A two-day consultation seeking to obtain views of Saint Lucia’s civil society on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the SAMOA Pathway is slated for November 29 and 30 at the Golden Palm Events Centre located in the Valmont Building, Rodney Bay, Gros-Islet.
The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) has provided funding support for the consultation which will be hosted by the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations of Saint Lucia in collaboration with the Saint Lucia National Trust.
In September 2015, governments throughout the world, including Saint Lucia, adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which came into effect in January 2016. This agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals accompanied by 169 targets to be achieved by the end of 2030.
The SDG Agenda, which builds upon the success of the preceding 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), is broader in scope, addresses more complex challenges, and requires more inclusiveness and collaborative partnerships, both nationally and internationally. Thus, the localizing of the SDGs calls for greater participation and collaboration among stakeholders and across all sectors. This Agenda promises to deliver an opportunity for development that is inclusive, integrated and locally focused.
In like manner, at the Third United Nations Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Summit held in September 2014, leaders of SIDS reaffirmed their commitment to the Sustainable Development of SIDS by adopting the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway. The implementation of the SAMOA Pathway also calls for the involvement and collaborative efforts among all stakeholders.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was shared with Civil Society Organizations to assist in guiding the discussions and completing the ranking sheets. We expect this consultation to be both informative and engaging.