CVSS underscores importance of understanding SDGs

Nancy Pinchas, executive director of the Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS), has underscored the importance of everyone in understanding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their roles in achieving these goals.

“The CVSS believes that everyone has a role to play individually in ensuring sustainable development for a secure future. Understanding the objectives of the 17 SDGs in the 2030 Agenda is the first step in engaging and forging meaningful partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders to achieve economic growth,” she said.

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She made the statement while addressing a high-level political forum on sustainable development at the United Nations on July 12 where she spoke on the topic ‘Vision of Civil Society: Leaving no one behind in recovering better’.

Pinchas is part of the Jamaican delegation at the UN where the country’s delegation joined 43 other countries to carry out voluntary national reviews on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

She pointed out that CVSS’ presence at the forum signals the importance that civil society plays in attaining the SDGs.

“Together, we play a vital role by being the voice of vulnerable communities by supporting public policies that protect human rights and creating avenues to educate and build awareness at the grassroots. Prioritising the capturing of data on ‘hard-to-count’ or marginalised subgroups in the population is critical,” she added.

The CVSS’ executive director further noted that the organisation has already been sensitising the public and its members to the importance of the SDGs through its ‘Skills on the Go’ sessions, where it held a session earlier this year on the topic ‘What about the SDGs? Your Role in Ensuring a Sustainable Future’.

The session was delivered by guest speaker, Maxsalia Salmon, a graduate of the University of Birmingham and partnerships and development finance officer at the Jamaica Multi-Country Resident Coordinator’s Office.

Pinchas said the objective of the CVSS ‘Skills on the Go’ programme is to assist its members to operate more efficiently as they play their role in contributing to the achievement of national developmental goals.

The UN forum is also reviewing in-depth Sustainable Development Goals: 4 on quality education, goal 5 on gender equality, goal 14 on life below water, goal 15 on life on land, and goal 17 on partnerships for the goals.

It will take into account the different impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across all Sustainable Development Goals and the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the goals.

The UN session is being held on the theme ‘Building back better from the coronavirus disease while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’.