BY GCWALISILE MHLABANE
MANZINI – Eswatini has recorded progress in five of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the latest assessment showing improvements in health, gender equality, infrastructure development and international partnerships, while climate action has been classified as achieved.
The findings were highlighted during an engagement between UN team led by Resident Coordinator George Wachira and the Eswatini Positive News team at the UN House in Mbabane on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
According to the assessment, five of the 17 development goals, representing 29.4 per cent, have either been achieved or are showing moderate improvement as the country works towards meeting the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Climate Action is the only goal among the five classified as achieved, while Good Health and Well-Being, Gender Equality, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and Partnerships for the Goals are showing moderate improvement.
The findings provide an indication of the areas where Eswatini is making progress, although the assessment also identifies several development challenges that still require attention.
The 29.4 per cent figure represents the proportion of the 17 development goals classified as achieved or improving. It does not mean that Eswatini has completed 29.4 per cent of all the individual targets under the Sustainable Development Goals.
The assessment gives Eswatini an overall SDG Index score of 57.50, placing the Kingdom 136th out of 167 countries assessed.
The index measures the country’s overall performance across the 17 goals, taking into account both the progress recorded and the development challenges that remain.
Eswatini also received a spillover score of 87.71, an indicator that measures how a country’s activities affect sustainable development beyond its borders.
While the country has registered gains in some sectors, the assessment identifies poverty, food security, access to clean water and sanitation, energy, employment opportunities, environmental protection and strong institutions among the areas requiring further attention.
Of particular concern are the trends recorded under Decent Work and Economic Growth, as well as Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, where the assessment indicates declining performance.
Several other goals facing major or significant challenges are stagnating, while trend information is unavailable for some indicators.
During the engagement, Wachira discussed Eswatini’s development ambitions and the importance of translating national policies into improvements that citizens can experience in their everyday lives.
He acknowledged that Eswatini had established ambitious development priorities, including its aspiration to attain first-world status.
However, he challenged government, development partners and other stakeholders to examine how these ambitions were being translated into practical development outcomes.
“What does this mean for reality, for those of us who are actually in the space of government, for partners, and what questions should be asked so that we can find the good answers in terms of how we help to accelerate development?” Wachira asked.
His remarks centred on the need for government institutions, development agencies and other stakeholders to work together in addressing the challenges identified in the assessment.
Wachira also highlighted the recently launched United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), which establishes the basis for cooperation between the United Nations and the Government of Eswatini.
“We recently launched a new cooperation agreement with the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini. We call it the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, or UNSDCF,” he said.
He explained that the framework had been developed to ensure that United Nations support responds to the Kingdom’s national development priorities.
“The framework captures the country’s ambition, aligns with the National Development Plan aspirations, while paying attention to the broader global dynamics,” Wachira said.
The cooperation framework is intended to guide collaboration between the United Nations and Eswatini in addressing development priorities and supporting progress towards the 2030 Agenda.
With four years remaining before the 2030 deadline, the assessment provides a picture of both the progress made and the challenges facing the Kingdom.
The improvements recorded in health, gender equality, infrastructure and international partnerships, together with the classification of climate action as achieved, are among the positive findings.
However, the assessment also shows that progress is uneven across the 17 goals, with several important sectors experiencing limited improvement or declining trends.
The engagement further addressed the role of the media in informing the public about national development programmes, explaining progress recorded and highlighting areas where greater attention is required.
For Eswatini Positive News, the discussions provided an opportunity to engage directly with the United Nations on the country’s development performance and the priorities guiding international support.
As the country continues implementing its National Development Plan, the latest assessment offers government, the private sector, civil society and development partners information that can be used to identify where interventions are producing results and where additional resources and cooperation are needed.
The challenge ahead is to maintain progress in the five goals already showing encouraging results while addressing the remaining development priorities before the 2030 deadline.
