Brics women MPs back sustainable development goals

(From left) Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje light a lamp during a cultural programme in Jaipur.

IANS / Jaipur

The best way to predict future is to create it, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan observed yesterday while addressing the first meeting of the Brics Women Parliamentarians’ Forum here.
The two-day event was inaugurated by Mahajan at Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha Chamber on Saturday.

The meeting ended with the adoption of the Jaipur Declaration, which calls for ‘equity’, ‘inclusivity’ and ‘sustainability’ to be factored into all development plans and asks to institutionalise the Brics Women Parliamentarians’ Forum as an annual affair.

Addressing the delegates at the valedictory function, Mahajan said that dialogue among parliamentarians is important to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) and exhorted them to learn and benefit from the best practices in Brics countries.

She hoped the event would encourage women parliamentarians to meet regularly to discuss issues and exchange views in order to acquire deeper insight and develop a perspective on the problems and challenges faced by them as lawmakers.

The meeting deliberated upon three topics: ‘Perspectives on implementation of SDGs’, ‘Role of Women Parliamentarians in involving citizens’ and ‘Containing climate change: Imperatives of global cooperation’.

Delivering the valedictory address, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said that women lawmakers who are also daughters, mothers and sisters, not only represent people and guide administration but also bring to the table compassion and caring.

“This makes them more able guardians of processes that lead to improving the quality of life of our citizens.”

The Jaipur Declaration expresses commitment to intensify mutual co-operation based on the framework and associated action plan agreed upon and reaffirmed at the First Brics Parliamentary Forum held in Moscow in 2015.

It exhorts international financial institutions to “support and facilitate financing for development on favourable terms” for the developing and the least developed countries, and to help them gain easier access to new and affordable technologies for capacity-building.
It also underscores the need to address climate change “in all its manifestations”, and work out “integrated solutions” to preserve and protect ecological systems and forests and ensure food security.

News : International : Organization of American States (OAS) 

OAS and PAHO to Cooperate on Implementation of 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
By OAS
Aug 19, 2016 - 12:51:00 PM

(OAS/PAHO)‒ The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today signed a declaration of cooperation to support the countries of the Americas in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The declaration signed by OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro and PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne establishes joint activities primarily focused on equity, social inclusion, and social determinants of health in the region, areas in which both organizations have high interest.

“This marks an unprecedented effort in institutional collaboration related to the development agenda,” affirmed Almagro. He added that “The OAS and PAHO are called upon to work with member countries to build a new institutional architecture in the inter-American system if we want to achieve truly inclusive development with equity and sustainability.”

The Americas is one of the most inequitable regions of the world and the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes this challenge.

The two inter-American agencies have decided to combine their efforts, experience, and knowledge to provide coordinated support to the member states as they implement the development agenda.

“This joint effort between PAHO and the OAS is a great opportunity to collaborate with the countries in addressing this ambitious development agenda and helping to reduce inequalities and improve health, without leaving anyone behind,” explained Etienne. Other agencies and organizations will be called upon to forge a broader interinstitutional partnership.

The activities to be carried out include the establishment of a High-level Interagency Working Group comprised of representatives of the two organizations to spearhead this joint effort. Its purpose is to improve coordination of institutional activities at the national level, ensure the global SDG process becomes regionalized, and facilitate cooperation and the exchange of best practices among countries so that institutions can be strengthened.

At the Summit for Sustainable Development, held in September 2015, the member states of the United Nations approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (the SDGs) aimed at ending poverty, fighting inequality and injustice, and coping with climate change.

The new global goals and the Agenda for Sustainable Development go far beyond the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and represent a true multisectoral agenda, which addresses the fundamental causes of poverty and the universal need for development that works for all people.

Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being across the life course is one of the goals, and it is directly related to PAHO’s area of work. Democracy, human rights, multidimensional security, and integrated development constitute the four pillars of the OAS agenda that are essential for achieving sustainable development.


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