Partnerships key to Jamaica achieving SDGs - UN rep
JOMAIN MCKENZIE, development coordinating officer with the United Nations, has emphasised that partnerships were key to Jamaica achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We want to remind you that the SDGs remain relevant. The agenda of the SDGs coupled with Vision 2030 is still applicable today. Partnership practices are still having an impact and as we scale them up, we will be able to accelerate SDGs achievement for Jamaica,” he said.
McKenzie made the point while addressing the Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS’) recently convened sector meeting under the theme ‘Farther together: partnerships, the key to Jamaica’s sprint for the Sustainable Development Goals,’ where he was the guest speaker.
“Civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the voluntary sectors add value as implementers, as advocates as data sources, these sectors are true drivers of the SDGs,” he said.
Giving a status update on Jamaica’s progress in relation to the SDGs, McKenzie said that while there are achievements in some of the SDGs, there were also gaps. He said the country is on track to maintaining SDG achievement in areas including decent work and economic growth, gender equality, responsible consumption and production.
“Data up to 2021 suggest that we are moderately improving in climate action, protecting life below water, good health, and well-being. Sadly, there is inadequate movement as it relates to poverty and affordable energy. We are seeing a reverse in quality education due in part to the learning loss crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
Citing other areas of improvement, he said Jamaica has some decline i n poverty prevalence with an 11 per cent decline in 2019 to 19.3 per cent in 2017. He, however, pointed to the disparity in the performance in relation to poverty improvement in rural versus urban areas.
“In quality education, we are seeing high enrolment levels from early childhood education up to grade 11 but still the learning loss [has impacted on the progress made in this area],” he said.
PIVOTAL GOAL
McKenzie noted that there is also improvement in gender parity with Jamaica ranked 44th globally in 2018 and 40th in 2021. He noted that there was still an underrepresentation of males at the tertiary level as well as in training programmes, and there is also a reduction in youth unemployment between 2015 and 2019.
The UN rep emphasised that as a Small Island Development State, Jamaica is vulnerable to shocks [such as natural disasters], which will impact growth.
“We are seeing increases in the total protected forest areas up to 28.8 per cent in the period. But we are still experiencing competing land use priorities and in SDGs 16 while we were able to launch the National Plan of Action in response to children and violence, we all know that the island is still experiencing high levels of violent crime which impact social services and the economy on a whole,” he said.
Nancy Pinchas, executive director of the CVSS, said that SDG number 17 is a pivotal goal that underpins all the other 16 goals.
“There are several targets under this goal which has to do with mobilising resources, accessing resources, knowledge and information sharing. There is one element which is relevant and important to all of us and that is encouraging effective partnership,” she explained.
She underscored the importance of collecting reliable data which she said will enhance the ability of civil society to demonstrate how effective it has been in achieving these goals.
The sessions are being held in partnership with the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC) under the theme ‘Ignite CSO 2023 … Enhancing CARIFORUM’s Civil Society Capacity to Participate in National and Regional Development Programming and Policymaking’.