Lebanon is improving
in eight SDGs, says ESCWA

Two goals are off track, and insufficient data for seven indicators

According to ‘Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals in the Arab region’, a report just released by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Lebanon is ‘on track’ in good health and well-being, one of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and is ‘in progress’ in seven other SDGs.

‘On track’ is the top score in the process of achieving the SDGs. In the second place comes the ‘in progress’ score, which is a positive index but is below the required threshold.

The country is lacking in two SDGs. There was insufficient data to measure the other seven goals. The report measures progress of Arab countries towards the 2023 SDG threshold level and the 2030 target.

The SDGs that are ‘in progress’ are: no poverty, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, and the industry, innovation and infrastructure goal in addition to sustainable cities and communities, life on land (protecting forests and biodiversity and addressing land degradation), and the partnerships for the goals SDG which includes such targets as levels of exports, multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, investment promotion, technology transfers, cooperation in implementing science, technology and innovation availability of national statistics, and effective public and private partnerships.

The 'off-track' SDGs are zero hunger and decent work and economic growth. According to the report, Lebanon has regressed in the zero hunger goal and has registered the highest food prices in 2020 and 2021. “More than three percent of the GDP of Egypt, Lebanon and Yemen is the cost of environmental pollution,” ESCWA said.

The report didn’t include Lebanon in the list of countries that are closest to achieving the 2030 goals.