KATHMANDU: Nepal has so far made moderate but tepid progress in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but the COVID-19 pandemic, which is yet to be contained, could affect some of the goals, as per Sustainable Development Goals: Progress assessment report 2016-2019 report launched by National Planning Commission (NPC).
Releasing the report, NPC vice chairman Pushpa Kandel said that the impact of the pandemic was moderate on the economy and development as the economic activities had taken up better than expected.
However, the report states that the pandemic has the potential of not only delaying but effectively reversing the positive trends in most SDGs particularly ending poverty, zero hunger, healthy lives, quality education, decent work and economic growth, reducing inequalities and partnership for sustainable development.
But real challenge to the implementation of the SDGs and monitoring is data gap. “A big constraint to the development is weak statistical base. We do not have better data-set of the sub-national governments,” said Khomraj Koirala, Joint secretary at the NPC.
According to the report, a total of 169 targets and 479 indicators were adapted in Nepal to monitor the SDG progress but data are available for only 104 targets and 218 indicators which means that there is no information available for 35 per cent of the targets and 55 per cent of the indicators.
The daily said there has been a steady decline in levels of poverty nationwide, although regional and ethnic differences continue to exist. Population living below US$1.9 a day is 15 per cent, noted the report.