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VOLUNTARY NATIONAL REVIEW KEY MESSAGES
Generally, SDGs progress in Eswatini is mixed with most goals showing steady advancement while some lag behind.
Specific SDGs progress:
SDG 3:
· Eswatini is making progress in reducing maternal and under 5 mortality rate which stands at 452 per 100 000 and 41 per 1 000 live births respectively. Also remarkable progress has been made in combating HIV/AIDS and TB with the HIV incidence among adults aged 15-49 declined from 1.36% to 0.85%, and the TB incidence declining from 398 to 350 per 100,000 population. Continued efforts are needed to address non-communicable diseases and to ensure constant supply of drugs, medicines and other medical supplies which are some of the challenges faced by the country
SDG 5:
· Great strides have been made in empowering women and promoting gender equality with woman representation in parliament increasing from 22 percent to 29 percent during the 2023 elections. Despite the progress, there is a need to strengthen law enforcement measures to reduce gender based violence and guarantee equal protection under the law.
SDG 8:
· Unemployment is one of the challenges face by Eswatini with national unemployment increasing from 33.3 percent in 2021 to 35.4 percent in 2023. Youth unemployment declined slightly from 58.2 percent in 2021 to 56 percent in 2023. Addressing youth unemployment, skills mismatch, skills gaps, and promoting a private sector-led economy to create jobs should be prioritized.
SDG 14:
· Strengthening of policies and continuous monitoring of the water quality has enabled Eswatini to minimize threats due to water pollution. The water bodies are compliant with the set standards with river level of pollution maintained at pH range between 7.1 and 7.7 ( within the 6.5 and 8.5 national acceptable range). Also, solutes levels remains low at 35% and 25% during the dry and wet seasons respectively which is acceptable for river health.
· Safeguarding life in water bodies that harbors river-based resources is prioritized in Eswatini in an effort to ensure conservation and sustainable usage of fish ecosystem. Promotion of fish production is strengthened and controls for overfishing including laws for illegal fishing is enforced. There is a need to invest on building resilience of fish ecosystems through ensuring sustainable practices that will restore and enhance fish stock growth.
2. SDG 17:
· Official development assistance culminating from the collaborative partnerships between the government, and development partners has resulted in increases of the ODA the country received from US$226.2 million in 2020 to US$250.6 million in 2023. The middle income status of the country and changes in global funding mechanisms has had a negative bearing on the ODA flow to Eswatini.
SDG Acceleration: there is an urgent need for prioritized and integrated action, with a strong focus on job creation to catalyze progress across all 17 SDGs.
Data: Investment in data systems and skilled personnel at national and local government level is essential for availability of real-time, accurate data and information for evidence-based decision-making.
Financing of SDGs:There is a need to aggressively pursue domestic resource mobilization, explore innovative financing mechanisms like green bonds and public-private partnerships, and strategically leverage international cooperation to secure adequate and sustainable funding for SDG implementation.
Policy Coherence –Institutional coordination and policy coherence across government levels and sectors needs to be enhanced in order to maximize the impact of development efforts.
Conclusion: Eswatini needs to collaborate with partners and double the effort towards the National Development plan, SDGs and Agenda 2063 implementation to transform lives to ensure that no one is left behind.
