The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) signed an agreement to provide technical support to the National SDG Secretariat in Lao PDR. - FAOBounmee Maokhamphiou
VIENTIANE (Xinhua): The Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have signed an agreement to provide technical support to the National Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Secretariat.
The key objective is to further enhance multi-stakeholder engagement at national and provincial levels for SDG localization, monitoring and reporting in Laos, Lao News Agency reported on Monday (Oct 8).
The support draws on the capacity of FAO as the custodian UN agency for 21 SDG indicators and is a major contributor to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), 5 (Gender Equality), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 14 (Life below Water) and 15 (Life on Land).
Achieving SDGs requires a paradigm shift in working together and drives transformational changes.
"The support that FAO provides, together with wider UN system, to the National SDG Secretariat is strategic. It helps bring together not only stakeholders at the national and sectoral levels but also provincial authorities and local communities to accelerate progress toward the SDGs", Director General of Department of International Organization under the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Daovy Vongxay, said recently.
To achieve this, it is crucial to clearly define roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder, while strengthening their capacities and providing them with appropriate information and tools, Vongxay said.
According to the report, the FAO is committed to greater collaboration and deeper partnerships between governments, civil society, the private sector, UN agencies, development partners, and other stakeholders to ensure that all the sectors have knowledge and skills required to contribute to the achievement of SDGs.
