Nigeria is not on track to achieve many SDGs by 2030, UN Says

Nigeria is not on track to achieve many SDGs by 2030, UN Says

The COVID-19 epidemic and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine have made it more difficult for Nigeria to achieve many of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the United Nations (UN) stated Tuesday.

In his statement at the opening ceremony of a three-day capacity-building workshop on the UN Strategic Development Cooperation Framework, UNSDCF, for the educators of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Matthias Schmale, revealed this.

In order to comprehend the SDGs and the reforms taking place at the UN, the empowerment was organized in partnership with the International Labour Organization, or ILO, and with the help of the UN office in Nigeria.

Schmale, who was represented by ILO Senior Specialist in Workers’ Activities, Country Office, Abuja, Ms. Inviolata Chinyangarara, emphasized the importance of the training by stating that Nigeria is currently not on track to meet many of its SDGs by 2030, a situation that has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. We must reevaluate how to best serve the most vulnerable members of society because women and youth are disproportionately affected by rising unemployment, increasing inflation, and inadequate access to high-quality education and healthcare.

“Our guiding principle is to leave no one behind. A business-as-usual approach of small-scale interventions is unlikely to significantly move the needle in a country with a GDP of $432billion.

“The Cooperation Framework will focus on several Transformative Initiatives that will be catalytic in the lives of Nigerian people. We must think big and aim high if we are to make a difference to the 100 million living below the poverty line, the 53 percent of youth who are unemployed, and the 18 million children out of school.

“The UN system in Nigeria is fully committed to bringing about sustainable economic growth, decent work for all, gender equality, a protected environment, more equitable access to basic services, and opportunities for meaningful, participatory engagement for every one of this nation’s citizens.”

In her remarks, ILO Country Director, Ms. Vanessa Phala, represented by the Senior Programme Officer, Country Office, Abuja, Ms. Chinyere Emeka-Anuna, among others, said: “The purpose of this workshop is to bring together a cohort from NLC national educators to empower them to understand the UN reform process—particularly regarding the Cooperation Framework (CF) and the role of trade unions in relation to the formulation and implementation of the DWCP for Nigeria within the context of National priorities of Nigeria, UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), and the other development frameworks.

“I have reviewed the agenda. I am confident that the workshop will equip NLC educators to enable them to act at national, regional, and international levels to ensure that decent work agenda becomes a central goal in development agenda,” Phala added.

Also in an interview, General Secretary, NLC, Mr. Emmanuel Ugboaja, said the workshop was a formal effort to get the workers through the trade unions to be involved and acquainted with the works of UN in the country.

He explained that “This is the initial take off to build the capacity of trade unions to understand the workings of the UN, particularly with regards to development goals.”