Achieving the 2030 Agenda requires the effective contribution of all citizens. How to ensure that they participate in the Decade of Action? In other words, How to ensure effective participation of citizens in the 2030 Agenda for the success of the Decade of Action and therefore for the achievement of the SDGs?
The Sustainable Development Goals reflect the socio-economic and environmental ambitions of States around the world for the planet and for people. They define the preferred policies to end extreme poverty, guarantee prosperity for all and ensure the sustainability of the planet by 2030.
Five years after their adoption, significant progress has been made on various targets around the world. However, they remain insignificant compared to the objectives to be achieved by 2030.
With less than ten years left to make the SDGs a reality, it seems obvious that the participation of all, especially citizens, is necessary to accelerate the implementation of sustainable development policies.
How, in this emergency context of achieving the SDGs coupled with slowdown in activities caused by COVID19 ensure the effective participation of each citizen, so that joint actions ensure the success of Agenda 2030?
Actors involved in the implementation of the SDGs
The year 2020 marks the beginning of the Decade of Action to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals . This decade covers the last 10 years before the deadline set by the Sustainable Development Program.
Adopted on September 2, 2015 by the 193 UN Member States, the Sustainable Development Program aims for 17 Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure a better world organized around five pillars:
- People;
- Prosperity;
- Planet;
- Peace ;
The adoption of this Program is the result of negotiation and active collaboration between state institutions and international organizations. However, its implementation requires the establishment of partnerships between various actors at the national level, in particular:
- The government ;
- Civil society ;
- The private sector.
These different actors play a key role in accelerating the process of implementing the SDGs at the level of territories and communities.
Through their collaborations and partnerships, they work to bring about solutions that improve access to the SDGs.
However, access to these solutions cannot be effective without citizen participation in the achievement of global goals.
The importance of the citizen contribution for the Decade of Action
The Decade of Action is a global call to accelerate the deployment of efficient solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
To meet this challenge, it is necessary to mobilize all the actors of society, at various levels in order to create a commitment around global goals .
Thus, if at the collective level, state actors play a decisive role in public policies, citizens are the spearhead of the Decade of Action for sustainable development, at the local level.
Their participation in fact contributes to optimizing development policies at the territorial level and to ensuring the sustainability of the solutions implemented.
These contributions are all the more significant in that they are essential for the success of the Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030.
Consequently, it is urgent to take measures for an effective appropriation of the 2030 Agenda by local authorities and associations at various levels, and a mobilization of citizens in public action.
Encourage the citizen participation for the Decade of Action
To strengthen citizens ‘contribution to public action, it is necessary to encourage citizens’ initiatives aimed at committing to the Decade of Action.
Indeed, citizen action can only be sustainable if it is triggered by non-state institutions. To do this, a number of steps need to be taken.
Strengthen ownership of the SDGs by non-state actors
This will involve setting up programs to democratize the Sustainable Development Goals for the private sector, organizations at the local level, institutions and local authorities.
These various programs will make it possible to integrate the values and principles of sustainable development into citizen actions at the collective and individual levels.
Support innovation, commitment and research
Territories and communities must be encouraged to innovate, to conduct research and experiments to find solutions and answers to global challenges.
In addition, it is necessary to support organizations that act in the direction of the SDGs. These various initiatives must be supported by the State through the establishment of participatory budgets dedicated to initiatives relating to the 2030 Agenda.
Strengthen the proximity between citizens and public policies
Citizens must be encouraged to participate in the development and implementation of public policies. To do this, development policies should be democratized and consultation procedures put in place allowing citizens to participate directly in their formulation and implementation.
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