From environmental problems reminiscent of climate change to widespread poverty, much of the world continues to face a big selection of challenges. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are 17 goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 that aim to resolve all of the world’s global problems. Guided by the principle of “leaving nobody behind”, they strive to create a healthy, prosperous and equitable world by 2030. This applies to each nation on the planet, including ASEAN member countries.
Since 2000, ASEAN has made significant progress in improving economic opportunities and reducing poverty; continued income growth and determined policy efforts will be certain that a majority of ASEAN members eradicate absolute poverty by the deadline. However, many challenges remain and ASEAN must remain strongly committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve this goal, quite a lot of initiatives have been undertaken.
ASEAN Leading Cities Program for Sustainable Development Goals
The ASEAN SDGs Frontrunner Cities program is an initiative under the ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities (AWGESC) funded by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). It goals to attain inclusive, sustainable, resilient and dynamic development in ASEAN cities and develop the capability of “next generation” cities, promoting policies and practices that can shape a clean and green ASEAN. Cities participating on this Program are nominated to develop progressive and replicable practices for localizing the SDGs.
Cities find it difficult to keep up the motivation to beat obstacles to achieving these goals, so the motivation to succeed have to be instilled not only in government officials but in addition in odd residents. This will be done by implementing projects that can demonstrably profit local communities, because the SDGs will not be perceived as vital in on a regular basis life. Long-term visions and consensus across parties are key to maintaining motivation and localization.
ASEAN MYWorld 2030 Advocacy Program
The ASEAN MYWorld 2030 Advocacy Program is a people-led sustainability initiative for the ASEAN community that goals to empower people to act on issues that impact their lives, ensuring that nobody is left behind. It goals to lift awareness of the SDGs, collect citizen data and input on SDG priorities, and promote people’s engagement within the SDGs.
The data collected is used for local advocacy efforts, and as of February 2019, over 40,000 votes have been collected from MY World platforms for ASEAN countries. In addition, 15 regional advocacy events have been organized since June 2018, bringing together UN organizations, government representatives, private sector partners, in addition to regional civil society organizations and youth networks.
Application
The Sustainable Development Goals are ambitious goals that require strong, consistent effort and commitment. ASEAN member countries and the remaining of the world must recognize the importance of achieving these goals to make sure a sustainable and peaceful planet.
Sources
- https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals
- https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/asean-sdgs-frontrunner-cities-programme
- https://www.iges.or.jp/en/projects/sdgs-fc
- https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/asean-my-world-2030-advocacy-programme
- https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/Policy-Papers/Issues/2018/11/07/pp101118asean-progress-towards-sdgs
