Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari will on Monday presents Nigeria’s second Voluntary National Review on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Monday.
Buhari, represented by his Senior Special Assistant on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, will present the Report at the 2nd Panel session of the Forum, holding virtually for the first time this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nigeria’s 2020 Voluntary National Review (VNR) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focuses on the key issues of poverty (SDG-1) and an inclusive economy (SDG-8), health and wellbeing (SDG-3), Education (SDG-4), Gender equality (SDG-5), and the enabling environment of peace and security (SDG-16), and partnerships (SDG-17). This focus is based on Nigeria’s current development priorities and the development objectives of Buhari’s administration.
According to a statement by Head, SDGs Communications, Janet Mcdickson, Voluntary National Review is being developed while facing huge challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic testing Nigeria’s public health systems, and of the collapse in oil prices, for an economy still getting 86 percent of public revenue from oil and gas.
Nigeria was among the 44 countries of the UN that presented its Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2017 on the implementation of the 2030 agenda and the SDGs at HLPF. The country also volunteered with other 46 countries for VNR this year. Among the 47 VNR reporting countries for year 2020 are 26 first time presenters, 20 second time presenters and 1 third time presenter. The reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels are inclusive, country-led and country-driven.
As stipulated in paragraph 84 of the 2030 Agenda, regular reviews by the HLPF are to be voluntary, state-led, undertaken by both developed and developing countries, and shall provide a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders. The VNRs aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The VNRs also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of governments and to mobilize multi-stakeholder support and partnerships for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The HLPF is the main United Nations platform on sustainable development and it has a central role in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level. During the meeting, the Forum receives and considers Voluntary National Review Reports from selected countries.
This year, the meeting of the HLPF on Sustainable Development convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, is currently being held from Tuesday, 7 July, to Thursday, 16 July 2020, including the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Tuesday, 14 July, to Thursday, 16 July 2020. The theme is “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.”