25 September, Suva Fiji: The past few days saw the celebration of the ‘global goals week,’ that recognized the significance of the fifth (5th) anniversary of the seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The first Global Goals Week was held in 2016 during the UN General Assembly.
On 25 September 2015, 193 countries at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) adopted the 17 SDGs, a unanimous commitment to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice and tackle climate change.
The former UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, at this historic UNGA emphasized in his opening speech that “we need action from everyone, everywhere, the 17 SDGs are our guide and to-do-list for the people and the planet, and the blue-print for success.”
The Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) have rolled out important projects in our member states including those that are in the process of implementation. Some of these projects, include the following:
• Solarisation Head of State Residences at PIDF Member Countries;
• Capacity Building to Strengthen Sustainable Implementation of Renewable Energy Technologies for Rural Energy Access;
• Marine Spatial Planning Project;
• Strengthening Human Resilience in the Post-COVI19 world through Healthy Food and Nutrition in PIDF member countries;
• Development of Entrepreneurial Skills Post-COVID-19 through Rural Aquaculture; and
• Enhancing research and innovation ecosystems to tackle climate change in the Pacific.
The above projects, supports most of the SDGs, namely: No. 1 – No poverty; No. 2 – Zero hunger; No. 4 – Quality education; No. 6 – Clean water and sanitation; No. 7 – Affordable and clean energy; No. 8 – Decent work and economic growth; No. 9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure; No. 11 – Sustainable cities and communities; No. 12 – Responsible consumption and production; No. 13 – Climate action; No. 14 – Life below water; No. 15 – Life on land; and No. 17 – Partnerships for the goals.
According to the UN, “the SDGs will improve the lives of everyone everywhere, and create a better world for future generations. Now is the time to take global action for local results and move our people and planet towards a sustainable future.”
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