Jamaica Focused on Achieving Sustainable Development Goals Through Vision 2030 – PM
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says Jamaica remains committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through attainment of the targets under the Vision 2030 national development plan.
The SDGs, also known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people can enjoy peace and prosperity.
These 17 goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities.
Promulgated in 2009, Vision 2030 is the strategic road map to guide the country to attaining developed country status by 2030.
It includes, among other things: ensuring equitable access to modern education and training; creating a safe and secure society; providing quality and timely access to health care; supporting the entrepreneurial talents of Jamaicans; creating prosperity through sustainable use and management of natural resources; and empowering the youth.
“Vision 2030 is visionary, practical, strategic, and insightful and is designed to make Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business,” the Prime Minister said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony of a three-day Caribbean Action 2030 Conference on the SDGs at the Regional Headquarters of the University of the West Indies (UWI) on June 28.
He informed that in 2015, during development of the third Medium-Term Socio-Economic Policy Framework (MTF) for Vision 2030, the Global Goals were aligned with the national goals and the outcomes contained in the national development plan.
He noted that the country has adopted a new tag line under Vision 2030 to solidify the linkages between the country’s plans and the SDGs.
The Prime Minister said that the country has already begun implementation of the goals, with keen attention being paid to the accelerators that have been recommended in the SDG road map for Jamaica.
These include strengthening the outreach of social protection programmes; expanding care services for children and the elderly; pursuing multidisciplinary non-communicable disease prevention; strengthening the judiciary and police systems, among others.
He said that the United Nations mission to Jamaica in 2016, which assessed Jamaica’s readiness to implement the SDGs, concluded that Jamaica “will do its part in implementing the goals of Vision 2030.”
The Prime Minister pointed to the importance of partnerships in advancing the region towards the SDGs.
“I cannot overemphasise the importance of stakeholder engagement as we seek to make more inclusive decisions and build stronger partnerships with each other,” he said.
He noted that young people also have a critical role to play in the achievement of the SGDs and encouraged them to bring their “ideas, knowledge, technology and leadership to the table.”
The Caribbean Action 2030 Conference is being hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in collaboration with UWI and the United Nations in the Caribbean, and has attracted Ministers of Government from across the Caribbean.
More than 30 local, regional and international academics and experts in their field will present papers highlighting research, national experiences and opportunities in SDG action in the region.
Presentations are expected from American Professor Raymond Saner, who will speak on ‘Financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Private Public Partnerships’ and from world-renowned Professor of economics and leader in sustainable development, Jeffery Sachs.
A youth forum is also expected to be held to bring young people together to share their perspectives on accelerated SDG action, including ideas for organising and networking youth for Agenda 2030 advocacy in the post-conference period.
