By Awhawha Awhawha
The Delta State Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has organized a stakeholders meeting in Asaba with a pledge to sustain the collaborative efforts in order to effectively achieve the goals in the state for the overall benefits of Deltans and residents in the state.
Director-General of the SDGs, Chief Daniel Ogbodo Ivwighren stated this on Friday, in Asaba during the stakeholders meeting.
He said that the Directorate under his watch had made significant progress towards achieving the MORE Agenda of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration through the SDGs.
He reminded the stakeholders that SDGs was a universal call for action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity.
Also that there was need to establish a strong institutional policy framework to coordinate SDGs implementation.
The Director -General further stressed the importance of developing a comprehensive SDGs implementation plan, make notable progress in areas such as health, provision of solar/inverter boreholes and street lights in Primary Healthcare centres across the state, fumigation as well as provision of school desk among others.
According to Ivwighren , to overcome the challenges facing the SDGs, stakeholders must address the disparities in access to qualify education and healthcare, strengthen their efforts to promote sustainable agriculture and reduce hunger.
He explained that to accelerate progress towards the SDGs , the partnership with stakeholders, civil society organizations , the private sector and development partners should be strengthened and enhance data collection and analysis capabilities to inform them to achieve the SDGs.
In their separate remarks,the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Civil Engagement and Civil Society, Activist Rex Anighoro ,State Director of Statistics, Nkechi Maduemezia , Deacon Okezi Odugala and the Special Assistant to the Governor on SDGs, Mrs. Diana Ereyitomi said that the voluntary national review meeting to be held in Uyo , Akwa-Ibom State was an opportunity for the state to tell its success story on SDGs .
They affirmed that Delta State had done well in SDGs right from when it was Millennium Development Goals before metamorphosing into the Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing that the state remained a shining light when it comes to SDGs implementation.
Maduemezia, particularly stated that the review could not be overwhelmed, considering the fact that SDGs would elapse I’m 2030, just as she said that data documentation was important.
The Acting Director of Sustainable Development Goals in the State, Mr. Monday Emeyese gave an overview of the SDGs , recalling that the 17 goals of the SDGs was adopted in 2015 by the United Nations to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all .
Emeyese said that the 17 Goals of the SDGs were important because they provided a shared vision for a better future and a framework for achieving it .
One of the stakeholders, Augusta Keneboh highlighted the main objectives of the Voluntary National Reviews to include sharing of experience on successes, challenges and lessons learned, facilitate stakeholders consultation and engagement and ways to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs at all levels.
Other objectives according to Keneboh were the National and Sub National perspective on the status of progress in the implementation of SDGs , upgrade in the stages of implementation or attainment of specific targets and performance indications , identify opportunities across the multi stakeholders on SDGs and recommendations for accelerating progress towards 2030.