Luanda - The Angolan Government remains engaged and committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, the secretary of State for Planning, Luís Epalanga reiterated on Tuesday, in Luanda Province.
Speaking to the press, at the end of the presentation of the study that examines the effect of SDG implementation policies in Angola, the official highlighted that, among the 17 Development Goals, the Angolan Government includes the sectors of health, education, social protection, electricity, agriculture, water and basic sanitation as areas that will continue to deserve special attention.
He stressed that these areas are aligned with the pillars set out in the Government's National Development Program (PDN) 2023-2027, including the development of human capital and the strengthening of food and nutritional security, adding that of the 284 PDN priorities, 210 have a direct impact on achieving the SDG targets, which means a significant coverage of around 75%.
Despite this, Luís Epalanga pointed out the existence of major challenges and achieving some SDG targets will require deep, structural transformations that can only be proven from a long-term perspective.
On the other hand, he said that in 2025 Angola should present at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, in New York (USA) its second Voluntary National Report (RNV).
The government official also said that the presentation of this document will represent an opportunity for Angola to share its experiences, challenges and successes with other Member States, enriching the international dialogue on sustainable development.
Thus, the secretary of State called for greater involvement of all relevant players in this process, namely ministerial departments, United Nations agencies, the private sector, academy and civil society, in general, through the elaboration of an inclusive and consensual RVN.
Regarding the study of SDG implementation policies, developed over 18 months in the country, Luís Epalanga said that the research aimed to create a model to support the evaluation of the SDGs in Angola and identify areas for targeting investments.
He informed that the results demonstrated that the main accelerators for implementing the SDGs in the country were new areas, with emphasis on education, basic sanitation, social protection and gender, among others.
In turn, the resident coordinator of the United Nations in Angola, Zahira Viranil, said that the meeting also served to assess the scope of the SDGs and identify key areas to direct investment, in order to accelerate the implementation and achievement of the objectives.
The act also served to launch the Voluntary National Report (RNV) of the SDGs, which will be presented in New York, at the United Nations Headquarters, next year, to evaluate the development of the project in Angola.
The NVR should be presented in 2025 with the aim of facilitating the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, as well as accelerating the 2030 Agenda.
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