Water and sanitation, as absolute necessities for people, planet and prosperity, are at the very core of sustainable development.

Three out of four of the jobs worldwide are water-dependent. In fact, water shortages and lack of access may limit economic growth in the years to come, according to the 2016 United Nations World Water Development Report, Water and Jobs, launched on 22 March 2016, World Water Day, in Geneva.

Transforming development by capitalizing on policies and measures that have climate and development co-benefits is the focus of the newly released Asian Co-benefits Partnership’s (ACP) second White Paper.

UNESCO published a report on transboundary water cooperation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The main message emerging from this new comprehensive global assessment is that premature death and disease can be prevented through healthier environments – and to a significant degree.

At a global level, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 1.2 of halving poverty according to national definitions gets less attention than the target of eradicating extreme poverty worldwide. For country governments focusing on implementing the 2030 Agenda however, national poverty is more politically salient and relevant to policy.

On 25 September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Central to this agenda are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that apply to all countries. Member States now have to translate the global SDGs into national targets and policies.

Sustainable Development has been a global agenda since the last 25 years. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) based on Millennium Declaration in the year 2000 by the United Nations (UN) has set foundation for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030.

The Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2015 is a reference of current and emerging trends of economic, social and environmental development in Asia and the Pacific For the first time the Yearbook is presenting analyses of the major development trends for countries in Asia and the Pacific as they relate to the new 17 Sustainable Devel