Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 19-20 April – A gathering of experts recently convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 19th to 20th April, to scrutinize and validate the 2024 Africa Sustainable Development Report. This pivotal report has been collaboratively crafted by the African Union Commission, the United Nations Development Program Regional Bureau for Africa (UNDP-RBA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the African Development Bank (AfDB). Serving as an essential update on the progress of both Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063, the forthcoming 2024 edition will mark the seventh iteration of this influential report.
The meeting marked the election of a new Bureau, with Kenya stepping up as Chair and Namibia as Vice Chair. The Bureau’s rapporteurs include representatives from Burundi, Senegal, and Tunisia. UNECA will oversee the Bureau’s Terms of Reference (TOR), with Namibia assigned to familiarize themselves with the report and disseminate its policy recommendations.
Attended by representatives from Namibia, Kenya, Burundi, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco, and several other countries, the event also saw participation from key organizations like UNECA, UNDP, AfDB, and AUC.
Throughout the discussions, participants shared insights and experiences across Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) areas 1, 2, 13, 16, and 17. For Namibia, several key lessons emerged:
- Leveraging the Summit of the Future co-chairing platform with Germany at the UNGA 2024 to disseminate the 2024 Africa Sustainable Development Report.
- Emphasizing the report’s recommendations and policy sections.
- Emerging food security insights from other African states.
- Addressing SDG Reporting Data Gaps by enhancing NSA’s capabilities to support OMAS and NPC with SDG reporting.
- Accelerating SDG implementation efforts.
- Encouraging NPC-led SDG research and academia to produce independent research on VNRs and SDG-related topics.
- Facilitating collaboration between the private sector, CSOs, and OMAS to integrate or share data for SDG reporting.
- Addressing youth unemployment by promoting cultural heritage, sports development, and cultural exchange initiatives.
- Establishing advisory groups on SDGs involving academia, private sector, civil society/non-state actors, and development partners to bolster SDG awareness.
With the validation of the 2024 Africa Sustainable Development Report, the path forward appears clearer for countries like Namibia, as they continue to align their efforts with the broader agendas of Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063.
