A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) senior economist, Osten Chulu, says implementation will play a key role in the success or failure of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He was addressing a media briefing in Sandton on Tuesday.
The UN will meet in New York from the 25th to the 27th of September to adopt the SDGs which emanate from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – a set of 8 measurable goals for 2015 focused on improving human conditions around the globe.
The MDGs were adopted in the year 2000 at the UN Millennium Summit where world leaders signed the UN Millennium Declaration, a document which is the foundation for the MDGs.
Over the past few years implementation of the MDGs has been a problem for some African countries, and Chulu believes this has to change in order for the SDGs to be a success.
Chulu admits that there are many successes related to the MDGs but there have also been some failures.
Listen below as Chulu talks about the successes and failures of the MDG:
SDG: Will they be successful?
Chulu says the only weakness related to the SDGs is that they do not hold anyone to account in terms of implementation. “A weakness of the SGDs is that they don’t hold anyone to account. We need to have a mechanism at a country level of ensuring that whoever is entrusted with the responsibility to deliver on the SDGs actually does that.”
He adds that, “If it is linked to the South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) let it be known that the SDGs are linked to the NDP and it’s the responsibility of 1, 2, 3 people to deliver on that.”
On why there is a need for the SDGs when there is still more work that needs to be done in order for the MDGs to be fully realised, Chulu says that the SDGs is the continuation of the MDGs but the former is more target orientated and will therefore get to the grassroot level of the problems.
Chulu also says in order for the goals to fully achieved, there is a need for governments, private sector and civil society to work hand in hand.
One Campaign deputy director for Africa, Nachilala Nkombo, agrees with Chulu that everyone has to play a part in ensuring that the SDG become a success story.
She also notes that there have been some successes and failures in achieving some of the MDGs and warns that they will be monitoring the implementation of the SDGs so that the goals are achieved.
Listen below as Nkombo talks about the successes and failures of the MDGs:
– By Palesa Kobedi
