Islamabad : Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam Convener Parliamentary Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs) said that sustainable progress cannot be achieved without proactive third tier of government. She also said that this tier of the government should not only be empowered but should also be included in all policy formulation and strategy development. She further said that local government system plays a pivotal role in the adoption and implementation of the SDGs. She expressed these views during her inaugural session of National meet on Sustainable Development Goals 2023 with the theme “From Global Goals to Local Impact: empowering Local government for SDGs Success” -Ensuring responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all level.
Furthermore, Convener Parliamentary Task Force on SDGs stated that Local Government representatives are much closer to citizens unlike provincial and federal governments on account of constraints such as limited resources and limited personnel. Moreover, she said that United Nations has also recognized the significance of Local Governments in achieving the SDGs and urged governments to empower their local administrations and departments. It is high time that Federal and Provincial Governments collaborate with the third tier of Governance to localize the SDGs and ensure socio-economic progress in the country.
In addition, she stated that Parliamentarians and Government Representatives, should ensure the implementation of
Local Government System in Pakistan in order to manage critical aspects of our communities such as education, healthcare, water and sanitation systems, transportation, housing markets, and local businesses. Local Governments have the potential to directly impact health, education, economic, and social sectors, to contribute in poverty alleviation, gender inclusivity, and industrial innovation.
While highlighting the importance of Local Governments, she said that it is indeed the backbone of our democracy and the key for implementing policies that truly impact the lives of our citizens, inspiring lasting and positive change at the grassroots level. The National Meet 2023 aims to provide a platform for stakeholders and decision-makers to engage in extensive deliberations to strengthen Article 140(A) and the local governance system of Pakistan through legislative reform. We aim to propose a constitutional amendment to ensure increased autonomy and continuity of local governments.
During her address, she also highlighted the last year’s National Meet which was a resounding success of Parliamentary Task Force on SDgs amidst post-Covid19 challenges, advocated for climate justice, strategized for SDG’s achievement through SDG-sensitive budgeting and SDGs localisation and identified the gaps in data collection for SDGs achievement. Throughout the year, the SDGs Secretariat and the Parliamentary Taskforce have made notable progress across agreed-upon policy actions, however, their achievement can only be ensured through continued efforts.
She extend es my sincere appreciation to the team of the SDGs Secretariat and to Mustehkam Parlimaan, and GIZ which have always supported the SDGs Secretariat . She also expressed her gratitude to Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf for his unparallel support to SDGs Secretariat.
