ABUJA – The Federal Government said on Monday that the post-2015 development agenda would tackle unfinished Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) framework.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, Dr Precious Gbeneol, said this in Abuja at a two-day Presidential Summit entitled: “The MDGs and the Socio-Economic Transformation of Nigeria: 2015 and Beyond.’’
Gbeneol said the new set of goals would handle issues not addressed under the current framework, such as poverty reduction, access to sustainable energy, infrastructure, among others.
“This summit is to ensure that the new agenda is complete with strategies to sustain the momentum in the final push to achieve the MDGs in the areas where Nigeria lags behind.
“Nigeria will forward the outcome of the summit to UN and other partners; this summit will enable us deliberate on appropriate indicators to be embedded in the new framework.
Gbneol said poverty eradication remained a global challenge, adding that it was an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.
According to her, to achieve sustainable development, there is the need to promote inclusive and equitable economic, social and environmental equity and prudent natural resource management.
“The formulation of post-2015 development agenda should be based on these principles in an inclusive process that lends voice to the yearnings of all and particularly, disadvantaged groups,’’ she said. [eap_ad_1] She also said that the new goals would integrate the social, economic and environmental imperatives of sustaining development.
“As the scale of resources needed to finance the post-2015 development agenda was daunting, it is imperative to institute the right funding mechanism.
“This summit provides the opportunity to brainstorm on financing options to appropriate recommendations”, she said.
She assured that the summit would help to accelerate progress on the attainment of the MDGs.
Also speaking, Mr Daouda Toure, UN Resident Coordinator, said progress had been registered in sectors such as education and health.
Toure said school enrollment had increased by more than 300 per cent in Nigeria, adding that access to primary healthcare has increased with investments in health infrastructure and systems.
He said the post-2015 presented opportunities to fulfill responsibilities of addressing new development challenges.
He said the UN and its partners would continue to work with the federal Government towards meeting the new global development agenda.
President, Pan African Parliament, Mr Bethel Amadi, said the existing MDGs did not place significant emphasis on reaching the poorest and the most excluded segments of the society.
Amadi also said the MDGs did not incorporate the cumulative impact of conflict and violence on Africa, adding that they have negatively affected its development.
“MDGs did not also articulate the advantages of good governance and the existence of institutions that guarantee the basic tenants of rule of law and human rights.
“It is on this basis that issues concerning the post-2015 development agenda will be predicated on the vision of eradicating extreme poverty and providing sustainable development,” he said. (NAN)
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