76th UN General Assembly: “Guyana will stay wedded to Sustainable Development Goals” – Pres Ali on “Agenda 2030”

…commits to aggressive advocacy despite slothful, lagging int’l implementation

Noting that the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was lagging even before the COVID-19 pandemic, President Dr Irfaan Ali has issued a call for the international community to renew its focus on achieving these goals and Agenda 2030 targets.

The President was at the time addressing the Sustainable Development Moment during the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. According to him, his own Government remains committed to the UNGA SDGs.
“Guyana remains committed to presenting its second Voluntary National Review in the Decade of Action to realise the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” the President said in his address.
“Guyana will stay wedded to SDGs and will strive through its small but aggressive advocacy to ensure that this the third decade of the 21st century is characterised by transformation in which Agenda 2030 remains the primary guiding framework.”
But Ali noted that other countries in the international community, particularly the ones who should be at the forefront of the push to attain the SDGs, have not been as committed to this endeavour.
“Unfortunately, even prior to the pandemic, progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda was slothful and lagging. The pandemic has only compounded this reality. It has reversed many development gains and has threatened the attainment of the SDGs,” he said.
“The uneven global response to the pandemic has not helped. In order to attenuate this uneven response, avert the adverse consequences of a two-tier recovery and prepare for future exogenous shocks, greater attention must be paid to strengthening resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries, like Small Island Developing States and low-lying coastal states.”
According to the President, it will take a number of measures from the international community to ensure these vulnerable countries can stay on target, including debt rescheduling, increased access to soft resources and increased financing for climate adaptation.

Guyana’s SDGs initiatives
President Ali meanwhile spoke on the efforts Guyana has made towards the SDGs and its commitment to take an even-handed and inclusive approach to policymaking, in light of Guyana’s pluralistic society.
Guyana’s efforts, as cited by the President, include spearheading the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Agri-Food Systems agenda, which prioritises food security and nutrition while guiding growth through a Low Carbon Development Strategy.
This falls in line with facilitating sustainable economic development while mitigating the effects of climate change, which are SDGs. Additionally, the President spoke of the efforts his Government has made to mitigate learning loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of schools.
“This support includes the provision of 20,000 online scholarships to universities around the world for vocational, undergraduate and post-graduate studies, intensifying digital learning and preparing to make university education free by 2025,” he said.
Since taking office last year, President Ali has been advocating for access to more funding for developing countries. To this end, Guyana hosted the flagship G77 and China event themed: “Maintaining a Low Carbon Development Path towards the 2030 Agenda in the Era of COVID-19.”
The 17 SDGs include eradicating poverty and hunger, providing quality education for citizens, clean water and sanitation and economic growth. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which include the SDGs, was adopted by UN Member States inclusive of Guyana in 2015.
The 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) opened on Tuesday, September 14, 2021. On that day, Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives was sworn in as the General Assembly President and he opened the 76th session. (G3)