Page 11 - 國合會2016電子書-英文

Strategic Planning and Direction

Towards a future of sustainable development through steadfast

cooperation on development projects

Progress in implementation of the sustainable In education, statistics published in 2013 indicate
development goals that 757 million adults (aged 15 and over) worldwide
Building on the experience of implementing the were unable to read and write, of whom two-thirds
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Sustainable were women, which shows that there is still persistent
Development Goals (SDGs) came into force in 2016, inequality in education resources. From 2011 to 2013,
which include 17 goals supported by 169 targets and official development assistance (ODA) for educational
230 indicators with the aim of “leaving no one behind,” to scholarships amounted to approximately US$1.1 billion
ensure that all developed, developing and least developed annually and totaled US$1.2 billion in 2014, with Australia,
countries share the responsibilities on the journey to France and Japan being the largest contributors.
sustainable development. In July 2016, the UN released With regard to the environment, total official flows
the Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals for water and sanitation were US$10 billion in 2014,
report, which presented a global overview of the current representing around 7 percent of total aid flows. As to
progress using global indicators and statistics, highlighting renewable energy, there was 72 percent increase in
where specific population groups lag behind and the energy consumption from renewable sources between
challenges that lie ahead. 2010 and 2012 in developing regions, with hydropower,
The report points out that although the proportion of the wind and solar energy accounting for 73 percent of the
population suffering from hunger declined globally from 15 total increase in renewable energy between 2010 and
percent in 2000-2002 to 11 percent in 2014-2016, there 2012.
still remains more than 790 million people worldwide who In economic development and resilient infrastructure,
lack access to adequate food. Moreover, the persistence small-scale industries accounted for an estimated 15-
of hunger is no longer simply a matter of food availability; 20 percent of value added and 25-30 percent of total
the interplay of natural and human-induced disasters industrial employment in developing countries in 2015.
with political instability has aggravated problems of food However, access to financial services in these countries
insecurity. Furthermore, globally in 2014, nearly one in four remains a problem. In emerging markets, between 45-55
children under five years of age, an estimated total of 159 percent of all small and medium enterprises are unserved
million, had stunted growth, with Southern Asia and sub- or underserved by financial services.
Saharan Africa accounting for 75 percent of those children.
As for maternal and child mortality, the global maternal Arrival of the era for global climate governance
mortality ratio declined by 37 percent between 2000 and Apart from the SDGs, another global consensus on
2015, and neonatal mortality rate dropped from 31 deaths governance is the Paris Agreement enacted on November
per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 19 deaths per 1,000 live 4, 2016. Adopted in 2015 by the Conference of Parties
births in 2015, registering a negative growth of 38.71 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
percent. Although under-five mortality rates fell by 44 Change (UNFCCC), the two thresholds of at least 55
percent globally, an estimated 5.9 million children under the Parties accounting for at least 55 percent of global
age of five died in 2015, 45 percent of which were neonatal greenhouse gas emissions for the agreement to enter
deaths. into force, have prompted strong international support.
In terms of disease prevention, there have been major According to UNFCCC records, a vast majority of the 197
improvements in infectious diseases. However, according member states have submitted their intended nationally
to data from 2012, around 38 million people died from non- determined contributions (INDCs), among which 137
infectious diseases per year, accounting for 68 percent of all parties have included an adaptation component in their
deaths worldwide, and three-quarters of premature deaths INDCs, reflecting that adaptation has become one of the
were attributable to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes priorities for addressing issues of climate change.
and chronic respiratory disease. In 2014, at least 1.7 billion In addition to the efforts of countries to attain their
people in 185 countries required treatment for at least one INDCs, the collective progress of global actions will be
neglected tropical disease (NTD). Nonetheless, investments updated every five years to further reinforce international
in related treatment and research of these diseases are far cooperation in achieving the global goal on climate
less than those for infectious diseases. change.

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