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Addis Ababa. – Zimbabwe was last week unanimously elected as the second vice president of the Bureau of the 2017 Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD), a body that tracks progress in the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are at the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Togo was elected president with Seychelles as the first vice president and the Democratic Republic of Congo as the third vice president, respectively. The election was conducted during a three-day ARFSD meeting that ended on Friday in Addis Ababa.

In Africa, the SDGs are being implemented concurrently and in an integrated manner with the First 10-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063, Africa’s 50-year strategic framework for socio-economic transformation, which seeks to accelerate the implementation of past and existing continental initiatives for growth and sustainable development.

The 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 are mutually reinforcing and together emphasise the pursuit of inclusive and sustainable structural transformation and sustainable development at regional, sub-regional and national levels.

Zimbabwe was represented at the 2017 AFRSD by Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development Minister, Cde Nyasha Chikwinya, who thanked colleagues from Southern Africa for unanimously electing Zimbabwe to represent the region in the bureau.

A representative from the region said this was in appreciation of Zimbabwe’s leadership role in chairing the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York, how the country represented the region in the SDG 10th Committee as the third vice chair at the beginning of the meeting and what she said was the sound articulation of the gender equality issues as they applied to the implementation of Agenda 2030 and 2063.

Addressing delegates, Minister Chikwinya said Africa should recognise the role played by women in society if the continent is to achieve goals set in Agendas 2030 and 2063.

“Without addressing challenges women and girls and currently facing we cannot achieve the goals and targets set in Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030,” she said, adding the participation of women in politics and decision-making was crucial to dealing with some of the impediments.

Minister. Chikwinya said in mainstreaming gender, Africa should not overlook the participation of women in climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies as the majority of Africa’s farmers are rural women.

“We should see women at the centre stage on issues of renewable energy, the green economy, green industrialisation, mining and extractives and other key products of our economies,” she said.

Delegates’ discussions were around the sub-themes of eradicating all forms of poverty in Africa; ending hunger and achieving food security in Africa; ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all; promoting gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls; building resilient infrastructure and promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and innovation; and, conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.

Key messages agreed on by delegates included that: economic growth is necessary, but so far has been insufficient to eradicate poverty; hunger should be considered as a national and regional security issue; governments should ensure fair and mandatory public financing to build universal and equitable health coverage; gender issues should be reflected in national integrated plans for Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063; green industrialisation provides an opportunity for Africa to leapfrog and be competitive in global value chains; and, that sustainable development and poverty alleviation in Africa will depend on sustainable and optimal management of natural capital, including oceans, seas, and marine resources.

The 2017 ARFSD was held under the theme, “Ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth and prosperity for all”. The meeting was in preparation of the 2017 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which will be held in New York in July under the auspices of ECOSOC under the theme “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”.

The HLPF provides political leadership, guidance and recommendations for sustainable development to member states, including follow-ups and reviewing progress in the implementation of sustainable development commitments.

The ARSDF was organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and other United Nations agencies to ensure Africa goes to the HLPF with one voice. – Agencies