The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) published its sixth SDG progress report for Europe, North America, and Central Asia. New data available for this year’s edition better show how the adverse impacts of continuing conflicts, climate change, and economic uncertainties dim the prospects of achieving the SDGs.
Titled, ‘Sustainable Development in the UNECE Region in 2025: More Data, Persistent Challenges,’ the flagship publication reveals that UNECE countries that span across Europe, North America, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, and include Türkiye and Israel, are on track to achieve only 21 targets, or 17% of the 125 measurable targets, by 2030. In 2024, 20 targets were on track, and 21 were on track in 2023.
In addition, progress needs to accelerate for 84 targets, and trend reversal is needed for 20 targets (up from 17 in 2024), the report finds.
In a foreword, UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean emphasized that the Pact for the Future “reaffirmed countries’ commitment to bold and ambitious actions to achieve the [SDGs] and leave no one behind.” She highlighted the need for international cooperation and solidarity to support progress at country level. Given the rise in the number of global SDG indicators that could be assessed in the UNECE region from 160 in 2024 to 171 in 2025, Molcean welcomed the improvement in the availability of data, which allowed for a more comprehensive assessment of progress.
The report also features stories provided by the agencies and UN country teams participating in the Regional Coordination Group on Data and Statistics for Europe and Central Asia and all UNECE programmes. According to the report, these 19 stories “provide rich insights into the ways in which various regional and country level actions relate to sustainable development outcomes.”
The report was issued on 11 March 2025, in preparation for the UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD), taking place from 2-3 April. Outcomes from the five RFSDs will contribute to the deliberations during the July session of the 2025 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). [Publication: Sustainable Development in the UNECE Region in 2025: More Data, Persistent Challenges] [Online Report] [UNECE Press Release]
