Gandaki Province unveils its roadmap to achieve the Global Goals

Charting out its roadmap to materialize a prosperous and happy Gandaki Province by 2030, the Government of Gandaki Province has launched its first Sustainable Development Goals Baseline Report 2019.

 

Unveiled by Chief Minister Prithivi Subba Gurung on 19th December amid a function in Pokhara, the report takes stock of the progress made so far by the province in meeting the 17 goals and sets time-bound targets of SDG indicators to be achieved by 2030, the final year of the SDGs. The SDGs were agreed upon and adopted by all the United Nations Member States, including Nepal, in 2015. Nepal was the first country to prepare this type of report. Nepal has localized the SDGs in its national development plans.

 

Prepared by Gandaki Province with technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme, the report projects the provincial government's target to bring the poverty rate down to 1% by 2030. Poverty in Gandaki province is one of the lowest in the country, with around 14.91 per cent people are living below the National poverty line. Under the Global Goals commitment, Nepal aims to reduce the country's overall National poverty rate to 4.9% by 2030.

 

While the GNI per capita income of the province stood at $1,043 in 2015, the government targets to make it $3,721 by 2030. Similarly, under Goal 7, the government aims to increase the total installed hydropower capacity from 448 MW today to 6000 MW in 2030 and ensure cent per cent population of the province an access to electricity. The baseline report has set concrete and measurable targets for most of the relevant SDG indicators and identified tools to measure and monitor the progress.

 

The game changer mega projects envisioned by the province and accounted under SDG 9 include Pokhara International Airport and the expansion of Prithivi and Siddhartha highways, and completion of Mid-hills and Korela -Pokhara highways which will help strengthen existing transport infrastructure and magnify the outcomes from other projects such as Gandaki Industrial State (SDG 7).

                                                                                                                  

Gandaki province identified seven key drivers of prosperity: tourism, agriculture, energy, industry, infrastructures, human resources and governance. Similarly, it has identified five key enablers of prosperity and they include natural beauty, bio-diversity, unity within social diversity, cultural prosperity, identity and co-existence and demographic dividend.

 

The report also underscores that enhancing federal support would be key to achieving the SDGs. "This support must be led and reinforced so that capacity constraints do not impede the achievement of SDGs despite commitments, resource availability and willingness to carry forward the agenda," said Vice Chair of Policy and Planning Commission of Gandaki Province Dr. Giridhari Sharma Paudel at the launch of the report.

 

"I would like to congratulate the Government of Gandaki Province on the launch of the report. As a close partner, UNDP stands ready to support the provincial government in its bid to achieve the SDGs, including through support in designing climate smart plans that not just help curb carbon emission but also achieve other development goals," said UNDP Resident Representative Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labé.

 

"With this report we have now formally started mainstreaming the SDGs into our plans. What we need now is an effective coordination and collaboration with the local Municipalities and federal governments who are on the frontlines," said Chief Minister Prithivi Subba Gurung. He further Stated that the Province will take strong Policy measure and program interventions to achieve the stated goals and targets pertaining in the report.