Sustainable Development Goals indicator framework and data portal launched
The government on Wednesday launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicator framework and data portal to measure progress toward the 17 goals and 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to capture data to monitor and evaluate the implementation.
The availability of timely and quality data impacts on the effectiveness with which the developmental Agenda is implemented said Prime Minister Saarah Kuugongelwa-Amadhila in a statement at the launch event in Windhoek.
“I, therefore, would like to commend the National Planning Commission and the Namibia Statistic Agency for the efforts that went into developing these measuring tools that we are launching,” she added.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the purpose of these tools is to measure Namibia’s developmental efforts, in line with the decision taken at the 2015 UN Summit in New York, where leaders of 193 countries committed to implementing the post – 2015 development agenda with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets.
“By committing to these goals, countries have agreed to align national priorities in clear and transparent measures to overcome global development challenges,” she said.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said Namibia is implementing Agenda 2030 through the Harambee Prosperity Plan II, the 5th National Development Plan (NDP5) as cascaded into respective
sectoral plans and the first National indicator Framework launched in 2019.
“The framework will be updated every two years,” she said adding that the version of the framework that was launched presents the first update of the SDGs-NDP5-Indicator Framework of 2019 and it complements Namibia’s Second Voluntary National Review Report on the Implementation of the SDGs towards Agenda 2030.
According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, judging from the current SDG portal, it is evident that Namibia has achieved significant milestones since the SDGs came into effect in January 2016.
Among the milestones are: the publication of the SDGs Baseline Report (which was also published in Braille Language); the SDGs Indicator Framework and the two Voluntary National Reports (which were also presented at the UN High-Level Political Forum); the launch of the SDGs Data Portal and Data Hub; as well as the mainstreaming of SDGs into national planning.
“Namibia has also done very well in terms of SDG Goal 16 which deals with Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. The country has enjoyed peace and stability since independence. Further, the country is well established as a democracy with strong and credible governance institutions and systems, which are a prerequisite for socio-economic development,” she added.
In terms of socio-economic development, however, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila noted with great concern the erosion of some of the progress by COVID-19.
“We are, therefore, now challenged to both regain the progress lost due to Covid 19, and pick up speed to be on track to meet our SDG goals,” she said.
“The government continues to strive to ensure that no one is left behind, and indeed, we can only succeed in that if we all pull in the same direction in the spirit of Harambee,” she concluded.
