Achieving SDGs: Result oriented strategy needed: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD:

There is a dire need of a proactive approach and result-oriented strategy to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) so that mistakes committed in the case of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are not repeated.

This was stated by planning minister Ahsan Iqbal while addressing a seminar titled ‘Sustainable Development Goals - the way forward’ at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute on Monday.

“We are working on localisation of these goals because they are for securing our own future, not for meeting international obligations,” Iqbal said. He added that country failed to achieve MDGs because of structural flaws in planning and development strategy, and not just lack of financial resources.

He said the present government had established an SDG unit in the Planning Commission to effectively implement and execute the goals besides monitoring their performance in the provinces.

The minister underlined the need to restructure institutions and improve efficiency of executing agencies to achieve the objectives.

“Vision 2025 provides fundamental principles and a comprehensive framework for development,” he said, adding they tried to learn from mistakes and improved what was lacked in implementation of the MDGs.

He vowed that government was committed to implement SDGs in letter and spirit whether it get support from international agencies or not.

The minister said education was important to achieve the goals. Government has made education its top priority, he shared. “We have laid foundation for building knowledge based economy,” he stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2015.