Asia Pacific Grassroots Women Delivering Development Justice

Reports from the APWLD SDG Monitoring Programme 2022-2023

With just almost six years left until the target year for achieving the ambitious 2030 Agenda, the UN is forced to admit the reality: out of the 116 measurable targets of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), only 11% are on track while the region is likely to miss on the remaining 89% of the targets (1). The report also underscores the dismal rate of progress at merely 17% in the region, with the estimated achievement not in sight until 2062 (2). The reality states that the current model of development is not working for the people, the structural powers behind it refuse to dismantle the systemic roots of poverty, and with this the feminists in the region say that this gap in the achievement of the 17 SDGs is a manifestation of a systemic crisis that require systemic approaches and solutions.

From 2022 to 2023, APWLD launched a new round of local and national level monitoring of the SDG implementation on issues of access to water, social and SRHR services, labour rights, and overall political participation of women conducted by six partners – Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (Philippines), Access Planet Organization (Nepal), Pa-O-Women’s Union (Myanmar), Korea Women Political Solidarity (KWPS) (South Korea), Bali Women’s Crisis Center (Indonesia) and Sisterhood Network (India).

“Grassroots women from the communities became aware of their right to access clean water and sanitation as part of their women’s human rights. They are empowered to speak not only to their local government officials, but also at the regional and national levels. They also realised that their fight is not just for their own, but also for the future of their children and the whole of their community.” – Ni Ketut Sudiani, Bali Women’s Crisis Centre

The 16-month monitoring journey allowed the partners to (i) unpack the issues from the local and national level, and concretise certain demands on women’s human rights, economic, socio-political rights, and Development Justice; (ii) dive deeper on issues and situations of grassroots women in relation to the localisation, implementation, and achievement of the SDGs in their contexts; and (iii) produce Peoples Development Justice (PDJ) Reports which unveils the systemic barriers, national architecture and their demands on SDGs implementation. 

“Grassroots indigenous women were empowered to participate in the local planning, monitoring and review of the implementation of the SDGs ensuring their meaningful participation in demanding and delivering genuine sustainable development. The SDG monitoring work also allowed us to raise awareness on the Samziuram village water crisis and its interlinkages with gender-based violence at the national, regional and international advocacy spaces.” – Arenzungla Jamir, Sisterhood Network

Accompanying and based on the Peoples’ Development Justice Reports are six APWLD-produced Country Briefers that present the feminist analysis on different systemic barriers, and the impacts on and demands for systemic changes of grassroots women and their communities in their different contexts.  

We are amplifying all these voices in the lead up to the 10th year of the 2030 Agenda in 2025 and more importantly, to bring forward grassroots women’s aspirations, a collective vision of a feminist and just future that delivers women’s human rights and Development Justice.

Read the full reports and briefers here.

(1) UN ESCAP Asia and the Pacific SDGs Progress Report 2024
(2) https://www.unescap.org/kp/2024/asia-and-pacific-sdg-progress-report-2024

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