29/05/2018
Digital transformation is rapidly changing the government infrastructure in Pakistan, which in turn is demanding corresponding strategies aligned with the global best practices. In the year 2000 global countries agreed to adopt uniform policies for vital development sectors like health, education, culture etc under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were finalized in the year 2015. Unfortunately Pakistan could not perform well in achieving the desired MDGs. To complete the unfinished Agenda of MDGs for gaining optimum space of development in governance and transparencies, SDGs were initiated by the UN after getting consensus of all the member countries.
The seventeen SDGs and their 169 targets have already become a globally approved and recognized roadmap for the developing countries. There is an Urgent Needfor all public and private sector organizations, bodies, entities and institutions, to understand and take appropriate steps for achieving the SDGs under the guidelines of Planning Commission of Pakistan and the UN.
The most unfortunate and discouraging aspect of the present situation is that barring a very few, all the stake holders in the country like the federal ministers and provincial governments, political parties, intelligencia and academia, corporate business, financial, industrial and agricultural sectors are totally unaware of the Importance and value of SDGs in Pakistan. While the Planning Commission of Pakistan has initiated certain steps in that direction, still much more needs to be done because the time left is very short.
In order to assist the Planning Commission, Federal ministries, provincial governments and all other above mentioned stake holders, the undersigned along with Mr. Ammar Jaffri, Ex-DG FIA and internationally known scholar and expert on Cyber Security, have jointly established SDGs Academy Pakistan to operate initially from Islamabad.
The basic Purpose of SDGs Academy is to create and spread awareness about the role of SDGs in the future of Pakistan and her people, through their governments and representative bodies, institutions and organizations. First monitoring report of SDGs is due in 2018 as per UN prescribed schedule of monitoring country wise progress made on SDGs. This means serious efforts are required for submitting a satisfactory country report on the subject.
Let every Pakistani national irrespective of his/her affiliations religion cast and creed start playing his/her role in whatever capacity he/she can achieve SDGs according to their time schedule.
