Executive Summary
The
United Nations in the year 2000 established the Millennium Development Goals to
assist countries work toward those goals especially Africa, Caribbean and
Pacific countries, to become middle level income countries. Unfortunately Sierra
Leone was unable to meet the eight MDGs. We still continue to grapple as a
nation; in September 2015 the United Nations further developed what is now
referred to as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which
are seventeen. Sierra Leone has acceded to this document made a lot of
commitments and has already aligned the SDGs to the national agenda called the
Agenda for Prosperity.
The
SDGs is a very powerful tool to be used for any country’s development agenda
especially Sierra Leone that was decimated by the Ebola virus disease and its
Gross Domestic Product reduced. The membership of the Network of African Youth
for Development (NAYD) on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Sierra Leone Chapter comprising nine (9) local Non-governmental Organizations, organized
a one (1) day Training of Trainers workshop on Tuesday 13th
December, 2016 at the Scripture Union Hall, 74 Pademba Road, Freetown to
develop a Country Plan of Action and identify tools to monitor the SDGs in
rural communities in Sierra Leone using young people’s organization.
The
objective of the training was to
empower the membership of NAYD SL to identify tools to monitor the Sustainable
Development Goals in rural communities in Sierra Leone using young people’s organizations.
The outcome of the training was to
build a Country Plan of Action like other countries in the region have done.
The
organizers of the event NAYD SL invited one of the architect of this fine
document, former Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella as the keynote speaker and
Chief Facilitators to build a Country Plan and identify tools to monitor SDG 7
i.e. Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG 2 i.e. Zero Hunger.
Introducing
the keynote speaker, the Team Lead NAYD SL Chapter Thomas Pa Alie Babadie
briefed his membership to take into consideration the importance of the SDGs
into their organizations activities as this will help inform the public about
the Sustainable Development Goals. Mr. Thomas Babadie also gave an overview of
the network’s activities in the next three years and the composition of the
membership of NAYD SL Chapter; he assured the membership of continuous
engagements in 2017 on six (6) of the SDGs i.e.2, 3, 4,5,6,7and 17.
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| Dr. Kandeh Yumkella with cross section of Participants |
Dr.
Yumkella in his opening speech gave an overview of how a Country Plan is
developed. He created a nexus between the eight (8) Millennium Development
Goals and the seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals in which he was a
key player with appointment from Mr. Ban Ki Moon, former United Nations
Secretary General.
In
his statement, Dr. Yumkella emphasized the importance of improved energy and
agriculture which Africa and the world over are moving towards. He also
underscored the importance of mainstreaming the SDGs and the national agenda as
this will help cushion the problems Africa faces especially Sierra Leone, a
post war country. Whilst speaking to participants, Dr. Yumkella made specific
reference to Rwanda, a country referred to as a thousand miles on the hills.
They do not have minerals but provide services which have attracted many
players in the international scenes. Have very fast internet facilities.
Countries
he quoted that have made tremendous strides in achieving the MDGs are Republic
of Ghana, Botswana, South Africa, Mauritius, Rwanda and Seychelles. Dr.
Yumkella also highlighted ways in which the continent can benefit in the
implementation of the SDGs as it was with the five (5) Asian Tigers, who
tailored the SDGs according to their culture and tradition.
The
consultative braining storming was a maiden step to bring together cross
section of Civil Societies and other stakeholders to deepened understanding on
the essence of the SGDs aiming at leaving no one behind. Sierra Leone with no
exception is one of the countries that have signed up and have made commitments
for its implementation. It is expected that each country that have signed up to
the SDGs must work to implement its.
Against
this backdrop, the Network of African youth Development Sierra Leone chapter (NAYD-SL)
want to undertake monitoring of the SDGs implementation to determine its
achieved bench marks in Sierra Leone. This cannot be done without the adequate
understanding on how they were crafted and for what purpose, who is responsible
and who are they meant for. It is also important to know how to develop
monitoring strategy and the exact tools fit for that purpose.
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| Dr.Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella giving an overview of the Country Plan |
Consultative
Brainstorming
The
brain storming session was meant for Local Non-governmental Organization,
university students and other stakeholders to deliberate the development of an
activity plan for the monitoring of the SDGs in Sierra Leone. Prior to this, a
statement was delivered by Dr. Kandeh Yumkela a crafter and one of the
architect of the sustainable development goals, especially goal three (3)
sustainable energy for all. The keynote speaker Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella in
his statements highlighted that, he was part of the development of the SDGs and
mentioned that, these goals were developed for countries to achieve these in
the set time.
In
his statement, he emphasized on the use of energy and also intimated participants
that, the richer people need more raw materials from poor countries and this
have destroyed the environments in poorer countries, he also said, the richer
countries emit green house gases and this has affected Africa and for this
reason the MDGs were needed for sustainable development.
In
conclusion Dr. Kandeh informed participants that, the goals were originally 8
when it was first launched in year 2000 but were extended to 17 goals in year
2015. Among these goals energy is very important and has been referred to as
the goals that interconnect with all other goals commonly called “NEXUS”, which
he said, he will leave with us.
Plan
international’s representative Mr. Joseph Konneh Program Support Manager, Field
Operations highlighted Plan International’s thematic intervention for potential
collaboration with NAYD-SL and these interventions include; Child Protection, Health,
Education and Livelihoods.
He
advised that, selected goals be targeted that specifically applies to Sierra
Leone during the development of the strategic plan for the monitoring of SDGs
in Sierra Leone.
Alignment
of goals to MDAs
The
exercise to align specific goals to MDAs as applicable to the scope of mandates
and coverage of MDAs were carried out through group work that spans 45
munities. A detail of the work is seen below.
After
plenary discussions, the following goals were agreed upon for the monitoring of
the SDGs in Sierra Leone and they are as follows.
1. Goal
7 Affordable energy
2. Goal
2 Zero Hunger
3. Goal
6 Clean water and sanitation
4. Goal
3 Good health and wellbeing
5. Goal
5 Gender equality
6. Goal
4 Education
7. Goal
17 Partnership on the goals
ALLIGNMENT
OF GOALS TO MDAs
|
NO
|
GOAL
|
RESPONSIBLE
INSTITUTIONS IN SIERRA LEONE
|
|
1
|
Goal 7
|
Min. of Energy, EDSA,
Gbumbuna, Min. Agriculture, private sector on solar light and EPA.
|
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2
|
Goal 2
|
Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Food and Agricultural Organization, Non-Governmental
Organizations, UN agencies, Farmer’s Associations, Ministry of Marine Resources.
|
|
3
|
Goal 6
|
Ministry of water Resources,
Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Energy,
Non-Governmental Organizations and UN agencies.
|
|
4
|
Goal 3
|
Ministry of Health
and Sanitation, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Ministry of Education, Science and
Technology, Ministry of Social welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Nurses
and Doctors.
|
|
5
|
Goal 5
|
Ministry of Social welfare,
Gender and Children’s Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs, National Youth Commission,
UN agencies, Local government, Human Rights Commission.
|
|
6
|
Goal 4
|
Ministry of
Education, Technical Vocational Institutes and Universities, Local Councils, Education
Committee and UN agencies.
|
|
7
|
Goal 17
|
All the above
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