Luanda - Angola has embraced and adopted the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, incorporating it into the National Development Plan (PDN), the country’s National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, said Thursday in Brasilia (Brazil).
Speaking at the 10th G20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit, the Angolan Speaker said the National Development Plan is based on two pillars.
The first, the parliament leader said, is to enhance human capital, with a focus on education and health, while the second has to do with food security, mainly agriculture, modernization of production support infrastructures, development of ecosystems resilient to climate change and sustainable management of water and forest resources.
The parliamentary leader added that all of this shows that the country is concerned about people, the planet and the environment.
Carolina Cerqueira added that the environment is part of this agenda, since the need for industrialization and economic development could not come at the high cost that has resulted in the deforestation and the effects of the drought in southern Angola.
In this context, Cerqueira said Angola has adopted clean energies as a factor for development, and that more than 76% of the energy that moves the country is already renewable.
The politician also said the country adopted the digital transformation agenda, having acknowledged that much still needs to be done to include women and young people in the economy and to promote the creation of sustainable jobs.
Carolina Cerqueira stressed that 70 percent of the population has gained access to basic health services, following the expansion and modernization of the health system and the water distribution network and basic sanitation.
The Speaker said she is aware of the challenges the country faces in terms of macroeconomic stability and ensuring the payment of foreign debts.
“However, this must not neglect social support programs for the poorest and most vulnerable, because youth unemployment is still high,” Cerqueira said.
In terms of social assistance, the politician highlighted the implementation of Kwenda, an income transfer program for vulnerable families, which has been implemented since 2020, in partnership with the World Bank, and which has already benefited 1.1 million households.
As regards education, the National Assembly Speaker said that quality education and vocational training for young people should be a priority for everyone.
At parliamentary level, the Speaker pointed out laws that have been passed and public policies that are inclusive and adjusted to the interests of the population, demanding government’s increased revenues for programs linked to Sustainable Development.
The politician also pointed to the fact that, in October, the National Assembly hosted representatives of civil society, joined by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), to debate the legal framework and medical advances in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Carolina Cerqueira concluded by saying that “the promotion of sustainable development is not just a goal, but must be a strong social commitment and a path of no return for the well-being and progress of peoples, to guarantee peace and a socially just future for our nations”.
The 10th G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit finishes Friday under the slogan “Parliaments for a just world and a sustainable planet”,
The event, which is taking place at the National Congress Palace in Brasilia, with the participation of around 36 countries, is debating issues related to combat against hunger, poverty and inequality, socio-environmental development promotion and a fair and inclusive ecological transition, as well as building global governance adjusted to the challenges of the 21st century.
Participants will also reflect and discuss how parliaments can help define policies that guarantee the population's food and nutrition security.
At the end of the work, a joint statement should be produced, based on consensus between the parliamentary representatives, which will be delivered to the G20 Leaders' Summit, scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Rio de Janeiro.
Created in 2010, the group of parliaments from the world's richest countries, called the P20, will debate proposals that help contribute to global issues.
The P20 works to guide governments through inter-parliamentary cooperation and the exchange of information.
The 10th Summit is a joint event of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies and the Brazilian Senate, and has the partnership of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
With two thirds of the planet's population, the G20 accounts for 85% of the world's gross domestic product and 75% of international trade.
Angola is represented at the highest level by a delegation led by the National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, and MPs Vigílio Tyova, Aia-Eza Troso and Ariane Nhany.ART/TED/AMP
