This report presents the results of a stocktake of national responses to Sustainable Development Goals 12, 14, and 15, and selected environment-related targets that have a direct relationship with responsible consumption and production, and sustainable marine and terrestrial ecosystems management, by 15 developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. The report was completed under the first phase of a technical assistance project by the Asian Development Bank, with the aim of understanding and helping its developing member countries address the issues and challenges behind effective integration of these goals and targets into national policies, plans, and programs.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment), prepared this tool compendium to help address the issues, challenges, and barriers faced by developing countries from Asia and the Pacific in the successful implementation of the environmental dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The tools presented here can help policy makers gain a better understanding of SDG interlinkages, establish horizontal and vertical policy coherence, and select appropriate guidelines, indicators, and institutional arrangements for effective integration into national policies, plans, and programs. This publication reflects the high-level commitment of ADB and UN Environment to support efforts to accelerate progress in implementing the environmental dimensions of the SDGs.

This publication is the first Asia-Pacific report that comprehensively maps out the intersections between gender and environment at the levels of household, work, community and policy. It examines gender concerns in the spheres of food security, agriculture, energy, water, fisheries and forestry, and identifies strategic entry points for policy interventions. Based on a grounded study of the reality in the Asia-Pacific region, this report puts together good practices and policy lessons that could be capitalized by policymakers to advance the agenda of sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.

The aim of this report is to present an overview of the 17 Goals using data currently available to highlight the most significant gaps and challenges.

This book explores the evolution of the 30 functioning multilateral development banks (MDBs). MDBs have their roots in the growing system of international finance and multilateral cooperation, with the first recognisable MDB being proposed by Latin America in financial cooperation with the US in the late 1930s. That Inter-American Bank did not eventuate but was a precursor to the World Bank being negotiated at Bretton Woods in 1944. Since then, a complex network of regional, sub-regional, and specialised development banks has progressively emerged across the globe, including two significant recent entrants established by China and the BRICS. MDBs arrange loans, credits, and guarantees for investment in member states, generally with the stated aim of fostering economic growth. They operate in both the Global North and South, though there are more MDBs focusing on emerging and developing states. While the World Bank and some of the larger regional banks have been scrutinised, little attention has been paid to the smaller banks or the overall system. This book provides the first study of all 30 MDBs and it evaluates their interrelationships. It analyses the emergence of the MDBs in relation to geopolitics, development paradigms and debt. It includes sections on each of the banks as well as on how MDBs have approached the key sectors of infrastructure, human development, and climate. This book will be of particular interest to researchers of development finance, global governance, and international political economy.

This publication explains the approach of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to integrate the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their associated targets into its strategies, programs, and financing under Strategy 2030. The publication draws on project examples to highlight how ADB operations contribute to clusters of interconnected SDGs related to people, planet, prosperity, and sustainable infrastructure. It also details ADB’s efforts to help developing member countries mobilize the finance and knowledge necessary to achieve the SDGs.

The "leave no one behind" principle espoused by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires measures of progress for different segments of the population. This entails detailed disaggregated data to identify subgroups that might be falling behind, to ensure progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Asian Development Bank and the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs developed this practical guidebook with tools to collect, compile, analyze, and disseminate disaggregated data. It also provides materials on issues and experiences of countries regarding data disaggregation for the SDGs. This guidebook is for statisticians and analysts from planning and sector ministries involved in the production, analysis, and communication of disaggregated data.

This book provides policymakers, researchers, and other interested audiences with knowledge on how to quantify and integrate and advance co-benefits in their decisions. It begins with an introductory chapter that provides an overview of the concept of co-benefits. This followed by a section that details quantitative approaches to estimate co-benefits, particularly in cities. A third section presents a series of case studies from the energy sector in Northeast and Southeast Asia. A final section focuses on new perspectives on co-benefits from linking climate change with biodiversity, social justice, and through new models of co-innovation. The book is particularly timely as many countries in Asia seek to achieve objectives in the national climate policies and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The climate emergency poses an increasingly severe threat to the health and well-being of more than a billion people in Asia. Policymakers in the region have sought to curb this threat by adopting clean energy, energy efficiency, and other sectoral policies. In some cases, these policies can bring additional benefits beyond mitigating climate change. These so-called “co-benefits” --ranging from improved air quality to better health to socioeconomic equity--could not only offset the costs of climate mitigation but also make Asia’s development more sustainable. Yet all too frequently policymakers lack the analytical methods and practical experiences to incorporate co-benefits into their decisions. This has created difficulties in aligning climate and sustainable development policies in Asia.

Enhancing the Contribution of Sport to the Sustainable Development Goals builds on the work of previous Commonwealth publications analysing the role of sport in achieving sustainable development. Aimed at governmental policy-makers and other stakeholders, it provides evidenced and balanced policy options supporting the effective contribution of sport towards six prioritised Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).