Covid-19 is a hurdle to SGDs and 2030 agenda
…vaccination policy is an economic policy
With spiking new Covid-19 cases and deaths being the order of the day in Namibia, the pandemic has added extra pressure to a nation already reeling. Moreover, the pandemic is no longer just a threat to human lives, as it now presents itself as a hurdle in the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner, “The world has seen many crises over the past 30 years, including the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-09. Each has hit human development hard but, overall, development gains accrued globally year-onyear. Covid-19, with its triple hit to health, education and income, may change this trend.”
The SDGs were created by the United Nations as a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for everyone around the globe, starting with the poorest first. They address the global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.
Addressing and besting the challenges that the poorest face first means that through their upliftment, everyone can be uplifted. This speaks to the principle of ‘Leave no one behind’, which is at the very essence of the SDGs.
Now, over the years, some impressive gains have been achieved, but the Covid-19 pandemic has eroded much of the progress achieved by developing countries, further pushing them into extreme poverty and deeper inequality.
“From this, we can deduce that the pandemic has magnified the need to redouble efforts in the fulfilment of the goals. It is an urgent call to action. One simple way in which we can improve Namibia’s situation is by embracing and administering vaccines to protect the population. Zooming in on the current situation at hand, it has become apparent that the Covid-19 vaccination is perhaps the best hope for ending the pandemic. No one has to be left behind – and to put it plainly, if we want to find the light at the end of this dark tunnel, we, the majority if not all, the eligible population needs to get vaccinated,” said Celia Sofia Stephanus, Senior Technical Advisor of the SDG-I Namibia Project.
Currently, Namibia’s rollout vaccination plan, which is on a voluntary basis, is in place to assist in the recovery – and so far, close to 150 000 people have been vaccinated, (the targeted population to reach herd immunity is pegged around 1.5 million).
Stephanus noted that through a successful vaccination campaign, SDGs like the improvement of health is also being covered, as they typically have a ripple effect on the other SDGs, and the improvement of health means a healthy society, which, in turn, makes it a productive society, hence the need to get vaccinated.
“If we look at SDG 4, which champions quality education, we see that Namibia is starting to lose the ground gained. The virus has ripped through the school calendars, forcing the postponement of classes and leaving the children to be home-schooled or dependent on remote and e-learning. Faceto-face teaching and learning for primary, secondary schools and higher education institutions, including technical education providers, has been suspended as cases surged within the sector. This too can be managed by simply encouraging citizens to get vaccinated, ultimately reducing the further spread of infections and schools can open for face-to-face interactions,” Stephanus noted.
While correcting the negative effects of Covid-19 on the economy and the gains of development eroded will take time, we have to start somewhere, and that starting point is to get vaccinated and adhere to Covid-19 protocols and regulations.
So far, some of the efforts to boost SDGs like poverty eradication have been published in the recently released maiden Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). The Index is set to serve as a tool to guide and measure policies that have in mind the broad reduction of poverty, such as the successive National Development Plans and the Harambee Prosperity Plan.
Furthermore, ongoing partnership and collaboration between the non-government agencies, government and even the private sector will be a catalyst to Namibia’s development and the
fulfilment of the 17 SDGs.
Stephanus emphasised that the return of normalcy is of paramount importance, as the virus is not only affecting the economy at large, but it is also delaying the implementation and attainment of SDGs.
Meanwhile, to achieve a balanced outcome in the vaccination rollout campaign, it is crucial for other sector players – whether public or private – to facilitate employees to join with the vaccination exercise, as prevention is better than cure.
“As much as the vaccination policy is a humanitarian policy, it is also an economic policy. Namibia needs successful vaccination, investments and stability of the financial sector – and through this, the attainment of SDGs is just a stone’s throw away, ensuring that ‘Leave no one behind’ becomes a reality for Namibia and the region,” Stephanus concluded.