Seychelles to share progress on Sustainable Development Goals with UN this July

TRASS -- the only environmental not-for-profit based on Praslin -- is committed to reforesting areas affected by forest fires and land degradation. (Terrestrial Restoration Action Society of Seychelles/ Facebook) 

(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles will present its first Voluntary National Review to the United Nations this year on the progress made on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the country. 

The update will take place at the High-level Political Forum held July 7-16 in New York.

The principal secretary at the Economic Planning Department, Elizabeth Agathine, said that the report will also look at the challenges the country is facing to attain the goals and the way forward.

"Although we will be highlighting the achievements of the country within the report, that is not the only purpose. We need to take a critical look at where we are as a nation with the implementation of SDGs, and highlight the challenges, the weaknesses that we see and what is going to stop us or slow us down in achieving the goals," she said.

SNA learned about this development during a consultative workshop held by the Ministry of Finance, Trade, Investment and Economic Planning with members of Civil Society Organisation and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) on Friday.

The meeting was held as part of the process to present the country's first report on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Members of the civil society outlined the projects they are working on to help Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, reach the goals. They also spoke about their challenges and constraints.

Funding and release of members from work to implement projects were some of the main challenges numerous civil society and non-government organisations face.

"We need funds to do activities. I think that the Ministry of Finance should let us know how we can get access to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) money. We know that there is CSR money out there, but the problem is, it is not clear how we can tap into it," said Justin Freminot, the representative of the HIV AIDS Support Organisation (HASO).

The chairperson of the Arterial Network Seychelles, Martin Kennedy, outlined that the importance of contemporary culture is not mentioned in the SDGs, a point Agathine said can be highlighted as a shortcoming of the SDGs.

To make sure that the report thoroughly covers all the needs of the island nation, the finance ministry has made it mandatory to meet with representatives from the government, private sector and civil society.

The review has been structured in five thematic technical working groups – inclusivity, governance, human capital, environment and natural resources and economic growth. This puts the 17 goals into groups depending on their similarities.

Representatives from the government, private sector and civil society are being urged to join technical working groups, depending on their areas of focus to make contributes.

SDGs also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.