In Africa, the 2030 Agenda is being implemented concurrently with the First 10-year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063, a 50-year strategic framework for socioeconomic transformation in Africa.
The fourth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, held in Dakar, 2-4 May 2018, had the objective of strengthening the implementation plan of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063, including the integrated voluntary national review and reporting processes.
This year, over 400 representatives of government, intergovernmental organizations, major groups, and other stakeholders shared their views on the theme “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies” and made recommendations on the best ways to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) conducive to sustainable societal transformation and resilience:
- Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6)
- Affordable and clean energy (SDG 7)
- Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11)
- Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Life on land (SDG 15)
- Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)
Key policy recommendations included:
- Prioritizing investments in water and sanitation to improve access, enhance health outcomes, and leverage the productive capacities of the population
- Strengthening capacities for urban planning and management to unleash the transformative potential of African cities to drive inclusive and sustainable economic prosperity
- Integrating urbanization in national development planning, ensuring policy coherence between urban, spatial, sectoral, and macroeconomic policies, and developing more data trends in social, economic, and environmental areas
- Investing in technologies and infrastructure that reduce post-harvest losses
- Improving rural access to energy to address rural-urban disparities
- Providing incentives to drive investments in renewable energy, to improve access to electricity, and to boost economic activity and growth
- Improving access to energy-efficient cooking stoves to enhance energy efficiency, reduce pollution, and improve health outcomes
- Strengthening the science, technology, and innovation system and leverage investments in research and development by developing institutions that bring together governments, the private sector and the science community
The Regional Forums link the national and global discourse and serve as multi-stakeholder platforms to promote the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
For more details, please contact Mamadou.Kane[at]un.org or Jiri.Hlavacek[at]un.org.
