THE UN General Assembly on September 25 adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 17 broad objectives globally that will provide the blueprint for the world’s development over the next 15 years. These are highly ambitious development goals and Bangladesh appears to be in the forefront in achieving many of those goals. But the question is how the country will move forward in mobilizing resources to implement projects and achieve these goals.
The Centre for Policy Dialogue on Monday discussing those issues highlighted the fact that data availability and coordination among so many ministries and development agencies will be the key challenges for achieving the SDGs in Bangladesh. The Seventieth Session of Integration of SDGs with their national planning process will also be a challenge. Among 17 SDGs, eight goals were better integrated in the existing national prioritization process and about 20 percent SDGs were not currently reflected in national priorities.
Experts believe that weaker areas of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Bangladesh; which laid the foundation of the SDGs, such as generating productive employment, reduction of inequality and environment-related aspects must find priorities in the national planning process.
Finance and non-financial resources are also key components for successful delivery of the SDGs as at the current level of public and private global investment shows an annual financing gap of US$ 205 trillion. Bangladesh should take cautious steps to reduce corruption, misuse of budgetary resources and stop money laundering to mobilize enough resources to achieve its own SDGs within the time.
There is also the lack of institutional capacity to track the development progress by compiling data from field level to make proper projection of progress in particular areas. It remains a big challenge. Good governance, participation of people in development activities, strengthening accountability are also some conditions to achieve the desired growth. Here the engagement of Private sector, NGOs, Parliamentarians and Local Government representatives is also important to create the platform to implement the SDGs. It needs pragmatic leadership as well as strong work ethics to achieve the goals.
We may have a thousand development goals but achieving them needs sacrifice and a willingness to look at the common good over our narrow selfish and petty interests. Thinking along the lines that what is good for one must be also good for all is not the correct way either to achieving long term development goals. The goals must be egalitarian but also differential based on capacity and nature of demand for goods and services of socio-economic groups. Where total good is the highest, individual good is also likely to be on the high side. We believe that the SDGs must be prioritized accordingly to bring maximum development to the nation within the stipulated 15 years time.
