Untangling interactions and prioritizations among Sustainable Development Goals in the Asian Water Tower region

Understanding the interactions among Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is critical for prioritizing SDGs and accelerating the overall SDGs progress. However, SDG interactions and prioritizations at the regional scale have rarely been researched (e.g., Asia), and more importantly, their spatial differences and temporal variations remain elusive. Here, we focused on the Asian Water Tower region (16 countries), which represents major challenges for Asian and even global SDG progress, and we assessed the spatiotemporal variations in SDG interactions and prioritizations in the region from 2000 to 2020 based on correlation coefficients calculations and network analyses. We observed a striking spatial difference in the SDG interactions, which may be minimized by promoting balanced progress toward SDGs 1 (no poverty), 5 (gender equality), and 11 (sustainable cities and communities) across countries. The prioritization differences of the same SDG across countries ranged from 8 to 16 places. Temporally, the SDG trade-offs in the region have declined, implying a possible shift to synergies. However, such success has faced several obstacles, mainly climate change and a lack of partnerships. The prioritizations of SDGs 1 and 12 (responsible consumption and production) have shown the largest increase and decrease, respectively, over time. Overall, to accelerate the regional SDG progress, we highlight the importance of enhancing top prioritized SDGs 3 (good health and well-being), 4 (quality education), 6 (clean water and sanitation), 11, and 13 (climate actions). Related complex actions are also provided (e.g., across-scaled cooperation, interdisciplinary research, and sectoral transformation).