The first days of SDG implementation are critical, with initial actions taken by government, civil society and the private sector setting the foundation for success or failure in the years to come. There is much to be hopeful about. A closer look at recent top-performing countries shows that if others were able to make similar rates of progress, we would get much closer to reaching the goals. For example, poverty reduction in Vietnam in recent years has been dramatic, with the share of the population living on less than $1.25 a day falling from 63% in 1993 to 2% by 2012. In order to achieve similar rates of progress, early actions are needed to raise national ambitions and strengthen a focus on equity. Blurb Source: - Extracted from the Publication’s ‘introduction’