3.9.3

Mortality rate attributed to unintentional poisonings (deaths

per 100,000 population)

3.a.1

Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among

persons aged 15 years and older (%)

3.b.1

Proportion of the target population with access to (%):

- 3 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) (%)

- Measles-containing-vaccine second dose (MCV2) (%)

- Pneumococcal conjugate 3rd dose (PCV3) (%)

- Affordable medicines and vaccines on a sustainable basis,

human papillomavirus (HPV) (%)

3.c.1

Health worker density (per 10,000 population)

- Dentists

- Nurses

- Pharmacists

- Physicians

- Health worker distribution, female physicians (%)

3.d.1

International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity (%):

- Legislation and financing

- Laboratory

- Surveillance

- Food safety

- Human resources

- Points of entry

- Risk communication

- Health service provision

- Chemical events

- Radiation

- National health emergency framework

- IHR Coordination and National Focal Point Functions

- Zoonotic events and the Human-Animal Health Interface

Universal health coverage index

Household expenditures on

health

Unintentional poisoning

Tobacco use

Population covered by all

vaccines in national programme

Health worker density and

distribution

Health capacity and emergency

preparedness

Data source is

UNECE Statistical Database

Data source is United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2020).

Model-

based Estimates and Projections of Family Planning Indicators 2020,

custom data acquired via website.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Indicator short name

Antimicrobial-resistant

bloodstream infections

Indicator

3.d.2

- Percentage of bloodstream infection due to Escherichia coli

resistant to 3rd-generation cephalosporin (ESBL- E. coli) among

patients seeking care and whose blood sample is taken and

tested (%)

- Percentage of bloodstream infection due to methicillin-resistant

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among patients seeking care and

whose blood sample is taken and tested (%)

GOAL 4 – Quality education

Minimum proficiency in reading

and maths

4.1.1

Proportion of children and young people achieving a

minimum proficiency level (%):

- Mathematics

- Reading

4.1.2

Completion rate (%):

- Primary

- Lower secondary

- Secondary

4.2.2

Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the

official primary entry age) (%)

4.3.1

Participation rate in formal and non-formal education and

training (%)

4.4.1

Proportion of youth and adults with information and

communications technology (ICT) skills (%):

- Programming language

- Transfer file

- Download software

- Electronic presentation

- Spreadsheet arithmetic

- Copy/move file/folder

- Copy/paste

- Email

4.5.1

Parity status index for achievement in reading and math in

lower-secondary (ratio):

- Language

- Immigration status

- Gender

- Rural to urban

- Socio-economic status

4.a.1

Schools with access to (%) [Primary, lower secondary,

secondary]:

- Computers for pedagogical purposes

- Internet for pedagogical purposes

- Electricity

- Basic handwashing facilities

- Single-sex basic sanitation

- Basic drinking water

4.c.1

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required

qualifications (%):

- Pre-primary and primary

- Secondary

Completion rate

Organised learning before

primary entry age

Formal and non-formal education

and training

Youth and adults with ICT skills

Inequality indices for education

indicators

Schools with access to basic

services

Teachers with minimum required

qualifications

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Technical notes on the progress assessment

Indicator short name

GOAL 5 – Gender Equality

Legal frameworks on non-

discrimination

Indicator

5.1.1

Legal frameworks that promote, enforce and monitor gender

equality (% of achievement):

- Overarching legal frameworks and public life

- Violence against women

- Employment and economic benefits

- Marriage and family

5.4.1

Male/female ratio of hours spent on domestic tasks

5.5.1

- Proportion of seats in national parliaments held by women (%)

- Proportion of elected seats held by women in deliberative bodies

of local government (%)

5.5.2

Proportion of women in (%):

- Managerial positions

- Senior and middle management positions

5.b.1

Proportion of females who own a mobile phone (%)

Gender parity in time spent on

domestic tasks

Seats held by women in national

parliaments and local

governments

Proportion of women in

managerial positions

Mobile phone ownership

GOAL 6 – Clean water and sanitation

Safely managed drinking water

services

Open defecation practice and

handwashing facilities

Domestic and industrial

wastewater flows safely treated

Bodies of water with good

ambient water quality

Water use efficiency

Water stress

Degree of integrated water

resources management

Transboundary basin area with an

operational arrangement for

water cooperation

Policies and procedures for

participative water and sanitation

management

Access to electricity

Reliance on clean energy

Renewable energy share

Energy intensity

6.1.1

Proportion of population using safely managed drinking

water services (%)

6.2.1

Proportion of population (%):

- Practicing open defecation

- Using safely managed sanitation services

6.3.1

Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows

safely treated

6.3.2

Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water

quality (%)

6.4.1

Water Use Efficiency (United States dollars per cubic meter)

6.4.2

Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion

of available freshwater resources (%)

6.5.1

Degree of integrated water resources management

implementation (%)

6.5.2

Proportion of transboundary basins (river and lake basins

and aquifers) with an operational arrangement for water

cooperation (%)

6.b.1

Proportion of local administrative units with established and

operational policies and procedures for participation of local

communities in water and sanitation management

7.1.1

Proportion of population with access to electricity (%)

7.1.2

Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels

and technology (%)

7.2.1

Renewable energy share in the total final energy

consumption (%)

7.3.1

Energy intensity level of primary energy (megajoules per

constant 2011 purchasing power parity GDP)

GOAL 7 – Affordable and clean energy

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Indicator short name

Indicator

GOAL 8 – Decent work and economic growth

Real GDP per capita growth rate

Real GDP per employed person

growth rate

Informal employment

Domestic material consumption

8.1.1

Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita (%)

8.2.1

Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person (%)

8.3.1

Proportion of informal employment in total employment

8.4.2

Domestic material consumption per unit of GDP (kilograms

per constant 2015 United States dollars):

- Biomass

- Fossil fuels

- Metal ores

- Non-metallic minerals

- Coal

- Crop residues

- Crops

- Ferrous ores

- Natural gas

- Grazed biomass and fodder crops

- Non-ferrous ores

- Non-metallic minerals, industrial or agricultural dominant

- Non-metallic minerals, construction dominant

- Petroleum

- Wild catch and harvest

- Wood

- Oil shale and tar sands

- Total

8.5.2

Unemployment rate (%)

8.6.1

Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training

(%)

8.8.1

Occupational injuries among employees per 100,000

employees:

- Fatal

- Non-fatal

8.8.2

Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of

association and collective bargaining) based on International

Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation

8.10.1

Number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000

adults

8.10.2

Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at

a financial institution or mobile-money-service provider (%)

8.a.1

Total official flows (disbursement) for Aid for Trade, by donor

countries (millions of constant 2020 United States dollars,

transformed to per cent of GDP)

8.b.1

Existence of a developed and operationalized national

strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of

a national employment strategy

Unemployment rate

Youth not in education,

employment or training

Occupational injuries

National compliance to labour

rights

Commercial bank branches and

automated teller machines

Adults with a bank account

Aid for trade commitments and

disbursements

Strategy for youth employment

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Technical notes on the progress assessment

Indicator short name

Indicator

GOAL 9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Passenger and freight volumes

9.1.2

- Non-road freight as proportion of total (%)

- Rail passengers, thousand passenger-km per capita

9.2.1

Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP (%)

9.2.2

Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total

employment (%)

9.3.1

Proportion of small-scale industries in total industry value

added (%)

9.3.2

Proportion of small-scale industries with a loan or line of

credit (%)

9.4.1

Carbon dioxide emissions (kilogrammes of CO2 per

constant 2010 United States dollars):

- Per unit of GDP

- Per unit of manufacturing value added

9.5.1

Research and development expenditure as a proportion of

GDP (%)

9.5.2

Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants

(per 1,000,000 population)

9.b.1

Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in

total value added (%)

9.c.1

Proportion of population covered by mobile network (%):

- At least a 2G

- At least a 3G

- At least a 4G

10.2.1

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median

income (%)

10.4.1

Labour share of GDP (%)

10.4.2

Redistributive impact of fiscal policy, Gini index (%):

- Pre-fiscal income

- Post-fiscal income

10.5.1

- Non-performing loans net of provisions to capital (%)

- Non-performing loans to total gross loans (%)

- Return on assets (%)

- Regulatory capital to assets (%)

- Regulatory Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets (%)

- Liquid assets to short-term liabilities (%)

- Net open position in foreign exchange to capital (%)

10.7.2

Countries with migration policies to facilitate orderly, safe,

regular and responsible migration and mobility of people [All

domains]

10.7.3

Total deaths and disappearances recorded during

migration (number)

Manufacturing value added

Manufacturing employment

Small-scale industries as share

of total

Small-scale industries with a

loan or line of credit

CO2 emission intensity

Research and development

expenditure

Number of researchers

Medium and high-tech industry

value added

Population covered by mobile

phone network

GOAL 10 – Reduced inequalities

Population living below 50

percent of median income

Labour income share of GDP

Redistributive impact of fiscal

policy

Financial soundness indicators

Migration policies

Migrant deaths and

disappearances

Data source is

UNECE Statistical Database.

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Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Indicator short name

Refugees

Zero tariff imports

Total resource flows for

development

Remittance costs

Indicator

10.7.4

Proportion of the population who are refugees, by country

of origin (%)

10.a.1

Proportion of tariff lines applied to imports with zero-tariff

(%), all products

10.b.1

Net official development assistance (ODA) as a percentage

of OECD-DAC donors' GNI, by donor countries (%)

10.c.1

- Remittance costs as a proportion of the amount remitted (%)

- Average remittance costs of sending $200 for a sending country

as a proportion of the amount remitted (%)

11.1.1

Proportion of urban population living in slums (%)

11.4.1

Total expenditure per capita spent on cultural and natural

heritage, public funding (PPP, constant 2017 United States

dollars)

11.5.1

- Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters

per 100,000 population (number)

- Number of directly affected persons attributed to disasters per

100,000 population (number)

11.5.2

Direct economic loss attributed to disasters relative to

GDP (%)

11.6.2

Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (population-

weighted, micrograms per cubic meter)

11.b.1

Score of adoption and implementation of national DRR

strategies in line with the Sendai Framework

11.b.2

Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement

local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national

disaster risk reduction strategies (%)

GOAL 11 – Sustainable cities and communities

Slums

Expenditure cultural and natural

heritage

Deaths/missing/affected from

disasters

Economic loss and affected

infrastructure & services from

disasters

Mean levels of fine particulate

matter in cities

Disaster risk reduction

Disaster risk reduction, local

governments

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Technical notes on the progress assessment

Indicator short name

Indicator

GOAL 12 – Responsible consumption and production

Domestic material consumption

12.2.2

Domestic material consumption per unit of GDP (kilograms

per constant 2015 United States dollars):

- Biomass

- Fossil fuels

- Metal ores

- Non-metallic minerals

- Coal

- Crop residues

- Crops

- Ferrous ores

- Natural gas

- Grazed biomass and fodder crops

- Non-ferrous ores

- Non-metallic minerals, industrial or agricultural dominant

- Non-metallic minerals, construction dominant

- Petroleum

- Wild catch and harvest

- Wood

- Oil shale and tar sands

- Total

12.4.1

Parties meeting their commitments and obligations in

transmitting information on hazardous waste and other

chemicals, as required by:

- Basel Convention

- Montreal Protocol

- Rotterdam Convention

- Stockholm Convention

12.4.2

- Hazardous waste treated or disposed (%)

- Hazardous waste generated, per capita (kg)

12.5.1

Electronic waste recycling, per capita (kg)

12.b.1

Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor

the economic and environmental aspects of tourism:

- Number of tables

- SEEA tables

- Tourism Satellite Account tables

12.c.1

- Fossil-fuel pre-tax subsidies (consumption and production) as a

proportion of total GDP (%)

- Fossil-fuel subsidies (consumption and production) per capita

(constant US dollars)

13.1.1

- Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters

per 100,000 population

- Number of directly affected persons attributed to disasters per

100,000 population

13.1.2

Score of adoption and implementation of national DRR

strategies in line with the Sendai Framework

Handling of hazardous waste

Hazardous waste generated

National recycling rate

Economic and environmental

aspects of tourism

Fossil fuel subsidies

GOAL 13 – Climate action

Deaths/missing/affected from

disasters

Disaster risk reduction

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Indicator short name

Disaster risk reduction, local

governments

Greenhouse gas emissions

Indicator

13.1.3

Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement

local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national

disaster risk reduction strategies (%)

13.2.2

Total greenhouse gas emissions without LULUCF (Mt CO2‚

equivalent):

- Annex I Parties

- Non-Annex I Parties

14.1.1

- Chlorophyll-a anomaly, remote sensing (%)

- Moderate

- High

- Beach litter originating from national land-based sources that

ends in the beach (%)

- Beach litter originating from national land-based sources that

ends in the ocean (%)

14.5.1

Average proportion of Marine Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs)

covered by protected areas (%)

14.6.1

Progress by countries in the degree of implementation of

international instruments aiming to combat illegal, unreported

and unregulated fishing (level of implementation)

14.7.1

Sustainable fisheries as a proportion of GDP (%)

14.a.1

National ocean science expenditure as a share of total

research and development funding (%)

14.b.1

Degree of application of a

legal/regulatory/policy/institutional framework which recognizes

and protects access rights for small-scale fisheries (level of

implementation: 1 lowest to 5 highest)

15.1.1

Forest area as a proportion of total land area (%)

15.1.2

Average proportion of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs)

covered by protected areas (%)

- Freshwater

- Terrestrial

15.2.1

- Above-ground biomass in forest (tonnes per hectare)

- Forest area net change rate (%)

- Proportion of forest area with a long-term management plan (%)

- Proportion of forest area within legally established protected

areas (%)

15.3.1

Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area

15.4.1

Average proportion of Mountain Key Biodiversity Areas

(KBAs) covered by protected areas (%)

15.4.2

Mountain Green Cover Index

15.5.1

Red List Index

GOAL 14 – Life below water

Coastal eutrophication and

plastic debris density

Protected marine areas

Combatting illegal fishing

Sustainable fisheries

Research budget for marine

technology

Legal frameworks to protect

small-scale fisheries

GOAL 15 – Life on land

Forest area

Sites for terrestrial and

freshwater biodiversity

Sustainable forest management

Degraded land

Sites for mountain biodiversity

Mountain Green Cover Index

Red List Index

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Technical notes on the progress assessment

Indicator short name

Plant genetic resources for good

and agriculture

Indicator

15.6.1

- Countries that have legislative, administrative and policy

framework or measures reported through the Online Reporting

System on Compliance of the International Treaty on Plant

Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA)

- Countries that are contracting Parties to the International Treaty

on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA)

15.8.1

- Legislation, Regulation, Act related to the prevention of

introduction and management of Invasive Alien Species

- Countries with an allocation from the national budget to manage

the threat of invasive alien species

- National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) targets

alignment to Aichi Biodiversity target 9 set out in the Strategic Plan

for Biodiversity 2011-2020

15.a.1

Total official development assistance for biodiversity

(millions of constant 2017 United States dollars) by:

- Donor countries

- Recipient countries

16.1.1

Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000

population

16.1.3

Proportion of population subjected to robbery in the

previous 12 months (%)

16.1.4

Proportion of population that feel safe walking alone

around the area they live after dark (%)

16.2.2

Detected victims of human trafficking (number)

16.3.1

Police reporting rate for robbery (%)

16.3.2

Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison

population (%)

16.5.1

Proportion of persons who had at least one contact with a

public official and who paid a bribe to a public official, or were

asked for a bribe by those public officials, during the previous

12 months

16.5.2

Bribery incidence (% of firms experiencing at least one

bribe payment request)

16.6.1

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of

original approved budget (%)

16.7.1

- Ratio of judges compared to national population distributions

- Ratio of registrars compared to national population distributions

- Ratio of members of parliament to eligible national population,

lower chamber or unicameral

- Ratio of members of parliament to eligible national population,

upper chamber

- Persons aged 45 or under

- Females

Management of invasive alien

species

ODA for biodiversity

GOAL 16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions

Intentional homicides

Robbery

Safety walking alone

Detected victims of human

trafficking

Robbery reporting rate

Unsentenced detainees

Individuals paying bribes

Bribery

Government expenditure

Representation in national and

local institutions

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Indicator short name

Public access to information

Indicator

16.10.2

Countries that adopt and implement constitutional,

statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to

information

16.a.1

Countries with National Human Rights Institutions in

compliance with the Paris Principles, A status

17.1.1

Total government revenue (budgetary central government)

as a proportion of GDP (%)

17.1.2

Proportion of domestic budget funded by domestic taxes

(% of GDP)

17.2.1

Net official development assistance (ODA) as a percentage

of OECD-DAC donors' GNI, by donor countries to (%):

- Landlocked developing countries

- Small island states (SIDS)

- Least developed countries (LDCs)

17.4.1

Debt service as a proportion of exports of goods and

services (%)

17.6.1

Fixed Internet broadband subscriptions per 100

inhabitants:

- 10 MPBS

- Any speed

17.8.1

Internet users per 100 inhabitants

17.10.1

Worldwide weighted tariff-average, most-favoured-nation status

(%):

- Agricultural products

- Clothing

- Industrial products

- Oil

- Textiles

- All products

- Worldwide weighted tariff-average, preferential status (%)

- Agricultural products

- Clothing

- Industrial products

- Oil

- Textiles

- All products

Human Rights, Paris Principles

GOAL 17 – Partnerships for goals

Tax revenue

Domestic budget funded by

domestic taxes

ODA from OECD-DAC

Debt service

Fixed Internet broadband

subscription by speed

Internet users

Worldwide weighted tariff-

average

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Technical notes on the progress assessment

Indicator short name

Average tariffs faced by

developing countries

Indicator

17.12.1

- Average tariff applied by developed countries, most-favoured

nation status (%):

- Agricultural products

- Arms

- Clothing

- Industrial products

- Oil

- Textiles

- All products

- Average tariff applied by developed countries, preferential

status (%):

- Agricultural products

- Arms

- Clothing

- Industrial products

- Oil

- Textiles

- All products

17.13.1

- Gross public sector debt, Central Government, as a proportion

of GDP (%)

- Annual inflation, consumer prices (%)

- Annual growth of households and NPISHs final consumption

expenditure (%)

- Annual GDP growth (%)

17.15.1

- Extent of use of country-owned results frameworks and planning

tools by providers of development cooperation, data by provider

(%)

- Proportion of project objectives of new development

interventions drawn from country-led result frameworks, data by

provider (%)

- Proportion of results indicators drawn from country-led results

frameworks, data by provider (%)

- Proportion of results indicators which will be monitored using

government sources and monitoring systems, data by provider

(%)

17.7.1

- Amount of tracked exported Environmentally Sound

Technologies (current United States dollars)

- Amount of tracked exported Environmentally Sound

Technologies (current United States dollars)

17.9.1

Total official development assistance (gross

disbursement) for technical cooperation (millions of 2020 United

States dollars)

17.18.1

- Data Sources performance index (Statistical Performance

Indicators Pillar 4) (Index)

- Data Infrastructure performance index (Statistical Performance

Indicators Pillar 5) (Index)

Macroeconomic dashboard

Country-owned results

frameworks and planning tools

Funding for environmentally

sound technologies

Official development assistance

for technical cooperation

Statistical capacity indicator for

Sustainable Development Goal

monitoring

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Sustainable development in the UNECE region: facing a headwind in 2024

Indicator short name

Compliance with the

Fundamental Principles of

Official Statistics

National statistical plan

Indicator

17.18.2

Countries with national statistical legislation exists that

complies with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics

17.18.3

- Countries with national statistical plans with funding from

Government

- Countries with national statistical plans that are fully funded

- Countries with national statistical plans that are under

implementation

17.19.2

- Countries that have conducted at least one population and

housing census in the last 10 years

- Countries with birth registration data that are at least 90 percent

complete

- Countries with death registration data that are at least 75

percent complete

Census, birth and death

registration

URU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 123: Statusrapport 2024 fra FN's Økonomiske Kommission for Europa (UNECE): Sustainable development in the UNECE Region: Facing a Headwind in 2024

Sustainable development

in the UNECE Region:

Facing a Headwind in 2024

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E-mail:

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ISBN 978-92-1-003051-9

Printed at United Nations, Geneva – 2402854

(E)

– February 2024 – 77 –

ECE/CES/STAT/2024/1