SDGs for all to implement not just government

THE United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Alvaro Rodriguez has called on government leaders and officials in UN agencies to be part of development process by getting out of their offices and meet people in their areas.

Likewise, Mr Rodriguez emphasised on the role of individuals in implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), noting that the targets do not only concern the government or the UN.

“The SDG’s need to be implemented by everyone using their own resources within their reach. Don’t look at the SDG’s as Government’s or UN’s goals, but look at them as your goals,” he insisted.

Mr Rodriguez, who doubles as UNDP Resident Representative, further acknowledged that the UN alone cannot implement the goals, saying everyone needed to be part of it.

He gave the statement in Dar es Salaam when officially launching Uwezo Award competition. The competition, organised by the Great Hope Foundation (GHF), intends to provide opportunities to secondary school students to identify and use their inborn life skills for future self employmentMr

Rodriguez encouraged the youth to empower themselves rather than waiting for someone to come and give them idea and money. He counselled them to organise themselves in groups in order to gather different skills from each member to perform certain economic activities.

Detailing on the competition, Ms Noelle Mahuvi, Uwezo Award Project Coordinator, said the project aims at making the students use their free time doing social works for developing their skills of which were not applied in their schools.

The competition now enters third year since it started in 2016 during which students from only 20 schools of Dar es Salaam participated.

But, this year, 100 schools from three regions of Dar es Salaam, Coast and Morogoro will have their learners compete for the awards to be handed over during the gala expected to be held in next July.

Hundreds of students with their teachers attended the launching yesterday at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) Nkrumah Hall.