Colombia and Guatemala propose new framework of Sustainable Development Goals
During the UN General Assembly in September 2011, the Government of Colombia presented a proposal to establish the Sustainable Development Goals as part of the results of Rio+20 . The goals would be based on the Agenda 21 main guidelines approved at the first conference. The Government of Guatemala endorsed the proposal and convened an informal consultation meeting that took place in Bogota on November 4, 2011.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) proposal emphasizes human and ecosystem wellbeing. According to the Government of Colombia, modern environmental challenges require global commitment. The upcoming Rio + 20 meeting is an appropriate venue to adopt these objectives and discuss ideas, priorities, and potential efforts. The SDG is designed to complement the Millennium Development Goals in order to preserve the current system of international cooperation and coordination.
Representatives from 30 countries met in Bogota for the informal talks. According to Paula Caballero, Director for Economic and Environmental Affairs at Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the idea was to start a discussion concerning the identification of a set of objectives that provide for the most urgent needs of humankind and help formulate plans to reduce poverty in a context of sustainability.
Rita Mishaan, Special Advisor for the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Guatemala, highlighted the importance of this informal consultation. She asserted that it would not only contribute to the preparation towards Rio+20, but it would also demonstrate the need to define and implement these goal. When in place, the mechanisms would measure the future achievements and challenges in the path towards sustainability.
These two Latin American governments see this proposal as the first step in the establishment of common guidelines for the future of national sustainability policies. The objective is to build a goal-oriented framework that would help guarantee the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The SDGs would also contribute to position the three transversal areas of environmental, economic, and socio-political sustainability in all the activities of the UN System. Colombia and Guatemala also expect to assume a significant regional and global leadership role in the Rio + 20 meeting.
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[...] posed by Alex, the SDGs have continued their onward march. Representatives of thirty countries recently met in Bogata to agree some objectives for SDGs, based around reconciling poverty reduction and [...]