The United Nations Development Programme on Monday advised the Federal Government to begin the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals early to achieve economic, social and environmental development.
The UNDP’s Acting Resident Representative in Nigeria, Opia Kumah, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria at the launch of the 2015 Social Good Summit in Abuja.
Kumah based his advice against the backdrop of Nigeria’s late commencement of the Millennium Development Goals, which the country started in 2005 as against 2000.
The UNDP official, however, commended Nigeria’s performance in the implementation of the MDGs, saying that the country “did very well”.
He said: “Nigeria did very well still that it started rather late.
“Many of the MDGs have seen remarkable progress for its 15 years of implementation.
“The lesson for the SDGs is that Nigeria cannot afford a late start.
“We have to kick-off right now so that we can achieve and surpass as many of the goals and targets as possible.”
Kumah advised Nigeria to be inclusive in its implementation of the SDGs, stressing that this could not be done by the government alone.
He said: “The first I will reiterate is: Let us start early.
“Let us be inclusive.
“It is not a thing only the government must do.
“Second, government must bring along the civil society organisations and other partners.
“Three, government must be integrated vertically in implementing the SDGs, which government at federal, states and the local government area levels must all work together.
“SDGs implementation must be integrated with development planning at all these levels.
“It cannot be done in isolation.
“So all sectors, all ministries and all areas of the economy and society must be integrated in implementing the SDGs.
“If Nigeria does this, I have no doubt that you will succeed.”
The UNDP official expressed the belief that with the SDGs, Nigeria was well-poised to grow its economy, protect the environmental space and eradicate poverty.
Kumah said the implementation of the SDGs would ensure that hunger was eliminated and that people achieved better well-being through better education, better health and better equality among genders.
“By 2030, we should achieve all these goals and Nigerians will lively happily thereafter,” he said.
He said the UNDP, with all the other UN agencies in partnership with the government and other development partners, had been supporting Nigeria’s institutions in implementing the MDGs.
He pledged that the UNDP would continue in the same spirit to support the implementation of the SDGs, which had more comprehensive framework that could serve as a platform for Nigeria’s development agenda.
Kumah said UNDP’s specific contributions were in three areas – inclusive growth, democratic governance and environmental sustainability.
He said: “Regarding inclusive growth, we work with government at the federal and state levels to ensure that poverty is minimised.
“We work with Local Government Areas to develop livelihood programmes so that people are able to increase their income and make a decent living by doing decent work.
“With regards to sustainable environment, we work with the Ministry of Environment and other partners, including Global Environment Facility, to ensure that Nigeria’s resources are harnessed and protected.
“We also promote sustainable energy development and use.”
NAN.