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The Civil Society Platform on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will tomorrow, Tuesday, June 20th hold a general meeting at the premises of the Institute for Local Government Studies (ILGS) in Accra.
The meeting which is expected to bring together over 100 members of the Platform across the country would shed light on ongoing SDGs efforts and how the country is fairing in implementing the global Goals to eradicate poverty by 2030.
Participants will include all members of the CSO Platform on SDGs, key Ministries, Departments and Agencies, UN agencies and other stakeholders.
A concept note accompanying the invitation to the meeting states that, “the CSO Platform, with funding from CARE International – the SDG Focal Point for the International Non-Governmental Organisations in Ghana, will bring together all Platform members to share information on the SDG efforts and deliberate on next steps. The meeting will also offer an opportunity to document the ongoing efforts in achieving the SDGs and existing challenges.”
It said the meeting woud seek to update to update platform members and stakeholders on ongoing SDG processes in Ghana and identify challenges to inform the direction of the Platform.
Programme
The programme will include presentations by the CSO Platform on SDGs on the activities and achievements throughout the last year, by the Platform conveners on the efforts to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs and by the Steering Committee on the strategic plan for the Platform for the year to come.
Furthermore, there will be information sharing sessions with the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) on the status of implementation of the SDGs in Ghana.
Background
The Civil Society Platform on the Sustainable Development Goals (CSO Platform on SDGs) has made significant progress since it was established in October 2015, and there are big plans ahead. The Platform currently has a membership base counting more than 125 civil society actors from all parts of Ghana. Furthermore, the Platform has been deeply involved in national SDG processes and has started the process of taking the SDGs to the districts.
At national level, there has also been significant progress in including the SDGs in development planning and data collection. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has made important first steps in ensuring a more open and inclusive data environment in Ghana, with focus on timely and reliable data. The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) is also integrating the goals into the future planned national development plans.
For all platform members to be able to effectively include the SDGs in their daily work and contribute to more coordinated efforts for the achievement of the SDGs, it is key that they have the most recent information and also understand national and local processes and what their role as non-state actors are. Furthermore, bringing together all stakeholders will also help inspire and motivate participants to go the extra mile to drive development and promote the SDGs.
