Kiribati Voluntary National Review and Kiribati Development Plan Mid-Term Review New-York, July 2018 Acknowledgments The Kiribati Voluntary National Review and Kiribati Development Plan Mid-Term Review was authored by the Government of Kiribati, as coordinated by the Director of the National Economic and Planning Office in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. This document would not have been possible without the support of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia Pacific (UNESCAP), the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), and the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC) who offered both financial and technical support. Forward I am honoured to present this first Kiribati Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Voluntary National Review Report (VNR) and Kiribati Development Plan Mid-Term Review. The VNR has provided us with an opportunity to take stock of our current stage of development and assess where our future plans will take us. It is a chance for us to engage all the people of Kiribati in helping to shape our development story to the world. It is for this reason that we have made extensive efforts to engage with our community and service organisations, the private sector, religious bodies, development partners, and all levels of government. This report is truly a product of collaboration and partnership. Effective implementation through partnership is respected by Government. Government engages NGOs, CBOs, and the private sector in many of our national committees and taskforces to build ownership and dialogue with the community. International and regional partnerships are equally important, with Kiribati committed to a number of regional and international conventions such as the Istanbul Plan of Action, the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway, the Framework for Pacific Regionalism, and the UN’s Human Rights-based conventions such as CEDAW, the Pacific Gender Equality Declaration and more. Our national scorecard, embodied in the Kiribati Development Plan (KDP) 2016-2019, is fully integrated with the SDGs, and groups goals into six Key Priority Areas as a way of localising the SDGs into Kiribati activities. Now that we are at the mid-point of implementing the KDP, it is an opportune time to review our progress on our development agenda thus far. We still have far to go on our journey, but we have made significant gains along the way. I invite you to read our story and learn about our development challenges and successes. I thank all stakeholders and partners that have rendered support for the production of this VNR, particularly UNESCAP, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and the Secretariat for the Pacific Community for their close and ongoing support. I wish our traditional blessing to all, Te Mauri, Te Raoi, ao Te Tabomoa Hon Dr Teuea Toatu Minister of Finance & Economic Development i Table of Contents Forward .................................................................................................................................................... i Acronyms ................................................................................................................................................ v Map of Kiribati ..................................................................................................................................... viii 1 Key Highlights .................................................................................................................................. 1 The SDGs in Kiribati ......................................................................................................................... 2 The Process for the Review ............................................................................................................. 2 Outcomes of the Review ................................................................................................................. 2 2 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 4 3 Methodology for the Preparation of the Review: ........................................................................... 5 4 Policy and Enabling Environment .................................................................................................... 7 4.1 Creating Ownership of the Sustainable Development Goals................................................ 7 4.2 Incorporation into national frameworks .............................................................................. 7 4.3 Integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development ..................................... 10 4.4 Leaving no-one behind........................................................................................................ 10 4.5 Institutional Mechanisms.................................................................................................... 11 4.6 Structural Issues .................................................................................................................. 12 5 Progress on Goals and Targets ...................................................................................................... 13 KPA 1: Human Resource Development ......................................................................................... 13 SDG Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning ............................................................................................................................. 13 KPA 2: Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction ......................................................................... 23 SDG Goal 1: End poverty in all forms everywhere ................................................................... 23 SDG Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture ........................................................................................ 25 SDG Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all ........................................................................................................... 30 SDG Goal 10: Reduce inequality ............................................................................................... 37 KPA 3: Health ................................................................................................................................. 40 SDG Goal 3: Ensure Healthy Lives and Promote Well-being for All ......................................... 40 KPA 4: Environment ...................................................................................................................... 46 SDG Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable ........................................ 46 SDG Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns ............................... 49 SDG Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact ........................... 50 SDG Goal 14: Conserve and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources ............. 53 SDG Goal 15: Sustainably manage forest, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss ...................................................................... 56 KPA 5: Governance ........................................................................................................................ 58 Goal 5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls ..................................... 58 Goal 16: Promote Just, Peaceful and Inclusive Societies ......................................................... 64 KPA 6: Infrastructure ..................................................................................................................... 67 SDG 6: Ensure Water Access and Sanitation for All ................................................................. 67 Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all ............ 71 Goal 9: Build resilience infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation ............................................................................................................ 73 ii Means of Implementation ............................................................................................................ 76 Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. ............................... 76 6 Conclusion and next steps............................................................................................................. 78 Appendix 1: KDP, KV20 and SDG indicator matrix ................................................................................ 79 Appendix 2: Kiribati Indicator Set ......................................................................................................... 91 Appendix 3: KDP 2016-19 Results Framework .................................................................................... 101 Appendix 4: List of Consulted Stakeholders ....................................................................................... 122 List of Tables Table 2.1 KDP mapping with international agreements ......................................................................... 4 Table 5.1 School Enrolment 2013-2016 ................................................................................................ 14 Table 5.2 Gender Parity