Sustainable Development in the UNECE Region:

Trends and Actions

in 2026

Foreword

At the World Social Summit of 2025, world leaders reaffirmed the full, timely and effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This renewed political momentum underscores a shared recognition: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires bold action, innovation within governments, strengthened institutions and a genuine whole-of-society approach. Partnerships across sectors and communities remain indispensable for accelerating progress.

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Introduction

Regional commissions of the United Nations organize regional forums on sustainable development for international exchanges among governments and other stakeholders. In the region of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which comprises 56 countries of Europe, North America and Central Asia, the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development will be held for the tenth time on 21 and 22 April 2026 in Geneva.

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Progress in the UNECE region

How many targets are on track?

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Stories

The agencies and United Nations country teams participating in the Regional Coordination Group on Data and Statistics for Europe and Central Asia and UNECE programmes provided stories. These 17 stories provide rich insights into the ways in which various regional and country level actions relate to sustainable development outcomes.

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EXPLORE On track for basic access, off track for safety: WASH progress and inequalities

UNICEF

EXPLORE Meeting energy needs through electrification: a pathway for efficiency, green transition and affordable energy

UNECE Sustainable Energy

EXPLORE Energy-efficient building retrofits breathe new life into communities: civil society perspectives from Syunik (Armenia)

UNDP

EXPLORE Transforming innovation policy: a new charter for SDG 9

UNECE Economic Cooperation and Trade

EXPLORE Empowering inclusive employment and workforce transformation in Armenia to ensure that no one is left behind

UNDP

EXPLORE Leveraging partnerships as a driver for transformation: building robust data and increasing trust in education

UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe

EXPLORE Strengthening Ukraine’s future: UNFPA’s contribution to demographic resilience

UNFPA Ukraine

EXPLORE Co-designed multifunctional public spaces strengthen social cohesion and resilience in Armenia

UNDP

EXPLORE Data-driven communities: how Moldova’s local authorities are using demographic insights and civic participation to build a better future

UNFPA Moldova

EXPLORE Connecting communities: accessible cities and partnerships for sustainable development in Belarus

UN Belarus

EXPLORE MoveSafe+: strengthening sustainable urban mobility in South-Eastern, Eastern Europe and Central Asia

UN Habitat

EXPLORE Cities driving change: local action for global impact

UN Habitat, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia

EXPLORE Rebuilding heritage, building resilience: Albania’s journey toward SDG 11 through EU4Culture

UN Habitat

EXPLORE Missing data, missed opportunities: tracking child progress toward 2030

UNICEF

EXPLORE Strengthening partnerships to improve the evidence base for human rights

UN Human Rights (OHCHR)

EXPLORE Acting for change: from real stories to powerful stage performances on gender-based violence

UNFPA Georgia

EXPLORE Reimagining public-private partnerships: from cost efficiency to sustainable impact

UNECE Economic Cooperation and Trade