Wednesday September 15, 2021 – Kampala

By: Tina Turyagyenda

Continuing in its efforts to implement and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Government of Uganda today launched the country’s second National SDG Roadmap, which will guide the coordinated implementation of the goals.

Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of Uganda, presided over the launch event which was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala. She explained that the roadmap, which will run for the period 2020/21 to 2024/25, spells out actions by the government to achieve the global goals by 2030.

These priority actions include building and enhancing partnerships, coordination and collaboration, strengthening leadership capability for achieving sustainable development outcomes, promoting the popularization of SDGs innovations, and integration of SDGs into the national monitoring and evaluation systems.

“Achieving the ambitious targets of the 2030 Agenda requires revitalized and enhanced partnerships that bring together government, including local governments, civil society, the private sector, the UN system and other actors, mobilizing all available resources” said Rt. Hon. Nabbanja.

“This is why the conversations we have had today have included different partners and stakeholders, tackling the different pertinent areas under the theme, ‘SDGs Integration and Acceleration in Uganda: Building Forward Better from the COVID-19 Pandemic’,” she added.

The Minister for General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister, who is also the Focal Point Minister for the SDGs, Rt. Hon. Justine Kasule Lumumba noted that even as the country seeks to address immediate challenges posted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to note that the longer terms goals espoused within the SDG framework and Uganda’s own plans and strategies, are the ultimate solution to present and future crises.

The Minister commended the UN in Uganda, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) specifically, for the support rendered so far in the country’s development journey.

UNDP provided technical and financial support for a review of the SDG national coordination framework and the first SDG roadmap (2018-2020) and, based on the findings of this review, supported the Government and all stakeholders in developing the new roadmap.

“The SDGs are aligned to the third National Development Plan (NDPIII) whose goal is to increase household incomes and improve the quality of life of all Ugandans,” she said, adding that the main purpose of the globally adopted SDGs is to transform lives and bring about social change in society, leaving no one behind.

Rt. Hon. Lumumba stressed that in leaving no one behind, it is important to ensure inclusivity of all classes of people, all the way to the grassroots to ensure ownership of the implementation.

UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, noted that Uganda has registered the country has registered progress in a number of areas such as the size of the economy, increased GDP per capita growth in total exports of goods and services, increased total number of paved roads network, increased electricity generation but a lot still needs to be done.

She said the acceleration focus should be majorly in the areas of environment sustainability, industrial growth and governance.

“Since the adoption of the SDG in Uganda five years ago, Uganda has registered progress. These achievements indicate that Uganda is on the right track to achieving some of the SDG targets,” she said quoting the findings from Uganda’s Voluntary National Review report 2020.

The launch was attended by several stakeholders including representatives from development partners, the private sector, local government, civil society and special interest groups. END