A mechanism to reach out effectively to local self-government bodies has to be evolved to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2030, Joe Thomas, Director of Partners in Population and Development in Bangladesh, said.
He was talking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a consultative meeting on SDG2030 at the Malankara Social Service Society here on Monday.
Framework
“We have a national-level framework for the achievement of these goals. But a mechanism to reach out to the panchayat level has not been laid out clearly. Since most of these goals, including the ones on poverty alleviation, require focus at the grassroots level, the involvement of local bodies is important. Monitoring, which involves collection of data and identification of bottlenecks in implementation, should also be done at the local level,” he said.
He said governments might not have the resources or capacity to monitor the SDGs.
So they pick and choose whatever goals they are interested in.
Comprehensive review or monitoring will not take place, he said.
“The process of selection of the Millennium Development Goals, which preceded the SDGs, was mostly bureaucratic, whereas the SDG was much more consultative. The difficult targets or indicators may not get the attention of the governments without constant monitoring. Unless there is political commitment and an institutional mechanism for monitoring, the goals cannot be achieved,” said Mr. Thomas.
He said the current model of development followed in Kerala would only lead to widening of inequalities.
“For instance, there is so much focus on development of shopping malls, which only cater to a particular socio-economic group. When you say that a big mall would provide 5,000 jobs, it might at the same time displace 10,000 existing jobs. We really do not know the consequences of this type of development,” he said.
No proper debate
Mr. Thomas said Kerala has not had a proper debate on health, rather the debate was always centred on medicines.
“There is no widespread health movement in the State. The non-political space for such a movement is limited. Health activists sometimes speak without data and evidence. This is why they are discredited,” he said.
