KABUL (SW): The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has urged the Afghan government to take necessary steps towards securing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Abdul Qadeer, chief of the executive committee of the ICC in Afghanistan, told a press conference here that measures to achieve the SDGs are essential for sustainable development. He urged the government to facilitate the private sector’s role in this regard, and prioritize it. Qadeer stressed that the civil society should also play its part in ensuring achievement of the SDGs by 2030.
Speaking on the occasion, Sohrab Behman, spokesman of the Ministry of Economy, said the government is committed in this regard. He noted that a national charter has been drafted for achieving the UN’s basic development targets. Behman noted 18 targets in 8 sectors and 150 sub-sectors are identified as SDGs by the government of Afghanistan. He added implementation of projects for these would commence in the second half of the ongoing year.
In 2000, when countries around the world agreed to the Sustainable Development Goals, Afghanistan was embroiled in war and did not participate in the 2000 UN Summit. According to the officials, Afghanistan signed the Sustainable Declaration only in 2004 and has set itself targets based on data from 2002-2004 to be achieved by 2020. An additional goal of ‘enhancing security’ had been added.
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