Agenda 2030 Implementation, The Way Forward For UN

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 (Bernama) -- Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a universal plan of action for the people, planet and prosperity, will be the United Nations (UN) top priority as the world governing body celebrated its 71st Anniversary on Tuesday. "Now that the Agenda 2030 has been adopted, the priority is implementation. It is essential for our world that we achieve these goals," UN Resident Coordinator for Malaysia Michelle Gyles-McDonnough told Bernama in an email interview, in conjunction with the UN Day, celebrated annually on Oct 24. The UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter, and has been celebrated annually since 1948. In a historic UN Summit in September 2015, world leaders adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets, among others to end poverty and hunger, to ensure better healthcare and educational quality, reduce inequalities and to protect the planet through sustainable practices as well as ensuring peace and prosperity for all. Gyles-McDonnough said in this regard, 193 Member States, with the support of the UN system's funds, programmes, and specialised agencies, will work on building much stronger regional and global developmental partnerships towards ensuring the success of Agenda 2030. "The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs do not just belong to the UN or governments. It's our shared business, it matters to you, your families, communities, the economy and society," she said adding that every person needs to do their part to secure a better future for everyone. The 47-year-old Jamaican said that the SDGs especially matter to young people as no one knows better the issues that they and their communities experience, and how best to find solutions to tackle them. She added that with the drive, ideas and solutions to make a difference, young people could prove to be the catalyst in making the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a reality for all of us. About to end her tenure as the UN Resident Coordinator for Malaysia and UN Development Programme Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei soon, Gyles-McDonnough said she has high hopes for Malaysia's success in implementing the SDGs. She said that Malaysia has always taken the agenda seriously and was an early starter in mainstreaming the SDGs throughout its 11th Malaysia Plan. She added that the UN Country Team has been working closely with Malaysia's Economic Planning Unit (EPU) and other national partners to design Malaysia's roadmap for the implementation and also to build awareness and foster partnerships as well as promote action on the Agenda. "It has been a privilege to work with the government and people of Malaysia to think through and find ways to help address the remaining challenges," she said. She said that among the challenges for Malaysia include improving the quality of life of the B40 (bottom 40 per cent household income group), strengthening human rights protection and protection of the most vulnerable communities to ensure "we leave no one behind." Other challenges were protecting Malaysia's incredible biodiversity and helping to define more sustainable pathways for development that reduced the impacts of climate change and conserve the environment, she added. Gyles-McDonnough is expected to assume office as UN Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Regional Director to the Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, based in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2017. --BERNAMA