Representatives from 18 countries, who had converged at the Administrative Staff College of India, listed out their priority areas which include health, poverty eradication and climate change to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Their priorities included efforts to end poverty in all forms, ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all, build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation and take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.

Participants at the ‘Leadership Development Programme for Enhanced Public Service Delivery,’ held during March 18-April 26 at ASCI signed up for a ‘better world’ highlighting the importance of leadership in achieving the SDGs.

The programme was sponsored by the Union Ministry of External Affairs under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation initiative.

The Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations on September 25, 2015 was to drive global efforts to end poverty and place the planet on a sustainable course over the next fifteen years.

Country-specific goals

While respective governments have developed their own blueprints to translate the global SDGs into national plans for sustainable development according to their own country-specific goals and time-bound targets, the participants resolved to engage various countries in the implementation of the SDGs 2030.

Addressing poverty, the group decided to identify the needy through proper data collection/collation and issuance of specific codes such as providing a social security number for stakeholder support. They also decided to provide increased access to basic resources and service and support conflict-communities and climate change-related disasters while adopting technological advances and innovation in economic growth via transfers from high-income to low-income countries.

They emphasised review of existing public service structures and all internal processes to effectively mainstream the four goals through active public service delivery.

On climate change, they suggested new and improved solutions, including environment-friendly practices to address green technology, clean energy and sustainable urban planning.

They recommended a policy to support innovations relating to the green energy efficiency technology and sustainable urban and regional planning. Apart from encouraging tree plantation, they suggested incremental shift in urban public transport to electric transport system.

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