The share of people living in poverty according to national definitions (target 1.2) is decreasing in most UNECE countries, but not quickly enough to halve the level by 2030. In one third of countries with data, more than 20 per cent of the population live below the income poverty threshold (indicator 1.2.1). Measures of multidimensional poverty (indicator 1.2.2) consider various aspects of deprivation. They indicate that the share of people experiencing poverty is higher than when it is measured based on income only, and more than half of the countries with data have multidimensional poverty levels above 20 per cent. Extreme poverty according to the internationally-defined poverty line (target 1.1) remains rare in the UNECE region.

Those at the highest risk of poverty, such as persons with disabilities and families with young children, are well covered by social protection in the UNECE region (target 1.3), but not everyone who would benefit from this type of support is receiving it. While the coverage of unemployment cash benefits is expanding in most countries, less than half of unemployed persons across the region receive them (indicator 1.3.1). Access to basic drinking water services is universal, whereas access to the basic sanitation services (indicator 1.4.1) would need to improve faster to reach full coverage by 2030.

Access to sufficient and nutritious food (target 2.1) is not universal in the UNECE region. In half of the countries in the region, the share of adults experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity (indicator 2.1.2) has increased since 2015, and in one third of the countries, more than 10 per cent of all adults experience food insecurity. Undernourishment (indicator 2.2.1) is rare with only eight countries showing values above zero. Food security and good nutrition concerns both the quantity and quality of food, and efforts to reduce childhood obesity (indicator 2.2.2) and anaemia in reproductive-age women (indicator 2.2.3) need to be accelerated.

Progress is being made towards maintaining a diverse and nutritious food supply for future generations (target 2.5) as the number of animal breeds and plants for which genetic resources are stored (indicator 2.5.1) is growing. However, the increase in the proportion of local breeds at risk of extinction (indicator 2.5.2) must be reversed. The region has witnessed a continuous decrease in the orientation of government expenditures towards agriculture (indicator 2.a.1).

Progress assessment is possible for all the 13 targets under goal 3. The region is set to achieve targets on child and maternal mortality (targets 3.1 and 3.2) and non-communicable diseases and mental health (target 3.4).

The pace of progress on sexual and reproductive health (3.7) is sluggish. Across the UNECE region, one quarter of women still have an unmet need for modern methods of family planning (indicator 3.7.1). The prevalence of tobacco use (indicator 3.a.1) has been decreasing in nearly all countries, but slowly, as a quarter of all people aged 15 years and older across the region are still users. The share of the child population receiving recommended vaccinations (indicator 3.b.1) is high, but the region is not on track to achieve universal access by 2030.

Healthcare coverage (indicator 3.8.1) is slowly improving, while the relative cost of healthcare for households is on the rise (indicator 3.8.2). The pandemic put stress on health systems and highlighted gaps in public health capacities where progress has been stagnant (target 3.d).

Slow progress towards universal and quality education (target 4.1) is related to persisting inequalities between advantaged and disadvantaged students. While gender parity in proficiency in reading and mathematics (indicator 4.5.1) has been achieved, stark gaps remain between urban and rural students, the native-born and the foreign-born, and the rich and the poor. Differences across countries also impede regional progress towards education targets. Near-universal participation in early-childhood education (indicator 4.2.2) in most countries is offset by a downward trend in one third of the countries in the region.

The share of youth and adults with information and communications technology skills is increasing slowly (indicator 4.4.1) and participation in education and training (indicator 4.3.1) of working age women and men has expanded only marginally since 2015. The region is on track to ensure minimum required qualifications for teachers at all levels (indicator 4.c.1) except in pre-school education.

Schools in the region are well equipped and most countries are already providing universal access to computers and the internet as well as other basic services in schools (indicator 4.a.1).

Progress on gender equality can only be measured for less than half of targets. Improvements continue to be slow on policy and legal frameworks that combat discrimination and support gender equality (target 5.1). Gender disparities at home (target 5.4) would also have to narrow a lot faster. The share of women participating in political and economic life (target 5.5.) is increasing in nearly every country in the region. The proportions of elected seats held by women in parliaments and local governments (indicator 5.5.1) have seen greater growth, which, if sustained, would lead to levels above one third by 2030, hence still short of parity. In technology, the target of women’s empowerment measured through universal mobile phone ownership (indicator 5.b.1) is well on track to be achieved.

Access to safely managed drinking water (target 6.1) is widespread in the UNECE region, and 20 countries report levels above 99 per cent of the population. The recent slowdown of improvement would, if continued, nonetheless leave the region short of the desired target of universal access by 2030. Without an acceleration of progress, the region will also come up short on other sanitation and water targets. While the use of safely managed sanitation services is expanding (indicator 6.2.1), the current pace of improvement is not enough to attain their universal use by 2030. The trend on water quality needs to be reversed as the proportion of safely treated domestic wastewater flows is decreasing in more than half of the countries (indicator 6.3.1).

Water use across the region is becoming more efficient (indicator 6.4.1) and stress on freshwater resources is decreasing (indicator 6.4.2), but acceleration is needed to achieve the 2030 ambitions. Transboundary water cooperation is strong (indicator 6.5.2), but the rate of implementation of integrated water resources management (indicator 6.5.1) needs to increase.

The region is on track in establishing mechanisms by which individuals and communities can contribute meaningfully to decisions about water and sanitation management (target 6.b).

Access to electricity is universal, and nearly all people in the region use clean fuels for cooking, heating and lighting (target 7.1). Reliance on renewable energy (indicator 7.2.1) is increasing in more than three quarters of the countries and energy efficiency (indicator 7.3.1) is improving in nearly all countries. An acceleration of efforts is critical to ensure continued access to affordable and sustainable energy.

Following the immediate post-pandemic economic recovery, the rate of growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) per person (indicator 8.1.1) and per employed person (indicator 8.2.1) has been slowing across the region. Unemployment (indicator 8.5.2) has declined recently in nearly all countries, but this reduction would need to pick up pace to arrive at 2030 targets.

Most countries in the region have enacted dedicated strategies for youth employment, and this target is on track to be achieved (target 8.b). Nonetheless, the region must accelerate efforts to reduce the share of youth not in employment, education or training (target 8.6), which is still over 10 per cent in most countries. Countries must also accelerate efforts around access to financial services (target 8.1), formalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (target 8.3), resource use efficiency (target 8.4), labour rights (8.8), access to financial services (8.10) and aid for trade (target 8.a) to achieve employment and economic growth that leaves no one behind.

Data are available for assessing seven out of the eight targets under goal 9. The share of medium- and high-tech manufacturing value (indicator 9.b.1) has increased slowly in the UNECE region and exceeds half of total value-added in 11 countries. To accelerate progress, investments in research and development (target 9.5) need to be built up and access to finance for small-scale industries (target 9.3) needs to improve. The declining trends in the proportion of passengers and freight transported by rail (indicator 9.1.2) need to be reversed to achieve sustainable and resilient infrastructure (target 9.1).

The region has progressed well with inclusive and sustainable industrialization (target 9.2), the carbon-intensity of economic production (target 9.4) is decreasing, and access to information and communications technology (target 9.c) is widespread. If the current pace of progress can be maintained the region should achieve these three targets.

Many countries expanded the reach of social transfers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and available data point to positive impacts on income inequality. The share of individuals living at below 50 per cent of their country’s median income level (indicator 10.2.1) has been decreasing in two thirds of the countries, but not quickly enough, with every tenth person across the region still in that group. Financial soundness and regulation (target 10.5) have returned to the path of improvement in 2021, albeit still falling short of 2030 ambitions. Official development assistance (target 10.b) also started to increase in 2021 and will need to pick up pace to get on track.

While more work is needed to achieve safe migration and mobility (target 10.7), the region is on track to reduce the costs of migrant remittances (target 10.c).

The region is set to achieve targets on access to adequate housing and basic services (target 11.1) as the proportion of urban population living in slums (indicator 11.1.1) has decreased markedly in all countries with data. Air pollution in cities (target 11.6) has gone down rapidly in nearly all countries. The region is also on track with adopting and implementing strategies for disaster risk reduction (target 11.b).

The impact of such strategies is mixed. The economic impact of disasters is becoming less severe (indicator 11.5.2), but the number of people in the region affected by disasters (indicator 11.5.1) continues to increase. The region must therefore accelerate efforts to strengthen resilience to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. Improving the preservation, protection and conservation of cultural and natural heritage (target 11.4) must also accelerate.

Subsidies related to the consumption and production of fossil fuels (target 12.c) have recently begun to increase in most countries. This makes it unlikely that the region can get on track with cutting greenhouse gas emissions (target 13.2). While disaster risk reduction strategies have been adopted comprehensively on national and local levels (indicators 13.1.2 and 13.1.3), the number of persons affected by disasters (indicator 13.1.1) has continued to increase. The region must accelerate progress on the sustainable use of natural resources (target 12.2) and waste reduction and treatment (targets 12.4 and 12.5).

Recent data indicate that progress towards reducing marine pollution (target 14.1) and conserving coastal areas (target 14.5) requires acceleration. The region must reverse trends in sustainable fishing (target 14.7), and research and development on marine technology (target 14.a), which are moving in the wrong direction. The pace of progress is on track on combating unreported and unregulated fishing (target 14.6) and legal protections of access rights for small-scale fisheries (target 14.b).

The region is progressing towards sustainable forest management, and forest area is increasing in most countries in the region (target 15.2), but not quickly enough to reach the 2030 targets. Faster improvement is also needed in protecting terrestrial biodiversity areas (indicator 15.1.2) and mountain ecosystems (target 15.4), adopting frameworks for sharing benefits and accessing genetic resources (target 15.6), reducing the impact of alien invasive species (target 15.8), and providing official development assistance for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity (indicator 15.a.1/15.b.1).

The region is failing to halt land degradation (target 15.3) and the loss of biodiversity (target 15.5). Only a third of countries have lowered species’ extinction risk (indicator 15.5.1) since 2015.

Countries in the UNECE region are getting safer. Homicide is rare in most countries (indicator 16.1.1) and robberies (indicator 16.1.3) are decreasing. Still, one quarter of people across countries with data do not feel safe walking alone after dark (indicator 16.1.4), and overall progress to reduce violence across the region is too slow (target 16.1).

The region falls short in reducing corruption and bribery (target 16.5). While previously assessed as being on track, newly available data on the prevalence of bribery (indicator 16.5.1) show an upturn in most countries with data – a trend that needs to be reversed. The region must also reverse trends to eliminate human trafficking (target 16.2) and strengthen public institutions (target 16.6).

Progress with access to justice (target 16.3) is mixed. The rate of robberies reported to the police (indicator 16.3.1) is improving slightly, whereas two thirds of countries are seeing an increase in the share of unsentenced detainees in the prison population (indicator 16.3.2).

The number of countries in the region with an independent national human rights institution in compliance with the Paris Principles (indicator 16.a.1) remains at 31 (out of 56). Decision-making bodies across the region are becoming more reflective of the populations they represent (target 16.7) but acceleration is needed to achieve proportionate representation of women and young people in parliaments and judiciaries by 2030.

Trend needs to be reversed for three SDG targets under goal 17. Macroeconomic stability (target 17.13) has deteriorated; the share of domestic budgets funded by domestic taxes (target 17.1) declined in 2020 in nearly every country with data; and the use of country-owned results frameworks in development interventions is decreasing in the region (target 17.15).

Progress towards development assistance to least developed countries (target 17.2), technology transfer (target 17.7), more open trade (target 17.10) and improved market access for developing countries (target 17.12) is slow. As countries work on crisis recovery, they have fewer resources to commit to international cooperation and support for the implementation of the SDGs. However, recent data show that in 2021 financial and technical development assistance for SDGs (target 17.9) returned to a path of growth, which would need to pick up pace to attain the 2030 ambition.

Data availability for monitoring the SDGs is improving. The number of global SDG indicators that could not be assessed in the UNECE region because of insufficient availability of country data decreased from 77 in 2023 to 71 in this assessment. The region needs to intensify its investment in statistical capacity (targets 17.18, 17.19).