Govt-civil society link underlined for sustainable uplift

PESHAWAR: The speakers at a consultation have called for the partnership between the government and the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

Blue Veins, a non-governmental organization, had organised provincial consultation which was attended by the government officials and members of the civil society vying for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as envisioned by the United Nations.

The speakers said the civil society had the potential to support the government in ensuring inclusive policymaking by spotlighting the need for the most vulnerable people, propelling innovation, identifying solutions to the complex development challenges, and taking responsibility for the service delivery on the ground.

They said the SDGs could not be attained without a strong, inclusive, and meaningful public participation in the development and monitoring of the policies.

Blue Veins Chairperson Shaheen Quresh said: “The SDGs are bound to fail without a fully engaging the civil society”.

She said: “The poor relation between government and the CSOs is likely to halt or reverse the progress towards reducing inequality, ensuring inclusion and improving sustainability because it is often precisely by those who are marginalized and are at the greatest risk of being ‘left behind in development”.

Zahoor Ahmad, a human rights expert, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic underscores society’s reliance on women both on the frontline and at home, while simultaneously exposing structural inequalities across every sphere”.

He said responding to the pandemic is not just about rectifying long-standing inequalities, but also about building a resilient world in the interest of everyone with women at the centre of the recovery. This could not be achieved without trust and partnership between CSOs and government.

A transgendered persons rights activist, Namkeen, said: “Marginalized groups must be able to hold the providers of basic public services accountable for equitable delivery of services such as education, health, water and sanitation, housing, safety and justice responsible”.

She said the governments routinely struggled to improve the quality of public services. “The ‘leave no-one behind’ principle commits governments to reach the most marginalized populations. Their voices must be heard, and their active participation as agents of change needs to be promoted,” she argued.