ISLAMABAD - 25 July 2016: The Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with UNICEF hosted a national consultation workshop to unpack the implementation of SDG 6 that seeks to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
The consultation convened stakeholders from the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector to deliberate over policy implications as well as plans and actions needed to implement and monitor progress towards achieving the water and sanitation SDG and its related targets.
The Federal Minister for Law, Justice, and Climate Change, Zahid Hamid, affirmed the government’s commitment to the SDGs. “We recognize the 17 goals as 17 essential steps towards a better Pakistan, one that we are proud to give to our children,” he said. Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments have committed $15 million for SDG implementation over the next five years. Addressing government plans to meet SDG 6, Hamid said his ministry’s focus will be anchored on interlinkages between water and sanitation and strengthening communities capacity to withstand the effects of climate change.
Despite Pakistan’s progress in improving water and sanitation access, challenges including poor planning in tracking progress made, coupled with ineffective utilization of existing resources has hindered efforts to accelerate this progress and could potentially reverse gains made.
Recognising the important role water and sanitation plays in the realization of other SDGs including health, nutrition, and education, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Neil Buhne lauded the government and UNICEF’s joint leadership in addressing SDG 6. “The universal nature of the SDGs aligns with government development plans on prosperity, sustainable growth, environment, peace building & good governance,” he added.
UNICEF Representative, Angela Kearney, urged government and development partners to rise to the challenge set by SDGs. She called for strong, sustainable, and focused partnerships with governments, development partners, business leaders, academia, innovators, and civil society. “Achieving the SDGs will require effective and equitable investment in the most disadvantaged and marginalized. This can only happen if the most deprived are kept at the heart of the agenda while formulating national plans, budgets, and social and economic policies.
The consultations culminated in a pledge by the ministry of climate change to provide further guidance on implementation and monitoring of progress towards achieving the SDGs to provincial government counterparts. The ministry will also align its national water and sanitation policies with targets outlined in SDG 6 and other goals. Participants endorsed the establishment of an SDG 6 task force of comprising government ministries and UN organizations.
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
Follow UNICEF Pakistan on Twitter and Facebook.
For further information, please contact:
A. Sami Malik, Communication Specialist, UNICEF Pakistan. Phone: +92 300 855 6654. Email: asmalik@unicef.org