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Doha
A lack of evidence that the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals are being achieved was highlighted by one of the organisation’s leading figures during a talk at Qatar Foundation.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J Mohammed told the audience at the latest edition of the Education City Speaker Series that “business as usual” will not be enough to address the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are designed to lead to transformation in vital aspects of the society.
Speaking at Qatar National Library, she said the hardest SDG to meet would be gender equality – and said she hoped a woman becomes the next UN secretary-general.
Mohammed, who addressed the topic of ‘Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Impact During the Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs’, was speaking at an event held on the sidelines of the Doha International Conference on Disability and Development. “Since 2015, we have had unprecedented engagement with the SDGs. Across the globe, we have seen governments, scientific communities, the service industry, media and many other sections of society being eager to embrace the goals. At high-level UN political events, we see evidence of plans and initiatives being drawn up,” she said.
“But what we are not seeing is evidence that this engagement of the contribution is making to the real world. We are not seeing the change that we need.”
In her talk, attended by Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed al Thani, as well as school students, academics and members of the wider community, Mohammed suggested ways in which societies can effectively align their actions with the aims of the SDGs.
“The first priority is localisation, by supporting local governments and local communities, and delivering on the SDGs,” she said. “With the right policies in place, the work of local leaders can be elevated.
“However, with localisation come two critical bottlenecks that local governments face. One is data, knowing who is where and doing what in order to invest; and the second is finance. Many local and regional governments are struggling to monitor the progress toward the SDGs.”
Mohammed also emphasised the importance of public mobilisation, saying most people across the world are still not aware of the SDGs.
On the topic of empowering youth, Mohammed advised young audience members to “get that education as it’s the most powerful tool. And use your voice with that knowledge”.
“We have seen young people question leaders at the UN, making them very uncomfortable. So use your voice, but remember your voice needs to have purpose,” she noted.
Asked by moderator Folly Bah Thibault, a presenter at Al Jazeera English, for her thoughts on Qatar’s efforts towards addressing the SDGs, Mohammed said, “For Qatar, it is imperative that it addresses many of the issues around energy use. And during my visit to the country, I have seen the efforts being made to diversify.
“Qatar has to become greener, and it also needs to look at moving away from single-use plastic, especially as a big population will be visiting Qatar during the FIFA World Cup.”
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09/12/2019
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