By Nasratu Kargbo
President Julius Maada Bio whilst delivering his speech at the United Nations Headquarters in New York has called on his colleagues to ensure they promote peace and stability.
Speaking as chairman of the Group of Seven Plus (g7+) at the high-level political forum on sustainable development on the 18th of September 2023, Bio said promoting peace and stability should continue to be central to implementing the SDGs, noting that violence undermines development.
“We must seek to promote and support peace efforts that address the root causes of conflicts and tackle economic and social inequalities and exclusion, especially in countries contending with high levels of threat and fragility that require heightened attention,” the President said.
He also stated that resilience should be one of the guiding principles to achieve the SDGs, stating that in this age of complex crises, they must deliberately embrace resilience because it helps them to ensure progress is not derailed in times of adversity. He cited that they can do that by ending extreme poverty and thriving in complex and adverse environments.
Bio’s other point of call was for a joint commitment to be made by development partners to work through and support Government-led country platforms in conflict-affected and fragile countries in order to enhance development cooperation by addressing complex political, social, and economic realities.
He explained that the g7+ consists of countries that are affected by or recovering from conflict, noting that they were the principal advocates of the SDGs, especially Goal 16 which states that “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”.
“As a group of countries, we have collectively learned through our experiences that sustainable peace, effective State institutions, and access
to justice are key pillars to stability, development, and resilience” the President said.
In his conclusion, the President admitted that meeting the SDGs in this decade might be challenging, he however stated that with distinct global leadership, resource mobilization, capacity building, and mutual accountability amongst others, progress can be envisaged and achieved.
Copyright (2023) Politico (20/09/23)
