Africa Must Pursue Implementation of SDGs with Strong Sense of Urgency - President Akufo Addo
The deficit in human development on the African continent, the high
levels of poverty and deprivation, climate change and the teaming
numbers of young people who are unemployed on the African continent are
reasons enough for African leaders to take the implementation of the
SDGs more seriously and with all the urgency it deserves, President
Akufo Addo has observed.
Speaking at a high level Africa
round-table meeting on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an
event attended by Rwandan President, Paul Kagame together with
Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mousse Faki Mahamat, and
held at the Kempinski Hotel under the theme "Mobilizing Support and
Accelerating Implementation of the (SDGs)", President Akufo Addo said it
will take selfless and empowering leadership, smart and progressive
policies, as well as the empowerment of Africa's women to ensure the
full implementation of the SDGs in Africa. He urged the leaders of the
African continent to commit to making sure that the SDGs are implemented
in their various jurisdictions.
Rwandan President
The
President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame in his address at the opening ceremony
of The Round-table conference said African governments cannot on their
own ensure the implementation of the SDGs. He said private sector
corporation is paramount if Africa is to be successful at the
implementation of the SDGs. He therefore urged African leaders to
strategically engage the private sector in their respective countries in
order for their expertise to be tapped for the execution of the SDGs.
The Roundtable Discussion
The roundtable discussion has as its specific objective to define
fundamental enablers to achieving success in implementation of the goals
at the Africa regional level and country levels. It is also a call to
ignite action and mobilise regional support for the implementation of
the goals, propose practical, smart and innovative actions needed to
underpin their accelerated implementation.
The six main issues
that the discussion focused on were; the policy, institutional and
structural levers to accelerate the implementation of the SDG's in
Africa; the capacities needed for appropriate data collection to support
the monitoring and evaluation of support of the progress made in the
implementation of the SDGs; optimisation of infrastructure,
technologies and innovation as drivers for accelerating the
implementation of the SDGs; innovative approaches to mobilizing
resources to finance the SDGs and optimising the role, expertise and
resources of the private sector.
The others are: targeting
actions of a "quick win" nature to accelerate the empowerment of women
towards achieving the SDGs and opportunities for sharing best practices
in the implementation of the SDGs and defining a strategy to scale up
such practices.
Sustainable Development Goals Advocates
Launched on 21st January, 2016, on the occasion of the World Economic
Forum in Davos, the Sustainable Development Goals Advocates consist of
17 eminent persons assisting the UN Secretary-General in the campaign to
achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that world leaders
unanimously adopted in September 2015.
With a mandate to support
the Secretary-General in his efforts to generate momentum and commitment
to achieve the SDGs by 2030, the SDG Advocates have been working to
promote the universal sustainable development agenda, to raise awareness
of the integrated nature of the SDGs, and to foster the engagement of
new stakeholders in the implementation of these goals.
The
advocates are: H.E. Mrs. Erna Solberg (Co-Chair)Prime Minister of
Norway; H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (Co-Chair) and President of
Ghana; Mr. Richard Curtis
Screenwriter, Producer and Film Director; Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians; Ms. Leymah Gbowee, Director, Gbowee Peace Foundation; Ambassador Dho Young-Shim, Chairperson, United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) Foundation.
Other advocates are:
Mrs. Graça Machel, President of the Foundation of Community Development
and the UNESCO National Commission in Mozambique; Mr. Jack Ma, Founder
and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group; Mr. Leo Messi, renowned
football player and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador; Ms. Shakira Mebarak
Artist, Advocate and Founder of Pies Descalzos Foundation & UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador.
Ms. Alaa Murabit, the Voice of Libyan Women;
Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute at Columbia
University; Mr. Forest Whitaker, Founder and CEO, Whitaker Peace &
Development Initiative; Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Doha,
Qatar; Mr. Paul Polman Chief Executive Officer, Unilever; Her Royal
Highness, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; Professor Muhammad Yunus,
Founder, Grameen Bank are amongst the remaining list of advocates.
The SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global
Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the
planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
These 17 goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development
Goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic
inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice,
among other priorities. The goals are interconnected, often the key to
success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated
with another.
The SDGs work in the spirit of partnership and
pragmatism to make the right choices now to improve life, in a
sustainable way, for future generations. They provide clear guidelines
and targets for all countries to adopt in accordance with their own
priorities and the environmental challenges of the world at large. The
SDGs are an inclusive agenda. They tackle the root causes of poverty and
unite us together to make a positive change for both people and planet.
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