February 16, 2023 | Islamabad – UCLG ASPAC SDGs localisation programme in Pakistan co-funded by the European Union (EU), LEAD for SDGs partnered with the National Assembly of Pakistan’s SDGs Secretariat and arranged an all-day National Dialogue on the localisation of the SDGs containing fruitful technical sessions on “Parliamentary Oversight of the SDGs, Local-level Reporting on SDGs and Identifying the Role of Local Governments in Achieving the Agenda 2030”. This dialogue was graced by Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Mr. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Members of the National, Provincial, and Legislative Assemblies, Representation from the EU – Mr. Sven Ruesch, Acting Head of the EU Cooperation, Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, Convenor National Parliamentary Taskforce on SDGs, Government Officials, Officials from the Local Governments and Civil Society Organisations. The event was co-financed by the Delegation of the EU to Pakistan and the UCLG ASPAC.
The outcomes focused on the increased capacity of Provincial Parliamentary Taskforces on SDGs to understand their role and effective service delivery, the Voluntary National Review of the country should be linked and integrated with local-level reviews (VLR) – with easy adoption of available local data tools such as Pakistan Social And Living Standards Measurement Survey (PSLM). Furthermore, more efficient coordination among National and Provincial Parliamentary Taskforces on SDGs should be ensured, and the EU’s cooperation ensured continuous support around the devolution of the SDGs framework in Pakistan.
January 26, 2023 | Islamabad – LEAD for SDGs and the National Assembly of Pakistan’s SDGs Secretariat jointly arranged the inauguration ceremony of the SDGs Knowledge Hub (SKH). The Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives (PD&SI) Mr. Ahsan Iqbal formally launched the knowledge hub and performed the digital uplinking of the Hub. The ceremony was graced with notable dignitaries including Ms. Romina Khursheed Alam, Convener, National Parliamentary Taskforce on SDGs; Mr. Ovidiu MIC, Head of Cooperation, the Delegation of the EU to Pakistan; Ms. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, Secretary General, UCLG ASPAC; Mr. Mian Rajan Sultan Pirzada, President, ADLG; and other prominent stakeholders.
SKH has been developed by LEAD4SDGs in close coordination with PD&SI Ministry. SKH is to support the Government of Pakistan in supplementing the knowledge and information on the localisation of SDGs for development practitioners, policy, academia and decision-makers to play a more effective role in sustainable local development through the realisation of SDGs Localisation in Pakistan. This knowledge repository is one of its kind due to the nature of its inclusivity in terms of fostering data of all the relevant stakeholders with appropriate accreditation on the hub for common use. An inclusive and authorised repository of SDGs knowledge material is difficult to find in Pakistan. Visit Lead4sdgslocalisation.pk to experience the repository for an easier understanding of the localisation of SDGs.
January 6, 23, 2023 | Karachi – Local Councils Association Sindh organised a day-long consecutive “Provincial Policy Dialogues on Localisation and Implementation of ‘SDG 3 Health and Well-being’ and ‘SDG 4 Quality Education’ in Sindh” in Karachi on 6th and 23rd of January 2023 respectively. The purpose of the Policy Dialogues was to improve the health and well-being situation and to improve quality education by presenting findings and recommendations of the Policy Action Brief on SDG 3 and SDG 4 to the decision makers of Sindh province. The policy brief was prepared based on qualitative research by the LCA Sindh under the LEAD for SDGs Localisation project. The Policy Dialogue on Quality Education commemorated the International Day of Education. The events were attended by high-level dignitaries such as the Governor of Sindh, Ministers of Education, Health and Local Government, Government Officials and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
The recommendations include sensitisation of parliamentarians on SDG 3 and SDG 4, revision of terms of references of District Committees on Health and Education to hold awareness campaigns, and mobilisation of all relevant stakeholders and decision-makers. The recommendations are promised to be tabled to the Chief Minister of Sindh and make every effort to have them incorporated into current Health and Education related policies.
