1. Background

Leaving no one behind (LNOB) is the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). LNOB means moving beyond assessing average and aggregate progress, towards identifying progress for different population groups, including with intersecting vulnerabilities, to ultimately ensure all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and equality. 

To support governments and the United Nations system in the Asia-Pacific region, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has developed a user-friendly diagnostic tool called Leave No One Behind (LNOB) Platform. The tool supports understanding of how various circumstances intersect and create inequalities in access to basic opportunities covered by the Sustainable Development Goals. Building on empirical methodologies such as Classification and Regression Tree (CART) methodology and the Dissimilarity index (D-index), the Platform presents results at national and sub-national levels identifying groups left furthest behind and the circumstances they share.

In collaboration with the Department of National Planning and Monitoring and the National Statistics Office, ESCAP is organizing a national workshop to raise awareness about how to leverage innovative methodologies and national survey data to measure inequality of opportunity in the context of Papua New Guinea. The workshop will strengthen the capacity among participants to navigate the ESCAP LNOB Platform and use the results in their respective areas of work. The workshop will include interactive policy dialogue as well as group work to seek feedback from participants.

2. Workshop Objectives

At the end of this workshop, participants would:

1. Understand the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) methodology and how it is used to identify the furthest behind.
2. Understand the Dissimilarity Index (D-Index) and how it is calculated to provide a single numerical value that summarizes inequality in a particular development area.
3. Have a thorough review of LNOB results on SDG indicators available at the ESCAP LNOB Platform (based on DHS 2018) or based on SDES 2022.
4. Learn how the analysis can be adapted to best serve individual country requirements including evidence-based inclusive policymaking.
5. Reflect on the ways in which such LNOB evidence can be used in the upcoming Voluntary National Review.

3. Target Audience

The workshop was open to participation from the Government, the United Nations Country Team, research institutions, academia, and civil society. Thematically, LNOB tool covers SDG indicators that pertain to educational attainment, access to basic services (i.e., electricity, basic drinking water and sanitation, electricity and internet) as well as women’s and children’s health. 

4. Organization and Participation

The national workshop was organized as an in-person format at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby on 26-28 November 2024. The meeting was conducted in English. The tentative programme of the workshop is detailed below.

5. Workshop Programme

   The programme is available on the Programme tab.