NEW YORK – As we head into the fourth and final quarter of 2019 and begin the third decade of the 21st century, it seems like a good time to review the progress of South Asian countries toward reaching the United Nations’ sustainable development goals for 2030.
This information originally appeared in the “United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals Progress Chart 2019.” We are providing a simplified format.
| Goal | Progress |
| Eradicate extreme poverty | On target |
| End hunger | Acceleration needed |
| End stunting | Acceleration needed |
| Increase agricultural funding | On target |
| Births attended by skilled health professionals | Acceleration needed |
| End preventable deaths of children under 5 years of age | Acceleration needed |
| End the epidemic of HIV infections | Limited or no progress |
| End the epidemic of malaria | On target |
| Increase vaccine coverage | On target |
| Ensure proficiency in reading by the end of primary school | Limited or no progress |
| Ensure proficiency in math by the end of primary school | Limited or no progress |
| Reduce the out-of-school rate at primary school | Limited or no progress |
| Eliminate child marriage | Acceleration needed |
| Equal opportunity for women in managerial positions | Limited or no progress |
| Universal and equitable access to safe drinking water | Acceleration needed |
| Universal and equitable access to managed sanitation | Insufficient data |
| Universal access to electricity | Acceleration needed |
| Increase the share of renewable energy at the final consumption | Deteriorating |
| Double the rate of energy efficiency | On target |
| Full and productive employment for all | On target |
| Sustain per capita economic growth | On target |
| Reduce the youth not in education, training or employment | Limited or no progress |
| Substantially raise industry’s share of GDP | Acceleration needed |
| Reduce CO2 emissions per unit of GDP | Acceleration needed |
| Reduce the proportion of urban slum dwellers | Acceleration needed |
| Reduce domestic material consumption per unit of GDP | Acceleration needed |
| Ensure sustainability of forest areas | On target |
| Protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species | Deterioration |
| Significantly reduce all forms of violence | Limited or no progress |
| Reduce the proportion of unsentenced detainees | Limited or no progress |
| Increase fixed internet broadband subscriptions | On target |
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize the likelihood that South Asia can attain the sustainable development goals is seriously in jeopardy. Whether this is good or bad depends upon your personal worldview and whether you believe that mankind can solve our global problems.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the only one capable of bringing complete and lasting order into this world. Our collectively insufficient will and ability to do so are being proven by the lack of progress toward these admirable goals is empirical evidence that we are, on the other hand, incapable of doing so.
Look for Missions Box follow up reports on the global (lack) of progress toward the SDGs over the next several weeks.
To read more news on Poverty on Missions Box, go here.
Sources:
- World Atlas, The Poorest Countries In South Asia
- The London School of Economics and Political Science, Examining poverty trends in South Asian countries
- UN Stats, Sustainable Development Goals Progress Chart 2019
- Trading Economics, United States GDP per capita
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