STAKEHOLDERS monitoring the progress of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets have expressed concern that Zimbabwe is struggling to achieve key goals, especially alleviating poverty and hunger as well as providing decent jobs.
Signatory nations to the SDGs should aim to achieve set goals and targets by 2030.Zimbabwe’s six key result areas are: Social Services and Protection; Poverty Reduction (SDG 1 & 2) and Value Addition; Food and Nutrition; Gender Equality; HIV and Aids; and Public Administration and Governance. The country, however, has a priority list of 11 of the total 17 SDGs.
The country is currently also finding it difficult to ensure good health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6) and affordable and clean energy (SDG 7).
Years of economic deterioration and several other challenges have largely affected Zimbabwe’s efforts to attain its set of SDGS. The situation has also been exacerbated by outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, amid a persistent COVID-19 threat.
Zimbabwe’s poor SDGs performance emerged during the Third Voluntary National Review meeting held at the Chinhoyi University of Technology in Mashonaland West recently.The meeting noted that the attainment of SDGs was being affected by emerging global challenges which include diseases and climate change.
In his presentation, labour representative David Malunga expressed concern over the slow pace towards attaining decent jobs in the country.“We are not happy as labour with the slow pace at which decent jobs are created in the country. Lack of decent jobs means that this will contribute to hunger,” Malunga said.Speaking during the review meeting, SDGs and Agenda 2063 deputy director Sylocious Chauruka said although the programmes were on course, Zimbabwe was, however, facing new challenges like climate change and drug and substance abuse.
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“During the first and second voluntary national review the implementation experienced challenges in the form of funding, insufficient disaggregated data and low level awareness that is still persistent,” he said.
“Unfortunately we are experiencing new challenges in the form of climate change and drug and substance abuse. But the major challenge being faced in attaining SDGs remains funding and we appeal to developing partners and other stakeholders to come on board so that we accelerate the implementation of SDGs.”
Chauruka also noted another problem of underreporting due to missing data from different institutions and partners.“Some important data is missing, while some is disaggregated data and that needs to be rectified, otherwise we end up underreporting,” he said.
According to the UN in Zimbabwe, the SDGs have created a platform for national convergence among a wide range of stakeholders under a broad and integrated agenda for humanity and the planet. The UN in Zimbabwe has been supporting national initiatives to catalyse effective and inclusive approaches to the implementation of the SDGs, in the spirit of national ownership and leadership as well as under the overarching principle of “leaving no one behind”, and the aspirations of the transformative agenda.
These principles are designed to facilitate the achievement of dignity, equality, justice and shared prosperity for all, while protecting the environment.The 2016–21 Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF), co-chaired by the UN and government, is the strategic document via which UN Entities channel their support to the achievement of the SDGs in Zimbabwe.
ZUNDAF, which comprises six result areas and 15 outcomes is fully aligned to the SDGs.The six result areas are: Social Services and Protection; Poverty Reduction and Value Addition; Food and Nutrition; Gender Equality; HIV and AIDS; and Public Administration and Governance.
The UN in Zimbabwe also supports the government to conduct regular monitoring and reporting on progress towards the SDGs at national and sub-national levels.