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Zambia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Mwaba Kasese-Bota, has urged UN-Member States to ensure that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) create employment, promote education and protect culture especially in developing countries.
Dr. Kasese-Bota says employment, social protection, youths, education and culture are fundamental to the achieving sustainable development.
She said education was the cornerstone of sustainable development as it significantly contributes to poverty reduction and improvement of the well-being of families.
The Zambian envoy was speaking on behalf of the Southern African Group at the fourth meeting of the Open Working Group on SDGS at United Nations Headquarters on June 18, 2013.
ZANIS reports that this is contained in a press statement obtained in Lusaka and issued by First Secretary for Press and Public Relations Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations Chibaula Silwamba.
“SDGs should embrace employment and decent work especially for women and young people in both urban and rural communities.
“ Employment and decent work will other than improving income status of people also impacts many other aspects of development including linking macroeconomic strategies to inclusive and equitable social development and growth, ” Dr. Kasese-Bota said.
The Zambian Envoy said the post-2015 development agenda should increase the quality of human capital through capacity building for human skills development especially for the youth and women.
“The Southern African region recognises enhanced potential of education for economic growth, improved health outcomes, increased employment opportunities, resilient and stable societies,” Dr. Kasese-Bota said.
She added that Zambia and other countries in the region wants to emphasise the need for SDGs to focus on early childhood education, primary, secondary or high school and tertiary education including skills training and ensuring universality of such education for all.
She called for formulation of policies that would increase resources to the education sector, training of teachers, improvement school curriculum and upgrade infrastructure to improve the quality of education standards in the country.
She said the region supported the need to have an SDG on education and skills development for all that would capture all the Millennium Development Goals targets and unfinished business while at the same time addressing the gaps and inter-linkages with other important sector goals.
The Ambassador stressed that member states in the Southern African region had prioritised education and training.
“Social protection will play a key role in the post 2015 development agenda with emphasis on sustainable and environmentally friendly economic development and poverty reduction,” she said.
Zambia and Zimbabwe are representing Southern Africa on the UN Open Working Group, which is formulating SDGs that seeks to succeed the UN 2015 MDGs.
