The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (Unescap) has called for better data collection to ensure all related communities are included in sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific.
Unescap released the 2025 Asia-Pacific SDGs Progress Report yesterday to help member countries, through the latest data and insights, reflect on the effectiveness of their implementation to achieve 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
According to the report, the Asia-Pacific region has shown both the most significant progress and the greatest regression in achieving its goals, with most of the stagnation being caused by some marginalised communities being overlooked for assistance.
The region showed outstanding progress compared with the rest of the world towards several SDG targets. These included reducing income poverty, reducing the prevalence of undernourishment, mitigating land degradation, reducing hazardous waste, supporting small-scale industries, and combating human trafficking and intentional homicide.
However, there was slow progress and setbacks in critical goals such as quality education, decent work and economic growth, and sustainable consumption and production. Rising fossil fuel subsidies, low literacy and numeracy rates, and unsustainable production patterns further compounded these challenges.
Environmental degradation, increasing vulnerability to natural disasters, and persistent greenhouse gas emissions have exacerbated setbacks in the battle against climate action.
The report also found that development benefits often bypass vulnerable groups.
Poverty and education levels are the two most significant factors contributing to inequality of opportunity. Poorer households in rural areas with lower levels of education are the most disadvantaged in accessing basic services such as water, sanitation and clean energy.
Lin Yang, Unescap Deputy Executive Secretary, said that to ensure sustainable development for all, data collection should be improved.
She said data gaps persisted in critical areas such as gender equality due to the government and stakeholders' inability to understand the diverse needs of populations.
As such, she called for a "whole of society" approach in collecting data to provide policymakers with a clearer understanding of the realities of specific population groups, especially those most at risk of being left behind, and to help all members achieve the SDGs.
"Achieving SDGs for everyone requires a transformative shift in how we approach data and statistics. That means fostering strong political leadership, mobilising investment, and strengthening partnerships across all sectors. The collective vision is crucial if we want to meet SDGs target and create a sustainable and equitable future for all," she said.