The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) says it is partnering with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to mainstream SDGs in states and local governments policies for effective implementation.
Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, SSA to the President on SDGs, said on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 in Abuja that the mainstreaming was to fast-track the implementation of the SDGs at sub-national level.
She said that the SDGs were a universal call to action to end poverty, safeguard the planet and ensure that everyone enjoys prosperity and peace.
Orelope-Adefulire explained that the integration was essential because the states and LGAs were the closest tiers to the people and had adequate fiscal capacity to enable Nigeria achieve the 2030 target of “leaving no one behind.’’
“The 17 SDGs and 169 targets aim to tackle the root causes of poverty and unite us together to make positive change for both people and planet.
“Indeed, the SDGs work in the spirit of partnership and pragmatism to make the necessary choices to improve livelihood in a sustainable way.
“The SDGs cannot be achieved through stand-alone projects and programmes. They must be carefully mainstreamed into the Medium and Long-term plans of the State and Local governments, as implemented by the National Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).
“It is our hope that any development plan at the sub-national level should be ‘SDGs-based’ Plan that consciously mainstreams the relevant SDG targets and indicators,’’ she said.
The SSA noted that most states had already put in place institutional structures to support the implementation of the SDGs within their jurisdictions and were currently implementing strategic programmes and initiatives.
She thanked UNDP for their support in facilitating the meeting, soliciting for more technical support at both national and sub-national levels to ensure meaningful progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
In his remarks the UNDP Country Director, Dr Samuel Bwalya, said that mainstreaming the SDGs would allow proper investment in priority areas as required by the states.
Bwalya explained that SDG was all about development and equity and most of the developmental projects were done at the state and local levels.
“We are now moving from federal to state and from state to local. The essence of today’s meeting is to dialogue with the state liaison office to see how SDGs can be achieved.
“SDG can be achieved only through strong political leadership, ownership and commitment on the parts of citizens and the government.
“UNDP is to assist in integrating all the states in the country including FCT in their SDG to deliver,’’ Bwalya said.
He urged the participants to reflect the objectives of SDGs in the administrative function and evaluate why the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) failed, so that the gap could be bridged.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was attended by the SDGs Liaison officers from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
By Kate Obande-Okewu and Angel Aluya
