05 Apr 2017

Adoption of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals set out a bold global agenda aimed at responding to the highly volatile and unpredictable challenges that confront humanity today.

Minister of Nationality Immigration and Gender Affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu said the success of this ambitious agenda largely depended on the strong commitment and leadership to accelerate implementation and ensure the attainment of all set goals and targets.

Mr Batshu was speaking at a cocktail reception for participants of the annual joint Regional United Nations Development Group (R-UNDG) for Eastern and Southern Africa and Western and Central Africa annual meeting in Gaborone .

He said that would require all members to come up with innovative tools and instruments to assist members in monitoring and evaluating the progress made for effective implementation, hence the theme; Taking Forward the SDGs through the Prism of 2016 Quadrennial comprehensive Policy review (QCPR).”

Minister Batshu said when members adopted the QCPR at the General Assembly in December 2016, they affirmed the UN as an invaluable partner in development and said as member States they took upon themselves, the primary responsibility of continuously assessing the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of United Nations operational activities, in supporting development.

He said they counted on the UNDG, to efficiently coordinate their operations to enable them to effectively support members and as African countries, individually and collectively in their development efforts.

The minister said he trusted that during their deliberations, they would endeavour to come up with group-breaking ideas of supporting countries they operate in, taking into account their specificities such as middle income countries, least developed  countries and landlocked developing countries.

“Every country aspires to attain a better quality of life for its citizens, the adoption of the SDGs is testament to this unwavering global commitment and we are encouraged by the momentum of all regions to prioritise the realisation of these commitments,” Mr Batshu added.

He expressed Botswana’s deep appreciation to the UN for the continued support accorded to Botswana in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr Batshu thanked the United Nations office in Botswana particularly for the sterling work and strong commitment in partnering with Botswana to advance development, including through the recently adopted UN Sustainable Development Framework 2017-2021.

He said Botswana was greatly honoured to have been chosen as the host of the first ever meeting of the United Nations Development Group, bringing together resident coordinators and regional directors from all the regions of sub- Saharan Africa .ENDS