Latest data on development progress for children reveals that more than half a billion live in countries where the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are “quickly falling out of reach,” the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Wednesday.
“More than half the world’s children live in countries where we either can’t track their SDG progress, or where we can and they are woefully off-track,” said Laurence Chandy, UNICEF Director for the Division of Data, Research and Policy.

The 17 Goals, set by the landmark 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, are the framework for creating a future of peace, dignity and prosperity for all on a healthy planet, by 2030.

Early assessment of progress toward achieving the SDGs confirms an alarming lack of data in 64 countries, as well as insufficient progress in 37 countries where the data can be tracked.  

“The world must renew its commitment to attaining the SDGs, starting with renewing its commitment to measuring them,” Mr. Chandy asserted.

UNICEF’s Progress for Children in the SDG Era, is the first thematic performance assessment report toward achieving the global targets that concern children and youth.

The report raises the alarm that 520 million children live in countries that lack data on at least two-thirds of child-related SDG indicators, or lack sufficient data to assess their progress – rendering those children effectively “uncounted.”

Where sufficient data is available, the scale of SDG target challenges remains daunting.

The report warns that without accelerated progress, 650 million children live in countries where at least two-thirds of the SDGs are either out of reach or whose lives could actually be worse by 2030. - Read More

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