Latest news with #SustainableDevelopmentReport2025
AllAfrica
a day ago
- Politics
- AllAfrica
Can Asia lead a fractured and shifting world?
In a time when global trust is unravelling and crises overlap like fault lines, the world feels like a house with its foundations shifting. Climate change is accelerating faster than anticipated. Inequality is deepening. The international order is filled with noise but devoid of direction. Wars have returned to Europe and the Middle East. Major powers are polarizing internally, and solidarity between nations is losing its meaning. And yet, in the midst of this global turbulence, one region is quietly moving in the opposite direction: Asia. According to the Sustainable Development Report 2025, East and South Asia have recorded the fastest progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2015. Driven by rapid gains in poverty reduction, education and public health, the region now stands at the forefront of global SDG momentum. But this progress is emerging within a broken world. The war in Ukraine, ongoing conflict in Gaza, rising protectionism, and a breakdown in global financial fairness have disrupted supply chains, inflated food and energy prices, and forced many developing countries to choose between debt repayment and feeding their populations. The United States and Europe, preoccupied with domestic priorities and regional security, have stepped back from the role of global development champions. As the SDR 2025 warns, 'international spillovers and exposure to supply-chain disruptions' have become a defining threat to SDG progress, especially in conflict zones or economies under sanctions. The consequences are stark: globally, only around 17% of SDG targets are on track to be achieved by 2030. The rest are stagnating or regressing. This is not due to a lack of capacity or knowledge, but because of a crisis of solidarity, a collapse of financing and growing geopolitical instability. The Middle East and Eastern Europe are among the worst affected, showing sharp declines across key goals like SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). When development becomes collateral damage of political warfare, the world loses its shared compass. In contrast, East and South Asia stand as a counter-current. Countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam and even Uzbekistan have shown remarkable SDG momentum—reducing extreme poverty, expanding basic education, strengthening health systems, and investing in social protection. These aren't perfect stories, but they are real ones. They prove that transformation is possible—even amid fiscal constraints and global chaos. In a world coming apart at the seams, Asia is holding the thread. Indonesia, at the heart of this rising tide, occupies a unique position. Its SDG Index rank in 2025 stands at 77 out of 167—not top-tier, but steady. Not spectacular, but consistent. More importantly, Indonesia has consistently submitted its Voluntary National Reviews, showing institutional commitment to sustainable development. As a G20 member and the largest democracy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia has the moral and strategic legitimacy to bridge the global divide—between developed and developing nations, between ambition and accountability. But leadership does not happen by default. It must be shaped. Not by economic numbers alone, but by the ability to offer direction. The world today is not short on technology or capital—it's short on compass. In the absence of credible global leadership, what's needed is not dominance, but direction. And that is where Asia's opportunity lies. Asia carries with it a deep memory of pain and resilience. Its past includes colonial wounds, mass poverty, natural disasters, and economic crises. But that history has given rise to a muscle of survival that is now evolving into a vision for transformation. Asia knows how to grow without waiting to be saved. Its cultures of collectivism, its internal diversity, and its experience navigating crisis without losing hope—these are not weaknesses. They are the very foundation of a different kind of leadership: one that is grounded rather than arrogant, inclusive rather than imposing. Yet, Asia's rise is not without its own dangers. Geopolitical tensions within the region—over the South China Sea, Taiwan, and the Korean Peninsula—threaten the very stability it has worked hard to preserve. The global conflicts it has so far weathered from a distance may begin to spill over. If Asia wants to lead a fractured world, it must first preserve peace in its own neighborhood. That means strengthening regional solidarity, reforming domestic financial systems, and investing in green transitions and social equity. Without these, momentum could turn to fragility. Indonesia again stands as a compelling example. Not because it has solved all problems, but because of where it stands: a democracy with scale, a regional influencer with credibility, and a cultural bridge that speaks to both the Global South and the world's economic powers. In a time when multilateralism is losing breath, Indonesia could help reimagine it—not through ideology, but through integrity. Five years remain until 2030. The window for meaningful global change is narrowing. And as traditional centers of influence turn inward, the world is looking elsewhere for guidance. It is not enough for Asia to rise economically. The question is whether it can rise with purpose. Whether it can offer not just speed, but direction. Not just hope, but action. Leadership today is not about controlling others. It's about holding space—space for cooperation, for healing, for shared futures. Asia may not have sought this moment. But the moment has arrived nonetheless. A vacuum of global guidance is dangerous. But it is also a rare opportunity—for a region that has long been underestimated to now step forward, not with triumphalism, but with vision. Asia is rising. But the world is not waiting. The question, then, is no longer whether Asia will be ready to lead. It is whether Asia will be willing—willing to be the voice of direction in a world that is asking, more urgently than ever: Who still knows where we're going? Setyo Budiantoro is sustainable development expert at The Prakarsa, MIT Sloan IDEAS fellow, advisory committee member of Fair Finance Asia and SDGs–ESG expert at Indonesian ESG Professional Association (IEPA).
Asahi Shimbun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Japan falls to 19th in world rankings for SDG progress
Dropping one spot from last year, Japan ranked 19th in the world for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and received the lowest evaluation level in six categories, including gender equality and food security. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), an international research organization that operates under the United Nations, released its annual report on countries' progress on SDGs on June 24. The 'Sustainable Development Report 2025' covered 167 countries that hold comparable data. Japan has continued to fall in the rankings since placing 11th in 2017. It placed 18th last year. The SDSN also rated countries on a four-level scale for their progress on each of 17 goals. Like last year, Japan received the lowest rating of 'major challenges remain' for five goals: gender equality; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; and life on land. This year, Japan also received the lowest rating in the category of zero hunger, which represents food security and sustainable agriculture. The report cited Japan's worsening nitrogen management, which leads to air and groundwater pollution, and high meat consumption, which puts a burden on the environment. Japan also ranked poorly in: proportion of seats held by women in national parliament; gender wage gap; amount of electronic waste that is not recollected; volume of plastic waste exported; CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion; rate of fish caught from overexploited or collapsed stocks; and biodiversity conservation efforts. Furthermore, Japan dropped two evaluation levels for industry, innovation and infrastructure. Japan had previously received a top evaluation of 'achieved' in that category, but it slid due largely to its low score in the newly adopted indicator assessing the percentage of women among university graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. In the 2025 report, Japan received an 'achieved' evaluation for only one goal: good health and well-being. This was attributed to an increase in Japanese people reporting a sense of well-being, both physically and mentally. This lifted Japan's overall rating. The top five countries remained unchanged from last year, with Finland leading for the fifth consecutive year. Japan remains the highest-ranked country outside of Europe. The report noted that more people have access to electricity and the internet, and infant mortality rates have declined worldwide. It emphasized that development support through the SDGs is a high-return investment that will benefit future generations.
New Indian Express
04-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Bengaluru Sustainability Conclave: OP Jindal report urges all universities to lead climate action
BENGALURU: Amid growing concerns over rising global temperatures, social inequalities, and economic instability, there is an urgent need for collective action on sustainability, according to OP Jindal Global University's Sustainable Development Report 2025. The report was released by Governor Thawaarchand Gehlot at the Bengaluru Sustainability Conclave here on Tuesday. It called upon universities to take a leading role in addressing climate challenges and outlines the university's progress in sustainability research, education and operations, in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report author, Prof Padmanabha Ramanujam, highlighted the role of higher education in sustainability leadership.
