Halfway to the SDGs: Botswana youth call for action to turn the tide

The United Nations Office in Botswana convened various consultations during which youth, people with disabilities and various other groups offered inputs on what the country needs to do to fast track the implementation of the SDGs. The consultations came ahead of the 2023 SDG Summit and sought public opinion on how to accelerate attainment of the SDGs in Botswana.

The 2023 SDG Summit will be convened on 18-19 September 2023 in New York, during the United Nations General Assembly high-level week. The Summit seeks to assess the progress made in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development and its 17 SDGs. Only seven years remain until 2030 and this year is the halfway mark in the race towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Progress is indeed off-track, as the world grapples with reversing development progress due to climate change, conflicts, the direct health effects and indirect social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SDG Summit, therefore, comes at an opportune time to reflect and review progress made thus far, with the imminent reality that the promise of achieving Agenda 2030 is at stake.

The UN held stakeholder consultations with government, youth and young people, people with disabilities to gather public opinion on what Botswana needs to do to fast track the implementation of the SDGs, identify high impact initiatives that can lead to tangible change, and to discuss key commitments which the country can present at the Summit. Over 200 young people and youth were reached through the consultations.

UN Resident Coordinator in Botswana, Mr. Zia Choudhury noted that the world is severely off track to achieve the SDGs by 2030 not moving forward. The SDGs were adopted in 2015. Since then, significant progress has been made in poverty eradication and combating unemployment. But Covid-19 hit the world, the geopolitical challenges and climate disasters.

“The SDG Summit will aim to put the SDGs back on course. These dialogues provide an opportunity for government, civil society, major groups, and other stakeholders to share concrete suggestions on how to get the SDGs back on track for everyone, everywhere, all at once,” Choudhury said.

The consultations suggested that the UN work with them and others to implement solutions such as:

• Inclusive participation - need to give disadvantaged groups - including women and girls - a seat at the table. We know that for any policy to generate change, participation is a must to ensure that the lived experiences and recommendations of affected communities are heard.
• Young people need to be invited to the decision-making table, where they can contribute valuable insights and innovations.
• Building a human rights economy - recognize that economic growth on its own will not redress structural injustices or fulfil people’s human rights. Our economies must deliver better results for people and our planet.
• Economic decisions, such as public budgets and investment choices, should aim to redress barriers to equality and be guided by human rights norms and standards.
• Promoting sustainable environmental management and benefit from natural resources
• Improve oversight bodies and hold leaders accountable.
• Adhere to and respect human rights – raising awareness about human rights.
• Working with the government to improve access and rights for people with disabilities and linking them with social protection tools.
• Take bold ACTION for people and planet – climate action.
• Make funding available for SDG actions.
• Reduce inequalities by providing equal opportunity for all.
• Increase access for young people and improve activism - young people also have the power to act and mobilise others. Youth activism is on the rise the world over, bolstered by broader connectivity and access to social media.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Member states to put forward national commitments speaking to SDG Acceleration at the Summit, as well as concrete actions to ensure an enabling environment for developing countries to participate in activities in the global economy and benefit from green and digital technologies, and the identification of transformative high impact initiatives.