Pretoria – Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane says she believes that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) formulation process was one of the game changers for the United Nations.
“To achieve these goals and have the desired impact, there is a need to, amongst others, review our institutional arrangements to use our limited resources and capacity wisely to ensure that we utilise these stretched resources in a meaningful way,” said Minister Mokonyane at the 2016 Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) World Water Week in Sweden.
The Minister was speaking on Tuesday to young professionals on the importance of the SDGs and the impact these have on ordinary citizens.
She emphasised the importance of investment in research so that the implementation of SDGs is not based only on what is commonly done by institutions, agencies and governments, but also a drastic shift from what has been business as usual.
“The SDGs are about taking local interest on board, embracing local knowledge, providing space for transfer of knowledge, and being able to ensure that access to funding does not become the project itself but a means for realisation of project outcomes,” the Minister said.
She further encouraged young professionals to focus on future planning, as well as future infrastructure needs and mobilisation of resources.
“Take direct responsibility for how the future will look like by being part of decision-making processes at country, regional and continental levels. But you will only be able to do that if you get organised and have a voice that is coherent, a voice that is supported by those generations that are about to move from their current areas of responsibility.”
Observed from 28 August – 2 September 2016, the SIWI World Water Week is an annual focal point for the globe’s water issues.
Held under the theme ‘Water for Sustainable Growth’, the week brings together experts, practitioners, decision-makers, business innovators and young professionals from a range of sectors and countries to network, exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions to the most pressing water-related challenges of today. – SAnews.gov.za
