NE CMs gather at Guwahati to discuss SDG goals

The North East SustainableDevelopment Goals Conclave 2020 commenced yesterday, at the AssamAdministrative Staff College, Guwahati with the goal of identifying solutionsas well as accelerators for the implementation of SDGs in the North EasternRegion (NER). Organized by NITI Aayog, in partnership with the North EasternCouncil, Govt. Of Assam and Tata Trust, the conclave is supported by UNDP andRIS. 

Chief Ministers of Sikkim, ArunachalPradesdh, Tripura , Mizoram besides Union Minister for DOnER Jitendra Singhand  NITI Ayog top bosses are here.

The inaugural session of the conclavestarted with an address from Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog followed bywelcome remarks from Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Minister, Finance, Transformation& Development, Education & Health, Government of Assam. Dr. RajivKumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog set the context for the Conclave, followed byMs. Renata Lok-Dessallien, UN Resident Coordinator India.   

The three-day event, from 24th to26th February 2020, hinged on the premise of 'Partnership, Cooperation andDevelopment of North East States', will see representation from the highestoffices of all the State Governments of the North East, Central Ministries,Civil Society Organizations, Academia, InternationalDevelopment Organizations and Think Tanks active in the North EasternRegion. 

"India,especially the North East region, offers unique challenges & opportunities.The solutions need interventions that bring disruptive change & thusfostering a tech embedded development trajectory is of paramount importance",emphasised NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

Chief Ministers of North Eastern states addressed the inaugural session of the SDG Conclave.

"In the coming days, we will partnerwill NITI Aayog for strengthening our resolve for SDGs. We have identified 145 state indicators linked to the CMdashboard, which has been monitoring the State's progress for the last 2years", said  Pema Khandu, Hon'ble ChiefMinister of Arunachal Pradesh.

"Withthe financial help from the Central Government, as well as monitoring theprogress made by North-Eastern states of India, I believe the SDGs can certainly be achieved", said Hon'ble Chief Minister ofMizoram, Zoramthanga.

"ThroughSDGConclave2020, we now have a regional space to learn from each other and fromthe rest of India. Sustainability is important for Himalayan states like Sikkimand how we harness our natural resources", said Prem Singh Tamang, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Sikkim.

Hon'bleChief Minister of Tripura, Biplab Kumar Deb presented a goal wise analysis ofTripura's progress towards achieving the ambitious Agenda 2030 by linking theexisting schemes and programmes.

"Guwahatiwill play a crucial role as it is India's gateway to Southeast Asia. Together,with NITI Aayog's support, we will continue our journey in ensuring the prosperityof the region and its people", put forth Sarbananda Sonowal, Hon'ble ChiefMinister of Assam.

Inhis keynote address, Hon'ble Minister of State (IC), Ministry of Development ofNorth Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr. Jitendra Singh said "Whenever India becomes a$ 5 Trillion economy, the North East will be an essential component".

Anotherkey highlight of day one was the release of reports on challenges, prospectsand SDG best practices. The four reports released were: Compendium of StateIndicator Frameworks of 8 North Eastern States; North East and SDGs by RIS andTata Trusts; Stories of Change by Tata Trusts and Best Practices Portfolio onNorth East by UNDP.   

The inaugural session on the first daywill be followed by technical sessions on the 25th and 26th. The technicalsessions will include discussions pertaining to SDGs in the North EasternRegion: Pathways for Localisation and Achievement; Drivers of EconomicProsperity & Sustainable Livelihoods; Climate Adaptive Agriculture;Nutrition Security & Health and Wellbeing for All; Education, SkillDevelopment and Entrepreneurship; Communication, Connectivity andInfrastructure Development; Addressing Inequality and Exclusion in the NorthEast and the Way Forward and Valedictory.  

NITI Aayog has the mandate ofoverseeing the adoption and monitoring of SDGs at the national and sub-nationallevel. Progress in the northeast region is crucial in this decade of action forthe country to achieve the SDGs by 2030 and this conclave is part of NITIAayog's continuous efforts towards fostering partnerships at the sub-nationallevel. In terms of SDG localisation, the states in the region have taken majorstrides in integrating the Agenda 2030 framework in their developmentalplanning and vision documents.