The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a far-reaching joint statement of understanding regarding the localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The agreement was signed by the Secretary, MoPR Sunil Kumar and UNDP Resident Representative Shoko Noda. “PRIs have been a critical component of local self-governance across rural India and we have witnessed the contribution of these institutions in achieving last-mile connectivity and execution of various schemes of different line departments/ministries. SDGs too can be achieved only if we actively involve PRIs,” Kumar said after the signing ceremony.

About 65 per cent of India’s population lives in rural areas. The Government is increasingly routing the funding of social sector schemes in sectors such as sanitation, housing, solid waste management etc., through rural local bodies.

“The achievement of Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 can happen only if we consider local context and situations. The MoPR-UNDP partnership will help in keeping local priorities on top of the agenda, while planning and implementing programmes,” Noda said.

As per the Joint Statement of Understanding, MoPR and UNDP will collaborate in knowledge sharing, capacity building and strengthening monitoring mechanisms. This Joint Statement of Understanding will provide further impetus to the work of UNDP on SDG localisation.

UNDP has been leading efforts in partnership with NITI Aayog and the State governments, notably Haryana, Karnataka, Nagaland, Punjab and Uttarakhand, to localise and accelerate the SDGs through its signature solution of Sustainable Development Coordination Centres.

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