SDGs
Sustainable Development Goals
UN development system contribution to the advancement of the SDGs
With a coordination boost, UN teams are better fit to support 162 countries and territories to tackle crises, such as the pandemic, protect hard-won gains and advance the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, including by strengthening focus on the most vulnerable groups and those left behind.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
The UN team, led by the Resident Coordinator, tackled the impact of the pandemic supporting a new scheme to boost food production in schools, now piloted in 17 schools. Also, over 14,000 children have access to water and sanitation facilities in schools now, and an additional 100,000 people have access to basic water supply. Despite the pandemic’s education setbacks, children enrolment in basic and secondary education increased by 36% from 2020 to 2021. In addition, 2 million children received their regular vaccines.
Brazil
Brazil
The UN team in Brazil, led by the Resident Coordinator, continued supporting national authorities in responding to the multiple impacts of COVID-19, including a 170% increase in school dropout rates since the onset of the pandemic. Over 14 million students benefitted from UN-led home-schooling initiatives. More than 3,800 health centers received support to maintain essential immunization services. 1.5 million vulnerable people, especially children aged 0-6 and their family members, were reached through the Joint SDG Fund .by health, education, and social assistance services in over 3,000 municipalities, also including thanks to training of 20,000 professionals for direct assistance to participating families. Also, 140,000 Venezuelan migrants received shelter, food, education, health, and integration services. The UN team also provided technical support to federal, state and municipal governments to safely reopen schools that were closed for 52 weeks due to the pandemic, with impacts on learning, enrolment rates, nutrition, and safety of children and adolescents.
Thailand
Thailand
In Thailand, the UN team, under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, is supporting the labour market recovery: UNESCO is boosting digital skills for 280,000 youth and adults in non-formal education; UNDP and ILO are providing vocational training to nearly 20,000 women and persons with disabilities affected by the pandemic. In addition, FAO is improving post-COVID supply chain resilience through smart farming and efforts to help food processing in medium and small enterprisesto reduce food waste in livestock, fisheries, rice, snack food, and dairy products.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
The UN team in Sri Lanka, led by the Resident Coordinator, continues supporting the country’s health and socio-economic response to and recovery efforts from COVID-19. To date, over 82% of Sri Lanka’s population above the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated with 2 doses. 5.13 million doses were delivered through the COVAX mechanism as of April 2022. Additionally, the UN team helped establish a centrally managed, digital home-based care system for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients, contributing to a significant reduction of the burden on health institutions.
The UN team also helped put together a COVID-19 information management system to analyse and visualise data from vaccination centres at national and subnational levels. As the primary data source for COVID-19 vaccination information in the country, this tool was further upgraded to issue a “Smart Vaccine Certificate” that can be verified globally.
Cameroon
Cameroon
In Cameroon, the UN team, led by the Resident Coordinator, is working with authorities to boost literacy and non-formal education, strengthening the Government’s capacity to provide online primary education services to schools nationwide: over 320,000 students and more than 8,500 headteachers have access to online teaching platforms as a result of the UN team’s support in 2021. The UN team is also promoting the use of renewable energies in rural areas to provide 1,000 households with alternative energy solutions and economic resources while advocating for the fight against environmental degradation.
Iraq
Iraq
The UN Team in Iraq, led by the Resident Coordinator, continued supporting Iraq and its people to respond to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 and other development priorities. These included over 620 functional infrastructure projects, which reached more than 4.2 million beneficiaries, increasing access to services in priority sectors and rehabilitating thousands of houses, 84 health care centers and 193 schools, including for displaced populations. As a result, 51 per cent of returnees’ households are now living in locations with adequate access to services and infrastructures. Moreover, over 150,000 refugees, IDPs, returnees and other vulnerable groups received multipurpose cash assistance in 2021. In addition, over 40,000 youth received technical and vocational training, and thousands of Iraqi workers benefited from decent job opportunities. Also, more than 5million m2 of contaminated land was cleared of explosive ordnance in the main cities of Mosul, Fallujah, and Ramadi.
Barbados, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama
Barbados, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama
The Resident Coordinator Offices in Barbados, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama used social media and mobile platforms to assess how populations were coping with the pandemic to tailor public policies.
Mongolia
To accelerate advancement of the SDGs, the UN development system has adopted a number of innovative approaches
- At least 48 UN teams reported using innovative data tools and digital technologies, including in the pandemic response
- 53% of UN teams conducted analyses on the transformative impact of technology, innovation and digital transformation for the achievement of UN mandates
- 52% of UN teams are applying real time monitoring approaches
- 35% of UN teams are applying mobile feedback mechanisms to inform and adjust support to countries
- 39% of UN teams worked with big data in 2021
UN teams continued to focus on the most vulnerable groups and those left behind
Central African Republic
Central African Republic
In Central African Republic, the UN team promoted equitable access to basic social services for the most vulnerable, resulting in more than 30% of refugees with disabilities benefitting from cash and non-cash services, and almost 30% of health facilities equipped for disability-inclusive reproductive health services to women and girls.
Progress has been made in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, while also addressing violence against women
of UN teams use the gender equality marker to track cross-cutting impacts to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, a 21% increase since 2019
of Cooperation Frameworks have a dedicated outcome on gender equality
Côte d’Ivoire
UN teams have been advancing the implementation of the UN Youth Strategy – Youth2030
In 2021 the number of UN teams reporting meaningful youth engagement nearly doubled compared to 2020
Nearly 90% of UN teams now include a youth focus in the Common Country Analysis and Cooperation Framework
Peru
Bangladesh
Moldova
Similarly, UN teams have supported national policies and strategies for the implementation of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy
of UN teams met or exceeded requirements of at least half of the indicators in the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy Accountability Framework, up from 11% in 2020
of UN teams reported explicit commitment and mainstreaming of disability inclusion across Cooperation Frameworks
of UN teams included at least one disability-inclusive common service in their Business Operations Strategy, such as physical accessibility and inclusive human resources
Serbia
Indigenous peoples were also increasingly included in programming development
UN teams also tackled critical cross-border and global priorities
Djibouti
Djibouti
1 million metric tons of food were channelled to conflict-affected countries, in East Africa (a 150% increase from 2020), through the logistics hub in Djibouti. The UN team, led by the Resident Coordinator, also helped distribute food to over 100,000 vulnerable people in Djibouti, supported the Government in addressing the needs of 34,000 refugees, and assisted over 6,000 migrants in distress. Also, 40,500 people in rural areas gained access to water through hydraulic infrastructures, over 2,400 pastoralists received 240 tons of animal feed, and 47,000 people benefited from the rehabilitation of 212 hectares of agricultural land.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
To promote renewable energy sources, the UN team in Kazakhstan, led by the Resident Coordinator, enabled funding schemes for solar power stations with a potential reduction of 70,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, including first green bonds in the country for half a million dollars to build the stations, and delivering microcredits to more than 150 entrepreneurs to strat their own businesses.
Lebanon
Lebanon
The UN team in Lebanon, led by the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator continued to support the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign by boosting hospitals and health centers capacity, providing trainings for health care workers, disseminating life-saving information through communication campaigns, and providing cold chains, vaccine commodities and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): nearly 42 million PPE items were distributed. Over 180,000 people received critical water and sanitation supplies and services, nearly 70,000 infection prevention and control kits and over 601,000 disinfection kits were provided to vulnerable families, and over 440 intensive care and regular beds were provided to hospitals across the country. Around 4 million people were reached via awareness campaigns through both digital and traditional media, aimed at building trust in the vaccine. In addition, the UN team also supported the Government in planning and organizing several vaccination drives reaching nearly 57,000 people, including over 4,000 people with disabilities, refugees, and migrants of different nationalities. In total, over 1.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were delivered to the country through COVAX, with 2.3 million people fully vaccinated as of April 2022.
UN-INFO allows for tracking of UN teams' activities, funding, partners and results in the advancement of the SDGs.
System-wide results to advance the SDGs
These results are a snapshot based on available data of how UN teams contributed to SDG results at country level in 2021. System-wide results on the SDGs are organized along thematic areas aligned to the Goals.
Data on system-wide contributions to the advancement of the SDGs include inputs received from: DESA, DPPA/PBSO, ECA, ECLAC, ESCAP, ESCWA, FAO, ILO, IOM, ITC, ITU, OHCHR, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNECE, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNODC, UNRWA, UN Women, WHO and WMO.
UN contribution towards the SDGs: Poverty Reduction, Social Protection, Education & Basic Services
Poverty reduction and social protection
17 countries supported to scale up social protection mechanisms, including floors
133 million children in 95 countries reached with cash transfer programmes, of which 19 million children were reached in humanitarian settings
19.7 million refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs & others of concern accessed protection services, including child protection & gender-based violence prevention & response
3.3 million refugees & asylum-seekers benefited from increased or expanded social protection in 85 countries
58 countries supported to improve rural poor’s access to services, finance, knowledge, technologies, infrastructure, markets & natural resources to strengthen productivity & improve livelihoods
Education
48.7 million out-of-school children, 50 per cent of them girls, accessed education, including 6.4 million children on the move & 31.7 million in humanitarian settings
112 countries supported education response to the pandemic through the Global Education Coalition
Basic services
16 million people gained access to safe water services; in humanitarian settings, 33.2 million people accessed safe water for drinking, cooking & personal hygiene; 19.9 million people gained access to basic sanitation services
200K people in slums & informal settlements in 45 countries gained access to basic services
Conservation & management capacities enhanced in 33 World Heritage properties, including through World Heritage education & engagement of 400 civil society stakeholders
26 countries supported to deliver safe, accessible & inclusive public spaces through capacity development initiatives & public space interventions; impacting the lives of 470K people
UN contribution towards the SDGs: Healthy Lives, Nutrition & Well-being
Healthy lives
- 1.4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine delivered through global COVAX Facility to 145 countries & territories
- Joint support provided to 51 countries under Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives & Well-Being for All (GAP) on cross-cutting accelerators such as primary health care
- 12.5 million unintended pregnancies averted by providing contraceptives
- 38,400 maternal deaths averted through contraceptives
- 46 million women, adolescents & youth reached with integrated sexual & reproductive health services
- 1.25 million women & girls (refugees & asylum-seekers) accessed sexual & reproductive health services in 50 countries
- 1.9 million Palestine refugees supported with universally accessible Primary Health Care
Nutrition
- 104 countries supported to design & implement national policies, strategies, regulatory frameworks & investment plans supportive of efficient food systems, including to reduce food loss & waste
- 111 countries supported to develop & publish national food system pathways, using multi-stakeholder approaches & regional dialogues
- 118 countries supported to adapt to & continue maternal & child nutrition programmes
- 400 million children, adolescents & women reached with services for prevention & treatment of malnutrition
Promoting well-being
- > 8.4 million children & adolescents in 111 countries & nearly 3.6 million parents & caregivers in 97 countries reached with community-based mental health & psychosocial support
- 841,100 refugees & asylum-seekers received mental health & psychosocial support services in 85 countries
- 45 countries supported on drug prevention, treatment, care & access to controlled medicines
- 11 countries supported to develop social health protection policies & systems
- 9.29 million refugees, asylum seekers received essential health care services in 79 countries
- 1.7 million referrals to vulnerable individuals, including migrants & forcibly displaced persons, to access health & psychosocial support services
UN contribution towards the SDGs: Decent Work For All
Decent work for all
- 22 countries supported to generate decent rural employment opportunities, entrepreneurship & skills development; for youth and women in food, agriculture & related sectors
- 5 countries supported to implement policy tool promoting decent employment for women through inclusive growth policies & investments in the care economy
- Worker’s organizations in 48 countries & employer’s organizations in 40 countries supported to improve outreach & services to their members
- 8 countries ratified the Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention, bringing the total to 57
- 26 “Pathfinder countries” in the Alliance 8.7, half of which developed roadmap on child labour
- 66 countries supported to address child labour; with 39 countries adopting legislative & policy frameworks to eliminate the worst forms of child labour
- 5 countries assisted with adapting domestic legislation to comply with the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol
- 138 million workers globally protected with reduced risk of incidence of work-related deaths, injuries & diseases
- 20 countries improved services to protect migrant workers, through access to emergency services, food, PPE & legal assistance
- Labour inspectorates in 27 countries improved their capacity to enforce national labour legislation
- 15 countries supported to set or improve minimum wages; 3 countries adopted minimum wage systems for the first time
UN contribution towards the SDGs: Economic Transformation & Financing for Development
Small and medium-sized enterprises
supported resulting in increased inclusion in value chains, 192 of which were women-led SMEs
Urban policies
supported in evidence-based formulation & implementation of their national urban policies
National financing frameworks
supported to develop & implement integrated national financing frameworks that manage all sources of resources in line with achieving the SDGs
Principles for Responsible Banking
accounting for 45 per cent of global banking assets serving 1.7 billion people, signed up to the Principles for Responsible Banking to align strategies & practices with SDGs & Paris Agreement
Trade and investment deals
trade & investment deals facilitated through support to South-South negotiations & completion of trade & investment deals in key sectors, ex. agribusiness, light manufacturing, technology & services
Least developed countries
- 56 developing & least developed countries (LDCs) developed/strengthened their capacity to formulate gender-responsive trade policy
- 13 LDCs supported on graduation, smooth transition & trade promotion
UN contribution towards the SDGs: Peaceful Societies & Inclusive Governance
Peaceful societies
- 100.2 million people tracked through the Displacement Tracking Matrix, enabling humanitarian & development actors to be able to support displaced & mobile populations with context-specific & evidence-based assistance
- 42 countries supported with prevention of violent extremism, including through developing skills & employment actions to stop hate speech in 40 countries included the innovative use of data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- 146 State Parties assisted in strengthening responses to transnational organized crime, including through promoting international cooperation, enhancing legislative & strategic frameworks, & participating in the UNTOC Review Mechanism
- 14 countries reinforced national legal frameworks related to firearms; 2 additional countries adopted new legislation on firearms
4 cyber-drills at global, regional & national level conducted to enhance countries’ ability to respond to cybersecurity threats; with 34 cyber-drills cumulatively conducted supporting 120 countries
71 countries supported to improve inclusivity in political & peace processes & decision-making through mediation (in 122 cases), electoral support (in 80 processes or events), & partnerships, including with IFIs, regional organizations & 803 CSOs
Inclusive Governance
- 357 cities used participatory planning methodologies & collected spatial data to increase quality & ownership of local plans, & to foster sustainable urban development
- 138 countries supported in implementation of UNCAC to strengthen legal, policy & institutional anti-corruption frameworks, reaching more than 2,300 practitioners from the judiciary, law enforcement, anti-corruption authorities, civil society & private sector
124,055 vulnerable migrants stranded due to COVID-19 pandemic received case management support
13 countries reformed nationality laws, policies & procedures to close gaps leading to statelessness
11 countries supported to establish & strengthen collaborative platforms between national human rights institutions (NHRIs) & statistical offices, to develop human rights & SDG indicators
Around 13.9 million births notified across 52 countries; 37.9 million births were registered across 63 countries & around 34.1 million certificates issued in 56 countries
Across 129 countries, 4.4 million children who had experienced violence reached with health, social work & justice services, including nearly 45,000 children with disabilities across 64 countries
UN contribution towards the SDGs: Gender Equality & Women's Empowerment
Gender equality and women's empowerment
countries developed gender-responsive policies & programmes for employment protection & recovery
adolescent girls across 47 countries received prevention & care intervention to end child marriage
10.2 million people reached with education, communication & social mobilization platforms promoting the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM)
US$22 million in finalized business transactions & commitments to transact, as a result of support to improve ecosystem and business environment for women in trade
7 countries ratified Convention No. 190 on Eliminating Violence & Harassment in the World of Work
> 231 legislative reform initiatives supported; over 50 percent addressed discriminatory laws & 60 percent were adopted
10 countries supported to revise gender-discriminatory provisions in criminal law & align with international standards on crime prevention & criminal justice responses to violence against women
13.9 million people in humanitarian situations benefitted from gender-based violence risk mitigation, prevention or response programmes
UN contribution towards the SDGs: Climate Resilience & Biodiversity
- > 6.2 million individuals, including mobile populations, supported to respond to threats of natural hazards & ensure a sustainable recovery in 58 countries/territories
- 79 countries have riverine flood forecasting, 58 have operational flash floods forecasting & warning services, & 53 operate drought warning services – through support from the Global Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS)
- 48 Member States developed or updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
- USD 840 million leveraged financing for science through the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
- USD 10 trillion in assets managed by the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance to align portfolios with a 1.5ºC scenario
- 41 countries supported in transition to inclusive green economy & shift to sustainable consumption & production
- 15 member organizations of Collaborative Partnership on Forests enhanced their efforts to promote implementation of sustainable forest management
- 30 Member States supported to strengthen corruption prevention and criminal justice measures to address wildlife, forest, minerals-related crimes, & fisheries-related offences
- 90+ countries supported through BioTrade Initiative to sustainably trade goods and services that conserve & sustainably use biodiversity, generate income for rural communities & incorporate biodiversity into legislative & policy frameworks
UN contribution towards the SDGs: Clean Energy & Reduced Pollution
500 major companies aligned behind New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, a shared vision of a circular economy for plastic that never becomes waste
countries adopted amendments to Basel Convention to control trans-boundary hazardous waste, to better control international trade in plastic waste, prevent its generation & improve sound management
40 countries supported to transition to eco-efficient products through United for Efficiency Initiative. Ex. Brazil, Nigeria & Indonesia leapfrogged markets to fully LED lighting – resulting in USD 300 million in annual consumer savings & avoiding need for two large power plants
USD 400 billion pledged for energy access & clean energy transition, through the 2021 High-Level Dialogue on Energy (the first of its kind in 40 years) which led to over 150 Energy Compacts aiming to extend power to nearly 400 million people by 2030
>76.5m tons of CO2 equivalent emissions & nearly 500K tons of pollutants reduced or phased out, through support on resource efficient & low-carbon industrial production & access to clean energy for productive use
> 20 cities improved urban mobility systems through assistance on public transport planning, street design & non-motorized transport, electrification or digitalization of transport
223 local governments supported on municipal solid waste management systems/performance, to reduce air & water pollution, reducing health impacts
24,166 megatons of hazardous chemicals eliminated, protecting 8.2 million people from exposure to toxins through 170 national regulations
13 developing countries increased investment in low-carbon projects through the Seed Capital Assistance Facility resulting in > 1,000 MW clean energy development, projected CO2 mitigation of > 3 million tons per annum & 10,000 new jobs
System-wide socio-economic response to COVID-19
These results are a snapshot based on available data of the COVID-19 socio economic response by the UN development system, contributed via UN-UNFO in 2021. They are organized according to the five pillars of the UN Framework for the immediate response to COVID-19.
The following UN entities contributed these results: ECLAC, ESCWA, FAO, IFAD, ILO, IOM, ITC, ITU, OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNCDF, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNODC, UNOPS, UNRWA, UN-Women, WFP, and WHO.
Health First
People accessing essential (non-COVID-19) health services:
>52m Vaccinations
>61m Maternal health
>27m Nutrition
Health facilities supported by UN to maintain essential immunizations amid COVID-19:
>450K Modified immunization sessions
>900K Immunization catch-up sessions
>3.3m Immunization training/supplies
>150K Reporting on vaccine stock status
>28K Surveillance of VPDs
>306K Other
Health workers supported by UN to maintain essential services amid COVID-19:
>2.6m health workers at health care facilities
>1.4m community health workers
Countries protecting health services and systems:
>106 countries: set of core essential services to be maintained during COVID-19
>96 countries: working group for mental health and psychosocial support
>101 countries: health policies informed by socio-economic impact assessment
Protecting People
people reached with critical WASH supplies and services
children supported with distance/home-cased learning
primary school children receiving meals, such as take-home meals
Countries with measures to address GBV amid COVID-19:
- 119 countries: violence prevention & response into COVID-19 response plans
- 120 countries: raise awareness through advocacy and campaigns
- 118 countries: options for women to report abuse/seek help with protection
- 118 countries: ensure continued functioning/expansion of shelters for victims
- 111 countries: ensure women’s access to justice
Number of beneficiaries of social protection schemes/services related to COVID-19:
>1m: cash for productivity/transfer programmes
>17m: food and nutrition schemes
>300K: legal aid services (financial aid packages)
>200K: human rights protection services
>3.8m: psychosocial support services
Economic Response
Countries that reinforce UN supported employment policies/regulations/decent work for:
- Women: 88
- Youth (15-19): 90
- Own account/family workers: 84
- Migrant workers: 81
- Workers with disabilities: 70
Private sector companies and formal/informal sector workers supported amid COVID-19:
- >100k MSMEs
- >30k private sector (excluding MSMEs)
- >1.1m formal sector workers
Countries adopting stimulus packages for COVID-19 economic response/recovery:
- 98: Climate and environ. sensitive
- 103: Gender responsive
Direct beneficiaries of food supply protection regimes to:
- >12m: Protect livelihoods by addressing food supply bottlenecks
- >700k: Improve protective measures for food supply workers
Macroeconomic Response
Countries with socio-economic impact assessments in response to COVID-19:
- 105: macro-meso economic needs assessments
- 118: labour market impact assessments
- 114: multi-sectoral/sectoral needs assessments
- 80: fiscal and public debt assessments
- 117: human impact needs assessments
Countries implementing policies focused on at-risk populations:
- 101: socio-economic policy including employment
- 94: labour market policies including food security assessments
- 89: fiscal policy
- 95: social protection policy
- 91: women's empowerment policy
Social cohesion
Social dialogue, advocacy & political engagement spaces facilitated:
- >300: Social dialogue spaces at national level:
- >3.3k: Social dialogue spaces at sub-national level
- >350: Advocacy & political engagement spaces at national level
- >1.1k: Spaces at sub-national level for either/both of the above:
Organizations benefiting from institutional capacity building:
- >300: Employer’s and business organizations (EBMOs)
- >300: Trade unions
Community-based organizations capacitated to respond to the pandemic, fight against COVID-19 violence, and ensure recovery:
- >3k: Women's organizations
- >1.7k: Youth organizations
- >200: Urban community-based organizations
- >1.3k: Religious community organizations
- >33k: Indigenous community
- >2k: Community-based organizations in fragile/conflict-affected countries
- >19k: Community-based organizations representing other at-risk populations
- >19k: Community-based organizations providing livelihoods support