Implementation of SDGs at local level key to achieving Agenda 2030 - Mustapa

 

The implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the local level is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030 (Agenda 2030), Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Mustapa Mohamed said.

In a statement issued by Wisma Putra yesterday, Mustapa said while the world was struggling to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia and neighbouring countries need to work together and enhance their commitment to implementing the goal.

He said the role of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia for Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG) and The Malaysia CSO SDG Alliance was also recognised in efforts to forge stronger cooperation between MPs, state governments and local authorities to implement 121 settlement projects at the local level in 30 parliamentary constituencies.

Mustapa said this while speaking at a side programme in conjunction with the United Nations (UN) High-Level Political Forum on SDGs on the topic “Building Back Better in Localising SDGs: A Case Study of Malaysia and Three Southeast Asian Country Experiences of the Partnership Model” at the UN Headquarters in New York yesterday.

It was held virtually by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Economic Planning Unit in collaboration with the APPGMSDG, with the participation of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, to share the achievements of their respective countries' best practice challenges in implementing the SDGs and efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

The implementation of the SDGs at the local level refers to the process of defining, implementing and monitoring strategies at the local level to achieve global, national and subnational goals under the 2030 Agenda.

In the same statement, Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, during the closing speech of the programme, emphasised the importance of the role and cooperation of stakeholders, including government bodies, the private sector and civil society in addressing issues related to sustainable development.

“This includes issues of poverty and inequality, climate change, as well as gender, ethnic or class discrimination through a clear inclusive agenda, especially in reaching out to vulnerable groups in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the local level,” he said.

The UN High-Level Political Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals is a key UN platform that plays an important role in the follow-up, review and evaluation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda globally.

- Bernama