Pan African parliament calls for better governance to achieve SDGs

Stronger efforts are needed to encourage good governance, accountable leadership and effective institutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).

Presenting a report on Wednesday, 07 August 2019 to a joint committee meeting of Pan African Parliament (PAP) MPs in Midrand, South Africa, Jacqueline Amongin (Uganda) said improved governance and strengthened institutions were critical so as to achieve each goal and target by 2030.

“To set Africa firmly on the path to implement the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063, the goals of the two agendas must be fully integrated by countries into their policies and plans, national budgets, approaches to investment and private sector engagement and development,” Amongin said.

She added that efforts should, therefore, be intensified to strengthen the alignment of national development frameworks, including budget allocations, and bilateral and multilateral development cooperation frameworks with the goals of the two agendas.

Amongin’s report was out of the April 2019 Fifth Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) held in Marrakech, Morocco whose resolutions are intended to set Africa firmly on the path to implement the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.

The resolutions include improving governance and strengthening of institutions to incorporate laws into domestic legislation.

The others are inclusiveness of education through gender sensitive and transport policies; encourage good governance, transparent and accountable leadership, among others.

According to the UN, the SDGs are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

They address the global challenges, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice.

The PAP is considering all options on the table including, hosting an SDG summit in October 2019 during the plenary sittings of the continental assembly.

The summit is anticipated to enhance PAP’s constructive engagement with the UN to advance the development agenda and to lobby and advocate for the implementation of the Agenda 2063.

“The key objectives of this summit are to provide a platform for all national parliaments to assess progress made in achieving the SDGs at the national level, deliberate on expected roles of national parliaments in achieving the SDGs,” said Amongin.

The Marrakech session which elected Amongin as a member of the ARFSD Bureau.

PAP’s delegation to Marrakech also included hon. Assane Marou dit Koubou (Niger), hon. Lucia Maria Mended dos Passos (Cape Verde), hon. Sen. Paulette Mounguengui (Gabon), hon. Juliette Camara Kinaya (Cote D’Ivoire) and hon. Alhagie Mbow and hon. Fatou Jawara from the Gambia.