• Project Introduction

    Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Hong Kong America Center

    Participants in the SDG Asia project should gain knowledge and insight about the four SDG sectors, and find examples and stories in their own communities.  This would both demonstrate their knowledge, and communicate it to other young people in the SA and SEA regions. The project will encourage young people to envision what development could look like in the four SDG sectors at three geographic levels, as if in three concentric circles:

    • in their local communities
    • in their nation
    • in the wider Asian region

    This project will help young participants to find their voice in development and tell stories of how development has worked, or not worked, or could work, in their communities.  They will tell these stories using digital means of sharing with peers across the developing world.    


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Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9)

  • Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9)

    SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
    Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
    Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology – are crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries. It has long been recognized that growth in productivity and incomes, and improvements in health and education outcomes require investment in infrastructure.
    • Why is matters? URL

      Economic growth, social development and climate action are heavily dependent on investments in infrastructure, sustainable industrial development and technological progress. In the face of a rapidly changing global economic landscape and increasing inequalities, sustained growth must include industrialization that first of all, makes opportunities accessible to all people, and two, is supported by innovation and resilient infrastructure.

      • Economic benefits: Maintaining or upgrading infrastructure can provide a national, regional and even global economic benefit because its positive aspect is often reflected in an area’s GDP, income and wealth levels, and the employment base in the long run. 
      • Creating Jobs: Industrialization’s job multiplication effect has a positive impact on society. Every one job in manufacturing creates 2.2 jobs in other sectors.
      • Improve livelihoods: It’s about our livelihoods. The growth of new industries means improvement in the standard of living for many of us. Also, if industries pursue sustainability, this approach will have a positive effect on the environment. Climate change affects all us.

      http://www.mdgmonitor.org/sdg9-build-resilient-infrastructure-and-promote-sustainable-industrialisation/


    • Facts and Figures URL

      • Basic infrastructure like roads, information and communication technologies, sanitation, electrical power and water remains scarce in many developing countries
      • About 2.6 billion people in the developing world are facing difficulties in accessing electricity full time
      • 2.5 billion people worldwide lack access to basic sanitation and almost 800 million people lack access to water, many hundreds of millions of them in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia
      • 1-1.5 billion people do not have access to reliable phone services
      • Quality infrastructure is positively related to the achievement of social, economic and political goals
      • Inadequate infrastructure leads to a lack of access to markets, jobs, information and training, creating a major barrier to doing business
      • Undeveloped infrastructures limits access to health care and education
      • For many African countries, particularly the lower-income countries, the existent constraints regarding infrastructure affect firm productivity by around 40 per cent
      • Manufacturing is an important employer, accounting for around 470 million jobs worldwide in 2009 – or around 16 per cent of the world’s workforce of 2.9 billion. In 2013, it is estimated that there were more than half a billion jobs in manufacturing
      • Industrialization’s job multiplication effect has a positive impact on society. Every one job in manufacturing creates 2.2 jobs in other sectors
      • Small and medium-sized enterprises that engage in industrial processing and manufacturing are the most critical for the early stages of industrialization and are typically the largest job creators. They make up over 90 per cent of business worldwide and account for between 50-60 per cent of employment
      • In countries where data are available, the number of people employed in renewable energy sectors is presently around 2.3 million. Given the present gaps in information, this is no doubt a very conservative figure. Because of strong rising interest in energy alternatives, the possible total employment for renewables by 2030 is 20 million jobs
      • Least developed countries have immense potential for industrialization in food and beverages (agro-industry), and textiles and garments, with good prospects for sustained employment generation and higher productivity
      • Middle-income countries can benefit from entering the basic and fabricated metals industries, which offer a range of products facing rapidly growing international demand
      • In developing countries, barely 30 per cent of agricultural production undergoes industrial processing. In high-income countries, 98 per cent is processed. This suggests that there are great opportunities for developing countries in agribusiness


    • Issues & Obstacles URL

      The key role of business

      • Aging, degraded or non-existent infrastructure makes conducting good business challenging. Business relies on materials, resources, labor and service support from all corners of the world and the ability to access them efficiently is key to establishing new markets. Computing and technology-based skills are of significant value to most businesses today, and consumers of common goods and services live on every continent. However, basic infrastructure supporting technologies, communications, transportation, and sanitation that business relies on is not universally available, hindering economic growth and societal progress.
      • This presents an opportunity for business. By committing to sustainable industrialization and promoting innovation across company operations, businesses can contribute to development efforts in the regions in which they operate through upgrading local infrastructure, investing in resilient energy and communications technologies, and making these technologies available to all people, including marginalized groups, who might not have access otherwise. Global companies can also promote inclusive infrastructure development by bringing valuable financial services and employment opportunities to smaller and/or minority-owned businesses.


      Key business themes addressed by this SDG

      • Infrastructure investments
      • Access to financial services
      • Environmental investments
      • Research and development
      • Technological legacies

      Examples of key business actions and solutions (non-exhaustive)

      • Invest in new, resilient infrastructure in developing countries or retrofit existing infrastructure to make it more sustainable.
      • Expand the geographic reach of research and development facilities, bringing R&D capabilities to developing countries.
      • Promote innovation by giving all stakeholders the opportunity to offer creative solutions to sustainability challenges. Further scope out the good ideas and offer awards to the best.
      • Consult and engage a wide range of stakeholders, including minority groups, to ensure that infrastructure development benefits and creates opportunities for all.
      • Establish standards and promote regulation that ensure company projects and initiatives are sustainably managed.
      • Collaborate with NGOs and the public sector to help promote sustainable growth within developing countries.

    • Digitalization Challenges, Opportunities URL

      • The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a report that cautions that, while digitalization and information and communications technologies (ICTs) are helping a growing number of small businesses and entrepreneurs in developing countries to connect with global markets and create new income streams, they also bring the risk of widening income inequalities.
      • Digitalization, Trade and Development’, explains that the digital economy is expanding fast in the global South, especially in developing economies like China and India, with digitalization fueling the rise of 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of things, cloud computing and big data and automation. The report (‘Information Economy Report 2017) also highlights growing disparities in internet and digital access, observing that only 16% of individuals in LDCs use the internet and only 4% of the world’s 3D printers are used in Africa and Latin America.
      • However, the UNCTAD report cautions, productivity gains from digitalization generally accrue to a few, already wealthy and skilled individuals. The publication explains that “winner-takes-all” dynamics are typical in Internet platform-based economies, as network effects benefit first movers and standard setters. Within this context, the report identifies a series of development challenges:
        • only 16% of individuals in least developed countries (LDCs) use the Internet, which is far from the target of universal access to the internet for these countries set in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
        • the urban–rural divide is enormous, with 3G networks covering 89% of urban areas but only 29% of rural areas, and an even wider gap in low-income countries;
        • the Internet gender divide is most pronounced in developing countries;
        • in LDCs, e-commerce use is below 2% of population, compared with more than 50% in many developed countries;
        • only 4% of the world’s 3D printers are used in Africa and Latin America; and
        • in Africa, less than 40% of countries adopted data privacy legislation, while in Oceania, only the Cook Islands has such legislation.
      • while recognizing the transformational power of digitalization, UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi stressed that “the Internet is not a panacea.” He recommended setting in place national and international policies that ensure that the gains are spread evenly across as well as within countries.

    • DRONES FOR SOCIAL GOOD URL

      UNDP Maldives takes a “fight and flight” response to climate change



      • The Maldives is the lowest lying country in the world. It is formed by a chain of 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean, and home to nearly 400.000 people. It’s a home that now faces the threat of extinction due to climate change. Eighty percent of the islands in the Maldives are only one metre above sea level. Without urgent action, the Maldives, like many other island nations around the world, could soon disappear.
      • "I have lost hundreds of banana plants, which has cost me the income I depend on to sustain my household," Ameena tells us. One important step towards helping Ameena and her neighbours is creating risk maps, which provide essential data required to inform emergency response plans. Images of the same area taken over time, including before and after a disaster, can help design actions to protect people and property from the hazards of climate change.
      • In response, UNDP and the Government of Maldives came up with an out-of-the-box idea. They decided to fly drones across the islands to create three-dimensional maps and chart the topography of the terrain. And the initial results are very promising: it took just one day for a drone to map an entire island.
      • UNDP partnered with DJI, the leading drone company from China. The local team is now working with to the Disaster Management Centre and the Maldives National Defence Force to figure out how to get the most out of using drones in disaster planning and relief missions. For now they have a complete 3D map of Maabaidhoo Island. The map shows where the coast has been eroded at one end and where the soil is protected by a mangrove plantation on the other. For Ibrahim and other community leaders, it offers important clues about which areas would be safest in case another tsunami strikes.
      • The map is just the beginning. Drones alone cannot resolve the challenges brought on by climate change, but they can be a powerful ally for communities on the frontlines.

    • EU URL

      This article provides an overview of statistical data on SDG 9 ‘industry, innovation and infrastructure’ in the European Union (EU). It is based on the set of EU SDG indicators for monitoring of progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an EU context.

      This article is part of a set of statistical articles, which are based on the Eurostat publication ’ Sustainable development in the European Union — Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context (2017 edition)’. This report is the first edition of Eurostat’s future series of monitoring reports on sustainable development, which provide a quantitative assessment of progress of the EU towards the SDGs in an EU context.



    • Asia and the Pacific File

      Sustainable Development Goal 9 is focused on building resilient infrastructure, sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation. As such, the targets in place to monitor the progress made in these areas cover the following: resilient and upgraded infrastructure; inclusive and sustainable industrialization; financial support for small-scale enterprises; enhanced scientific research; development of domestic technology; and increased access to information and communications technology. 

      Three areas will be highlighted in the present analysis.

      • First issues concerning reliable infrastructure with respect to the movement of passengers and freight will be discussed, with a focus on port container traffic and passenger movement by air. 
      • Next, issues pertaining to progress in research will be addressed by examining changes in countries’ expenditure on research with respect to GDP and the nuber of researchers per capita over time in the region. 
      • Finally, progress made in areas of communications will be examined, including trends in access to mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions and fixed broadband subscriptions.

    • Progress made elsewhere URL

      progress are being made in Montenegro, Maldives, Afghanistan, Lao PDR, Costa Rica, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    • More Trade Liberalization URL

      • The 2017 report titled, ‘Channelling Trade and Investment into Sustainable Development,’ provides analyses of trends and policies by country and subregion. In addition, the report includes trade and investment briefs on 16 countries. The briefs provide data and interpretation of trends in goods and services trade, intraregional trade, FDI, tariffs, trade costs, and trade agreements.
      • Akhtar highlighted UN research showing that the SDGs cannot be achieved through protectionist policies.
      • On 30 October 2017, ESCAP Executive Secretary Shamshad Akhtar highlighted UN research showing that the SDGs cannot be achieved through protectionist policies. She also called for targeted liberalization policies to be “more inclusive,” and to be mindful of the social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The ESCAP Committee on Trade and Investment met during the week, with discussions addressing the promotion of trade facilitation, paperless trade and electronic commerce for achieving the SDGs, and ways to engage the business sector in achieving the SDGs, as well as the respective roles of the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network and the Asia-Pacific Business Forum. The Asia Pacific Foreign Direct Investment Network also convened, deliberating on regional cooperation mechanisms for harmonized investment regimes for sustainable development, among other topics.

    • Risk Awareness with PPPs URL

      • Eurodad issued a briefing paper on negative impacts of PPPs, focusing on their promotion by the World Bank Group, while a briefing paper from Global Policy Watch stresses the need for responsible promotion of partnerships undertaken by the UN Development System (UNDS).
      • The 2030 Reflection Group asserts that privatization and PPPs "involve disproportionate risks and costs for the public sector and can even exacerbate inequalities, decrease equitable access to essential services and jeopardize the fulfilment of human rights.”
      • On infrastructure, the organizations call on development banks to stop the “aggressive promotion and incentivizing of PPPs,” recognize the risks that PPPs can pose, and support countries in finding the best financing method. On public services, they encourage prioritizing domestic resources, and stress the need for high-quality, publicly-funded, democratically-controlled, accountable public services: “the wellbeing of our communities and societies depends on it.”
      • In addition, the 2030 Reflection Group issued its 2017 report on the theme, ‘Reclaiming the public (policy) space for the SDGs: Privatization, partnerships, corporate capture and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.’ Jens Martens of Global Policy Forum observes that some argue that the private sector is the most efficient way to provide the necessary means for implementing the SDGs. However, “many studies and experiences by affected communities have shown that privatization and PPPs involve disproportionate risks and costs for the public sector and can even exacerbate inequalities, decrease equitable access to essential services and jeopardize the fulfilment of human rights.” He calls to strengthen public finance in order to reduce corporate influence over people’s lives. 

    • SDG 9 - Team Discussion Forum

      This forum will host the team discussion where they develop their ideas and plans for SDG 9.

      Interaction and feedback both within the team, and between the teams, should help further develop proposed ideas.

      Topic questions

      1. Share your local stories/programmes of sustainable industrialization and infrastructures.
        Try to conduct a comprehensive evaluation on their actual economic performance and direct/indirect influences towards the environment, people and community?
        .
      2. What kind of role and actions that business sector perform in the process of sustainable industrialization and innovation?
        Are they playing the key or minor role under what business/financial model?
        .
      3. Facing up with great technological threshold/barriers of digital-informatic and big-data industries, how can SA and SEA cities take advantages of this transformation power?  Will this be an Zero-Sum game, or can the typical “winner-takes-all” dynamic be changed in the future?
        .
      NOTE: this discussion forum activity will close automatically on June 23, so get your contributions posted before that date!

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