Beyond the flashy presentation, crisp speeches, beautiful phrases and affluent vocabulary that elaborate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a very proficient manners, revealing outcomes, progress and implication right from grass root level to policy making authorities, there is a basic question arise in my mind that how do we turn the Sustainable Development Goals from aspirations on paper to achievements around the world? May be the answer is by action!
There is no shortage of analysis pointing out the policies and transformations that are necessary to inaugurate a more just and sustainable world, but the most urgent question for engaged citizens must concern how to create a worldwide movement that can shift real power back to ordinary people.
The Peoples Forum on Sustainable Development 2018 is exactly the forum where these kind of people’s movements starts , the vibrant forum of common people where more then 100 civil society organization (CSO) representing communities across Asia Pacific region get to gather in the 3-day event. The 5th Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) themed ‘Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies’ held in consultation with governments and UNESCAP. The CSOs gathered at the event under the umbrella of Asia Pacific Regional CSO Mechanism (AP-RCEM), a platform for CSOs to engage with United Nations in this region. Asia Pacific forum on Women, Law & Development is main coordinating and organizing body of the event which aims to engage people in meaningful dialogue to discuss global development agenda 2030 and take it up to next level.
To make SDGs understandable what meant for a common person- The SDGs is a kind of global blueprint towards development, an agenda or plan of action adopted by united nations in 2015 to peruse and accomplish those well-defined 17 development goals with 169 targets over the next fifteen years till 2030.
The 2030 agenda for SDGs has offered a set of bold, ambitious and innovative package to transform the world, therefore the expectation around the goals are high therefore the scale and ambition of the new agenda requires a revitalized all level from community to global partnership to ensure its implementation. Governments, the private sector, civil society, the United Nations system and other actors must be mobilizing all available resources to make this world worth living.
We need people around the world taking action in their communities and holding their governments accountable for keeping the promises they made. But in order to have action, we need awareness. People must know about the global goals before they can embrace them as their own. A social development activist can help make global issues relevant to local communities by finding out how local communities are connected with small actions and initiatives.
And if we as ordinary people, are truly concerned about ending the injustice in development, then maybe we should apply the same question to ourselves: where’s the missing part? Where’s the caring, the compassion, the concern for defending the basic rights of those who live in a continual state of want and penury?
The challenges , government ambition has to be measured against its ability to carry out policy and institutional reforms. The SDGs will provide an opportunity to revisit the way the government approaches and undertakes development is something to be explored. Meanwhile, federal and provincial governments need to determine governance structures and accountability mechanisms required at national and local levels.
Political parties must work to mainstream sustainable development within national discourse. Strong political will and sturdy democracy can lead towards achieving SDGs. Their manifestos might highlight social and economic issues, but ensuring they are SDG compliant would shape the electoral debate to specificities rather than broad rhetorical pledges. Media and Civil society organization can play a vital role to promote SDGs with inclusive and participatory approach.
We as a social development activist while I suppose every citizen has to be, should needed to adopt and own SDGs in our life as a lens to review, recall and reclaim our basic human right to live with dignity and prosperity, to live for and with development justice! We are fully committed with spirit of global solidarity, in particular cohesion with the poorest and with people in vulnerable situations. we dream for ending the global emergency of extreme human deprivation, we dream for resilience, inclusive and sustainable societies! and we would start this movement form our own doorstep! The development agenda 2030 –the plan of action for people, planet and prosperity must be kick off from our own community by and now!
