Will all or any of the SDGs be successfully completed by the end of this decade?
To answer this critical question in the context of Seychelles, the University of Seychelles (UniSey), in collaboration with the United Nations resident coordinator’s office (UNRCO) for Mauritius and Seychelles, hosted a panel discussion recently, moderated by Emeritus Professor Dennis Hardy, the chair of the UniSey council and research consultant with the James R. Mancham Peace and Diplomacy Research Institute, specialising in the geopolitics of the Indian Ocean.
In 2015, the United Nations launched a programme of sustainable development goals (SDGs) to be achieved across the world by 2030.
The 17 SDGs, also known as the Global Goals, were adopted as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
It is now half-time and an assessment can be made on whether the programme is on track.
How is the world performing? Will all or any of the SDGs be successfully completed by the end of this decade?
The 17 SDGs are integrated and they recognise that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.
By looking at the implementation progress and challenges for Seychelles, the panel discussion focused on SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 15: Life on Land and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
The discussion began with Preethi Nair, the national project coordinator for the UNDP programme in Seychelles, who delivered a presentation on the UN and SDGs from a development perspective across the different global goals.
Preethi explained the difference between sustainability and development; and how the Millennium Development Goals paved the way for the broader SDGs that targeted universality, integration and transformation.
She explained how the principle of the 5Ps (people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnerships) are integrated within the SDGs and using the example of Singapore’s Green Plan 2030, she highlighted the efficiency of technology for digitalisation, green technology, data for planning, ideation, research and development, investment and innovation.
The second speaker was Betty-Mai Sofa, a senior lecturer and head of the Health and Social Care department at UniSey. She provided a summary on SDG 1: No Poverty, with 7 targets, which aims to “End poverty in all its forms everywhere”. Betty-Mai said that there is an urgent need to reduce inequalities and close the gap between the rich and poor. If inequalities persist, it is going to drag the entire nation down.
She said that in order for the country to progress, there needs to be a conversation not only among the leaders but also between the policy makers and the local community. Betty-Mai highlighted the country’s need to invest in its people, especially at grassroot level, to make them understand what sustainability is about and how they can contribute to sustainable solutions.
Dr Raymond Anyanwu, senior lecturer in the department of Education, Languages and Media (UniSey), was the third speaker who provided a summary on SDG 4: Quality Education, with 10 targets, which aims to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
Raymond stressed on education as a fundamental human right for the acquisition of knowledge and skills to lead a prosperous life.
He defined the word ‘quality’ as a lifebelt that should be functional, enduring, inclusive and guaranteed; and what the state’s role should be in ensuring quality education for all.
Raymond mentioned that knowledge, skills and the right attitude are key for people to bring about meaningful contributions to society.
The fourth speaker, Guy Morel, an associate lecturer in the Business department at UniSey, provided a summary on SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, with 12 targets, that aims to “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”.
Guy emphasised on the prosperity indicator as the key component to create value for a society.
He said that in Seychelles, there is a high reliance on foreign talent within the private sector but there is a growing anti-work culture among today’s youth.
A high number of young people are not in employment or undertaking any education and training opportunities.
Guy also said that there is a need to identify the potential derailers that may hinder the implementation progress of the SDGs in order for the country to stay on track.
Dr Nuette Gordon, a senior lecturer and head of the Environment department and research member of the Blue Economy Research Institute (UniSey), was the fifth speaker. She provided a summary on SDG 15: Life on Land, with 12 targets, that aims to “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”.
She mentioned that Seychelles has completed or is still undertaking several projects with different UN agencies such as FAO, UNICEF etc. and one of the ongoing projects is the UN Ridge to Rift that promotes training on agroforestry.
Nuette said that although Covid-19 negatively impacted the various activities, the projects and programmes need to continue with more engagement with students to give them more information and exposure.
The last presenter, Diana Benoit, director of the James R. Mancham Peace and Diplomacy Research Institute, provided a summary on the SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, with 12 targets, that aims to “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”.
She said there is a need to educate people about the concepts of peace, violence and conflict. That there are different forms of violence (direct, structural and cultural) and that in all societies worldwide, conflicts are inevitable.
However, there is a need for individuals and groups to understand how to handle these conflicts effectively without resorting to violence.
Diana mentioned that although Seychelles is a peaceful country, it has negative peace which is the absence of war and violent conflict. People need to work together to find sustainable solutions to transform conflict and build positive peace which is more sustainable. As a result, the people can collectively contribute to pillar 1 (good governance) and pillar 3 (social cohesion) in the Seychelles National Development Strategy 2019-2023.
Following the various presentations by the speakers, participants in attendance asked some questions and made some observations.
The overall remarks are: Seychelles is on the right track in achieving the SDGs through the works of the different government agencies; More alignment and consistent monitoring of the implementation progress; The public, private and civil society sectors need to have a conversation on the country’s progress, the challenges and the possible sustainable solutions; The need for partnership rather than competition between the stakeholders; Visioning and having foresight are important for sustainable development; Promote more communications with relevant partners for strategic management and planning and Work closely with the local community and actively engage with people on the grass root level to also give them a voice.
Interest in the SDGs cuts across all disciplines and courses and the discussions were relevant to plan the way forward. The points discussed will be compiled into a report that UniSey will submit to the UNRCO for further action.
Source: Seychelles Nation