Caribbean Civil Society Knowledge Platform goes live
WITH THE goal to empower civil society actors to more effectively implement or otherwise support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include climate action, the Caribbean Civil Society SDGs Knowledge Platform has gone live.
“It gives civil society organisations (CSOs) working on sustainable development issues across the region a convenient place to access, share and learn, network and collaborate on these matters,” said a release from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), which created the platform.
“This is significant for enhancing participation of civil society as a key development partner and supports their more effective role in implementing change, raising awareness and advocating around the SDGs,” it added.
UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed has herself noted the importance of civil society participation in realising the SDGs.
“We welcome the growing participation of civil society in policy dialogues and government decision-making. CSOs (civil society organisations) bring with them an independent voice of accountability that the 2030 Agenda envisions. They also possess the networks, skills, knowledge
and other capacities that need to be fully leveraged by governments to accelerate progress at all levels,” she said.
CANARI created the platform as part of the project, CSOs for Good Governance: Enhancing civil society’s contribution to governance and development processes in Trinidad and Tobago.
That project, which is being implemented from 2017-2020 with the support of the European Union (EU), is designed to support and catalyse effective CSO participation in implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in the twin-island republic.
“The knowledge platform is a key tool towards achieving this project goal,” the release noted.
EU SUPPORT
Additional support for the platform was received from the EU-funded global project, Creating enabling policy conditions for the transformation towards an inclusive green economy and the Caribbean component, Transformation towards an inclusive green economy in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, the platform affords CSOs:
Easy online access to information relevant to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its implementation at the national and regional levels, with particular focus on the role that CSOs are playing in the process;
An opportunity for organisations to showcase stories relating to their role in, and experience of, implementing or advocating around the SDGs locally, nationally, regionally or globally;
A networking forum for CSOs (and where appropriate, their partners) to discuss their experiences, exchange ideas and share lessons learned; and
An opportunity to collaborate in order to enhance the capacity, voice and visibility of CSOs in national and Caribbean SDG policy and actions.
Caribbean CSOs are the main target audience, but the platform is to be accessible to anyone with an interest in the role played by CSOs in implementing the SDGs in the region, including government stakeholders responsible for national implementation of the SDGs; multi-stakeholder committees formed by national governments to support SDG implementation; and United Nations agencies that are coordinating work around the SDGs nationally and regionally.
“By increasing knowledge about the SDGs in the Caribbean and strengthening national and regional networks, the platform will promote and enhance civil society inclusion in, and contributions to, development, implementation, monitoring and reporting on the SDGs,” the release said.