In 2020, the Government of Sindh launched its own SDGs framework to serve as a roadmap for the achievement of SDGs. Initially, the province took stock of available resources and prioritized SDGs based on existing development issues and challenges, value for money and magnitude of impact and consultations with stakeholders. SDGs 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 were selected as priority areas for the province. The SDG framework is in line with the Sindh Vision 2025 and aims to enable stakeholders and institutions to achieve short, medium & long-term prioritized SDGs. It was revised in 2021 and updated with the latest available provincial/national surveys and institutional datasets in collaboration with the Sindh Bureau of Statistics. Using the Provincial SDGs Framework for Sindh and the larger global Agenda 2030 as a guide, focused efforts were made during the 2018-21 period by P&DD-GoS in collaboration with GoS Departments, UN agencies, civil society, sector experts and other involved stakeholders for alignment and tracking of implementation of policies and plans, such as; Peoples Poverty Reduction Program, Sindh Education Sector Plan & Roadmap, Sindh Poverty Reduction Strategy, Sindh Agriculture Policy, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) in Public Sector, Schools Strategic Plan for Sindh, Sindh Drinking Water Policy, Sindh Sanitation Policy, Social Protection Strategy Unit, Sindh Youth Policy, Sindh Climate Change Policy, etc.
The Government of KP has developed its own Sustainable Development Strategy (2019-23), Provincial SDGs Framework (2019-30) and Tribal Decade Strategy through extensive discussions with stakeholders. These policies set a holistic roadmap for achieving SDGs in the Province and prioritize key targets in consideration of social, economic and environmental factors. The SDGs framework highlights the need for effective linkages between policies, governance structures and coordination mechanisms. Over 200 high-impact projects have been developed so far and more than 92 legislations have been adopted to translate these policies into action. With the goal of “leaving no one behind,” the Government is working to improve governance, bring transparency in services delivery, ensure gender mainstreaming, reduce inter-district disparities and promote decent work for all.
Due to poor institutional coordination, vertical as well as horizontal linkages are missing; making data reporting and project tagging difficult.
The Government of Balochistan (GoB) has made earnest efforts to integrate SDGs into its plans, programmes, strategies, and institutional structures. Like the other two Provinces, Balochistan has developed the SDGs Framework for focused implementation of SDGs in the Province, as well as the Balochistan Comprehensive Development and Growth Strategy (BCDGS) 2021-26 for “Balanced Development and Inclusive Growth.” District-level plans have been developed for Qilla Abdullah & Nushki for ensuring the successful embedding and implementation of SDGs at the district level. The “Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support (MAPS) for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” project was also launched in the province in collaboration with UNDP. Active efforts for embedding SDGs in a review of administrative data and guiding development interventions are in hand. Establishment of information centres at provincial and district levels for accurate and credible information and its exchange between different SDGs units. With the financial and technical assistance of the EU, Balochistan Rural Support Programme (BRSP) under Balochistan Rural Development and Community Empowerment (BRACE) Programme contributes primarily to the progressive achievement of SDGs. 1,2,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,13 and 16.
While the Parliament adopted SDGs as a national development agenda in 2020, Sindh and KP took significantly longer to develop their own targeted SDG frameworks. Several policies already existed at the Provincial level that focused on many of the issues outlined in the 2030 Agenda, from education and health to poverty reduction and gender equality. The foremost challenge is to ensure synergy across all existing policies not just within the province, but across Provinces, as well as at the Federal level.
The provinces have introduced certain policies and strategies for meaningful implementation and achievement of targets set for selected SDGs as well. Sindh has introduced the Sindh Agriculture Policy, Sindh Water Policy (2017), Alternative & Renewable Energy (ARE) Policy 2019, Sindh Forest Management Policy etc. which are directly aligned with achieving various elements of the 2030 Agenda. There are major gaps in the policy environment as most policies are formulated by individual departments keeping specific departmental sectors in perspective, with hardly any interlinking of policies. Thus, there is a risk of policies being meaningless narratives unless they can be translated into effective action. Implementation of the SDG frameworks is affected by weak coordination. Poor communication and collaboration exist on multiple levels, such as between the Federal Government and Provinces, amongst Provinces, and within one’s own province. Due to poor institutional coordination, vertical as well as horizontal linkages are missing, making data reporting and project tagging difficult. At the local level, SDG task forces and units do not work together to achieve the goals outlined in policy frameworks. This hampers success and risks the wastage of resources.
In KP, the situation is even more complex due to the incorporation of FATA’s seven agencies in the province after the 25th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan 1973. This was done without assessing potential revenue, response infrastructure or basic provisions, such as a police department. Accordingly, the absence of a tightly functioning district administration continues to impact operational competence. Achieving the targets of 17-SDGs is an enormous task for governments. The key challenge is to club the available institutional capacity, resources and development vision into a viable implementation framework – which needs to be developed with political consensus and inputs from relevant stakeholders. Localization and multi-stakeholder participation will provide the required impetus for development. This framework must enable the tracking of SDG indicators with the help of performance evaluation criteria, implementation status and result-based progress. Inter-sectoral coordination, issues of governance and financial constraints require a joint integrated effort at the national and sub-national levels.
(Concluded)
The writer is a freelance columnist and writes on gender, climate and social issues. She can be reached at [email protected].