SDGs need to be localised to ensure inclusive participation

To ensure participation of all required for transforming the world as envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the SDGs need to be localised by reaching out to the people at the grassroots level. The central government is not the only actor and institution for implementing the SDGs, local government and local authorities are equally responsible. Therefore, empowering the local governments and providing them with resources are imperative to mitigate the SDG challenges.  Capacity building of the local government and local authorities through awareness building and advocacy is vital while monitoring needs to be localised. The partnership among and within local stakeholders bears especial importance.

These were the major directives drawn from a  baseline survey conducted for a three-year project titled, “Enhancing the participation of community-based organizations (CBOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) in democratic governance in Bangladesh”, jointly implemented by CPD and Oxfam in Bangladesh supported by the European Union (EU). The findings were shared at a dialogue, “Localising SDGs for inclusive development”, on 5 December 2018 at Lakeshore Hotel, Dhaka. Mr Towfiqul Islam Khan, Senior Research Fellow, CPD and Ms Mahfuza Akter Mala, Senior Programme Officer, Oxfam in Bangladesh, made the keynote presentations.

Dr Fahmida Khatun, CPD’s Executive Director, chaired the dialogue and Dr Dipankar Datta, Country Director, Oxfam in Bangladesh, gave the introductory remarks. Dr Shamsul Alam, Member (Senior Secretary), General Economics Division, Planning Commission, Government of Bangladesh, was the Chief Guest and Mr Mario Ronconi, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, was the Guest of Honour. Ms Shaheen Anam, Executive Director, Manusher jonno Foundation, and Ms Sharmeen Murshid, Chief Executive Officer, BROTEE, commented on the presentations.

Dr Shamsul Alam urged the private sector to take more responsibility for creating decent jobs while the government must create an enabling environment to support the private initiatives. He especially emphasised on the media to effectively work in making people aware of SDGs.

Ms Shaheen Anam marked on the lack of political will to decentralise government while Ms Sharmeen Murshid called for a collective approach by the government and non-government organisations. Mr Mario Ronconi suggested CBOs and CSOs focus on influencing the policy structure rather than just focusing on the outcomes from single projects.

The floor comprising development partners, academicians, economists, researchers, journalists, diplomats among others actively participated and shared their insights in the dialogue. Journalists from the digital and print media were also present at the event.