A New Dawn: SDGs, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Beginning
today Friday 25th through Sunday 27th September 2015, Heads
of State and Government and High representatives will meet at the 70th
session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to ratify the blue
print of the post-2015 Development Agenda – Sustainable Development Goals.
The
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development focuses on transforming the world with
a focus on 5 Ps – People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership.
The blueprint
is indeed a product of conscientious consultations involving various stakeholders
deliberating and debating various thematic and sub-thematic issues.
The
Task Force improved on the consultative processes that birthed the MDGs.
Consequently, the SDGs are a product of wider and more inclusive consultations
on elements essential to creating the World We Want by 2030.
Also,
in many ways the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development seeks to build on the
Millennium Development Goals and complete what it could not achieve.
17
Sustainable Development Goals and 169 Targets will set the pace and fuel actions
over the period 2016-2030 in areas of critical importance for humanity and the
planet.
As I
mull over the 35-page blue print, here I note items very instructive to development
practitioners:
§ That international public finance be recognized as a
complement (and not a substitute for) to domestic resource mobilization.
§ There is a role for everyone in fulfilling the
Vision 2030 agenda – governments, parliaments, UN system, local authorities,
indigenous peoples, civil society, business and private sector, scientific and
academic community.
§ Each government is expected to set its own national
targets guided by the global level of ambition set in the SDGs.
§ While international cooperation in achieving the
Agenda will foster exchange of best practices and mutual learning, each country
has PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY for its own social and economic development.
§ The central role of national policies and
development strategies in achieving the SDGs cannot be overemphasized.
§ The need to strengthen national statistical agencies
for data gathering is essential to aid continuous review and evaluation of
progress on all indicators.
§ It is important that countries identify priority areas
to implement in the first 1000 days of the SDGs plan period.
§ Implementation of the Agenda should be driven at
country, regional and global levels,
that no one be left behind.
§ It is important that countries seek to build strong
economic foundations. This is because inclusive and sustainable economic growth
is critical for prosperity and equitable development.
§ The success of regional strategies and programmes,
such as African Union’s Agenda 2063, is integral to the SDGs.
§ Towards implementing the SDGs, governments and
public institutions should work closely with regional and local authorities, sub
regional institutions, international institutions, academia, philanthropic organizations,
volunteer groups and all others.
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