NEW DELHI, July 13:
NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar presented India’s second Voluntary National Review report titled ‘Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local’ at the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, 2020.
Dr Rajiv Kumar said, ”We should all obliterate all divisions and distinctions amongst us and come together to try and convert the prevailing situation into an opportunity for accelerating our progress towards achieving the SDG targets.”
In his statement, Dr Kumar presented the efforts towards ensuring no one is left behind. He also dwelt on the remarkable progress India has achieved in reducing multidimensional poverty, providing food safety, ensuring education for all, universalising access to electricity, clean cooking fuel and sanitation, while also operationalising the world’s largest health insurance programme by covering 500 million citizens.
Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said, ”We are deeply committed to building on existing efforts and undertake newer initiatives to accelerate progress on the SDG targets for long term transformation.
In this endeavour, peer learning and knowledge sharing will play a key role -which we are actively fostering among States and Union Territories.” At the Forum this year, which is being hosted virtually in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, 47 Member States are set to present their VNRs between July 10-16.
India presented its VNR along with other second time presenters like Bangladesh, Georgia, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria and Uganda. India’s VNR this year has undertaken a paradigm shift in terms of embodying a “whole-of-society” approach in letter and spirit. NITI Aayog engaged with sub-national and local governments, civil society organizations, local communities, people in vulnerable situations and the private sector.
As part of this process, NITI Aayog partnered with UN in India and Civil Society Organisations to curate a consultative process which saw more than 50 national and sub-national consultations with over 1000 CSOs from fourteen population groups including women, children, elderly, Persons with Disabilities, People Living with HIV, among others .
The Forum meets annually in July for eight days under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN, according to an official statement here on Monday.
The VNRs presented by Member States at the HLPF are a critical component of the review of progress and implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The reviews are voluntary and state-led and are aimed at facilitating the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned.
The process of preparation of a country’s VNR provides a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of various relevant stakeholders.
NITI Aayog prepared and presented India’s first VNR in 2017. The presentation also included a short film which encapsulated the processual aspects of the second VNR and captured some of India’s major progress areas on the SDGs. In his opening remarks, Dr Rajiv Kumar expressed his solidarity with all the countries which were grappling with challenges brought about by the pandemic, while highlighting the key features of India’s response to the pandemic under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign.
”The role of international cooperation is more critical than ever before,” observed the Vice-Chairman. He highlighted the leading role India has been playing in promoting global engagement platforms such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure (CDRI), and the active participation in implementing the Sendai Framework, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Paris Climate Agreement.
The presentation was followed by an interactive segment where Member States such as Ecuador and Bangladesh, and Civil Society Organisations put forth questions pertaining to areas of renewable energy, financial inclusion, and the Government’s future engagement strategy, respectively. (PTI)
India VNR 2020 report is a comprehensive account of the adoption and implementation of the 2030 Agenda in India. Apart from presenting a review of progress on the 17 SDGs, the report discusses at length the policy and enabling environment, India’s approach to localising SDGs, and strengthening means of implementation. (PTI)
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