ISLAMABAD – National Sustainability Development Goals annual conference held in the capital Islamabad with focus on Economic Aspects of Sustainability.
Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives held the National Sustainability Development Goals annual conference under the supervision of Prof Ahsan Iqbal. The conference opened with an effective “SDGs – So Far” video and was followed by welcome remarks by the Secretary of the Ministry.
Among a plethora of experienced speakers were some important names such as that of Dr Adil Najam and Dr Hamza Malik. The former focused on SDGs in the Pakistani context – effectively and very interestingly navigating those attending through the challenges faced by the country, what goals are being implemented, and what the road ahead looks like. The latter had his focus on SDGs in the more economic aspect where a lot of emphasis was put on debt and financing of the sustainability goals. Sat in the audience were important and influential members including but not limited to members of the civil society, the diplomatic circuit of Islamabad, parliamentarians especially SDGs task force members, federal and provincial government representatives, private sector representatives such as Pakistan Business Council, members of the media, Academia, among others. Surprisingly, presenting a breath of fresh air, this year’s edition also included young focal members of the society that are concerned about the environment and meeting sustainability goals.
In his keynote address, Prof Ahsan Iqbal stressed the importance of sustainability goals while developing as a nation. He stated and I quote “Economic progress needs to go hand in hand with sustainable development if Pakistan is to progress holistically”. He further stated and multiple times reiterated that the government alone can not and should not be responsible for working on and implementing SDGs. He then added that civil society needs to do its due course of action to ensure that our national development is headed in the right direction. The Minister also urged members of the media to focus on the importance of sustainability goals in any and every way that they can. Mr Iqbal went on to state that the 2022 floods were just the tip of the iceberg and should serve as a constant reminder of how bad things can get if no attention is paid to these goals. Following the address, the floor was handed over to Mr Mohamed Yahya, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator. Mr Yahya in his address stated that the UN is focused on Pakistan and the Islamic Republic is a key state for the UN. He reiterated the importance of developing in a sustainable fashion and ensured the United Nations support every step of the way.
In the latter half of the conference, attendees were divided into groups to focus on areas like the environment and SDGs financing. The purpose of these groups was to come up with concrete suggestions for the government to keep in mind when planning and developing. Minister Iqbal stated that the suggestions will be taken very seriously and the purpose of the conference is to go beyond mere word and promises.
While a great initiative by the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, it remains to be seen what fruits the conference will bear.
