Concern voiced over slow progress in implementing SDGs

Showing their concerns over slow progress towards an institutional response to implementing the sustainable development goals (SDGs), civil society activists called upon the Sindh government on Monday to come forward with a strong political will to speed things up.

They were speaking at a consultation meeting of civil society organisations, jointly organised by the Pakistan Institutional Labor Education and Research (Piler) and the Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Monday.

Representatives of civil society organisations from different districts of Sindh shared their views on development dimensions in the context of localising the SDGs targeted in the district and provincial perspectives.  

Karamat Ali, Piler director, said the SDGs were interlinked and their prioritisation must be integrated.

“Education status cannot be improved if structural reforms are not made to provide social and economic security to the people because poverty is the root cause of dropouts and lack of enrolment of children in school.”

He lamented malnourishment among children and women in Sindh, which, he said, was an agriculture province.

Punhal Sario, a social activist associated with the Sindh Hari Porhyat Council, said structural and economic reforms as well as stability of democracy were the core principles for sustainable development.

Muqtida Mansoor, political analyst and columnist, said there was a need to change the power structure and the electoral system to allow the marginalised section to be part of legislation and policymaking.

He said the existing electoral process did not allow challenging the hegemony of feudal lords and tribal chieftains; therefore, he suggested that for the implementation of the SDGs it was necessary to empower the local government system.

Javed Soz, another civil society activist associated with the SCF, briefed the participants about the discussion on prioritisation of the SDGs in 24 districts of Sindh with different stakeholders and sections of groups, including farmers, local elected representatives, rural women, youth and civil society activists.  Journalists Farooq Soomro and Mahesh Kumar also spoke.