ADB and the Sustainable Development Goals

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all member states of the United Nations in 2015 and are commitments to achieving a better and more sustainable future for everyone. They address many of the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. The goals are ambitious and wide reaching and achieving them will require massive financing from public and private sources. The SDGs pick up where the Millennium Development Goals left off, providing a holistic framework for global development aspirations.

The SDGs in Asia and the Pacific

Home to two-thirds of the world’s population and some of the world’s largest economies, Asia and the Pacific has seen billions of people lifted out of extreme poverty in past decades.

Nevertheless, when the SDGs were adopted in 2015, 273 million people in the region were still living on less than $1.90 a day and 1.1 billion were living very close to the poverty line on less than $3.20 per day. Economic growth has not always translated into decent jobs for all, and inequality has been a pervasive challenge Environmental issues have been increasingly pressing, with oceans and forests under increasing stress, and greenhouse gas emissions growing rapidly. Even before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic triggered a sweeping human and economic crisis in 2020, ADB’s Developing Member Countries (DMC) were off track to achieving all 17 SDGs. In this Decade of Action, ADB is deepening its support for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

ADB Support for the SDGs

ADB supports the SDGs by:

• Ensuring ADB’s results framework aligns with the SDGs.
• Directly financing projects that help DMCs achieve the SDGs.
• Mobilizing finance for the SDGs, particularly from the private sector.
• Supporting knowledge, capacity building, and dialogue related to the SDGs.
• Partnering with ESCAP, UNDP, the Asia-Pacific SDG Partnership, as well as the private sector and other MDBs on SDG attainment.

Renewing Commitment to the SDGs

To achieve the SDGs by 2030, renewed focus on the goals will be essential as countries seek to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments need to renew sustained leadership and commitment, and to enact supportive macroeconomic policies. They also need to prioritize public expenditure for the SDGs and improve internal coordination among ministries. It is important to create the conditions whereby the business community, consumers, NGOs, and international donors can effectively contribute to achieving the SDGs. ADB is deepening support to help its DMCs rise to these challenges.