UN nominates Ghana to develop sustainable development goals

The United Nations' Organisation (UNO) has nominated Ghana to play a lead role among 30 member-states from five regional blocks, to develop Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will be universally applicable, through the Open Working Group (OWG) initiative.

The Rio+20 Conference agreed to launch a process to develop a set of SDGs, which will build upon the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to converge with the post 2015 development agenda.

It was decided that an "inclusive and transparent intergovernmental process open to all stakeholders, with a view to developing global sustainable development goals to be agreed by the General Assembly," which Ghana is now playing a lead role among the 30 member-states representatives, would be established.

Mr. Ken Kanda, Ghana’s Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the UNO, noted that Ghana considers the role as a duty to humanity and the UNO to develop goals to enhance the assets of the poor and address current global crises.

“The real impact of these goals will be felt if the issues that hinder the development of developing countries, particularly Africa are addressed”, Mr Kanda stated. He made the remarks at the first Session of the OWG on SDGs at the UNO Headquarters in New York, which was monitored by Ghana News Agency through the Ghana’s UN Permanent Mission.

Mr kanda noted climate change, energy, trade, industrial development, full employment, global governance technology transfer, agricultural subsidies and land degradation, would serve as key thematic areas that the group will look at.

To achieve the SDGs, he suggested that the goals should be measurable and easy to implement within a reasonable time frame, and must have a period for review. Mr. Kanda urged OWG to be guided by openness, transparency, inclusiveness and consensus as well as the principles set out in the Rio + 20 outcome document.

To expedite action on the work, he urged the OWG to consider inviting academia, international organizations, as well as experts to make presentations to the Group and for it to engage them thoroughly, pointing out that an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the sustainable development was very vital to their work.

To enrich discussions within the OWG and facilitate the development of the SDGs, Mr Kanda called on the inter-agency group set up by the Secretary-General of the UN to compile current goals from international conventions, resolutions and conferences and make them available to the working group.

Ghana, therefore, called for the crafting of SDG that would build upon the Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs are eight international development goals that were officially established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, after the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration.