While the world’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals are clear in their targets, accurately measuring progress to reach them is proving to be more of a challenge, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said today.

An FAO survey in the Asia-Pacific region found considerable gaps in progress toward implementing internationally accepted norms in data gathering and statistical analysis. A questionnaire circulated to officials in more than 20 countries across the region found only two-thirds had mapped out availability of SDG related information while some had not made much progress in preparing to collect the required data.