United Nations, February 13, 2025(Ghufran):Pakistan has highlighted the need for a greater role of parliaments in advocating for legislative policies that advance the SDGs, ensure evidence-based and transparent budget allocations; and provide accountability for government-led policy implementation.
Making a national statement on the subject of “the Deep Challenge of the SDGs: Mobilizing political will” during the Inter-Parliamentary Union Hearing at the UN headquarters today, Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir said that poverty and hunger are on the rise and developing countries are suffering from the triple crises of food, fuel and finance. He said that the adverse impacts of climate change are compounding these difficulties.
“Indeed, the 2030 Agenda is an agenda in ‘peril’,” he said.
He noted that SDGs have undoubtedly gained a high level of national ownership across the most countries, as countries have integrated the SDGs into their national development plans.
He said that Pakistan was the first country to adopt the SDGs as our own national development agenda through a resolution adopted by National Assembly of Pakistan in 2016.
Senator Abdul Qadir said that the issue is not of political will, or lack of national ownership but one of accountability, transparency and lack of sufficient resources, which was impeding progress in realizing the Goals.
The Senator, however, stated that parliamentary action alone cannot bridge the SDG financing gap, noting that most developing countries are investing more in serving their debts rather than investing in health, education, and economic growth.
He said that deliberations needed to focus on the systemic reforms required to make the international financial architecture more equitable and responsive in order to get the SDGs back on track.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Hearing at the UN is an annual event where parliamentarians from around the world engage in discussions with UN officials, diplomats, and civil society representatives.
The hearing serves as a platform for lawmakers to contribute to global policy debates and provide parliamentary perspectives on international issues.
A six-member parliamentary delegation, consisting of Senators and the members of National Assembly, headed Senator Farooq H. Naek, is representing Pakistan at the IPU Hearing.