Stakeholders Begin Consultations on the Voluntary National Review of the Sustainable Development Goals in Liberia

The Honorable Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning , Ministry of Finance & Development Planning, Madam Tanneh G. Brunson, in her welcome remarks noted that the meetings were intended not only to review but to assess contributions made towards achieving the targets set out as a country for the SDGs. She stated that in 2020, Liberia conducted its first VNR of the SDGs , but the nation was unable to provide adequate reporting on its contributions to the SDGs, using a more inclusive and participatory approach due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Liberia intends to report for the second time in 2022, drawing from its experiences, challenges and lessons learnt in order to produce a well-documented report centered on multi-stakeholders participation , integration and alignment", she said. 

The UN Resident Coordinator, Niels Scott, thanked the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning for their leadership of the VNR process. Speaking on the SDGs, the Resident Coordinator provided an interesting analogy based on football, saying,  "the Goals define why we are playing, but the game is not just about the Goals; it also about the skills and innovation we apply to achieve the Goals". "One team(our team) is playing against another team ( Poverty, Hunger, Environmental Degradation, etc)"

He pointed out that the SDGs do not exist on their own but are linked to the national development agenda- the PAPD- and that the VNR process compels stakeholders to measure not only progress but that which is not being measured to find solutions on how to resolve the overlooked issues. He stressed that  the world is now about 8 years to the end of the SDG cycle and this Review experience is expected to be crucial as a consensus building tool among us the stakeholders, as well as a pivotal learning mechanism that should bring us all around the same table moving forward.

Mr. Scott concluded by remarking that he was certain that the process will show the way forward and provide essential source of lessons learned and experience sharing for a more efficient SDG delivery nationally.