By Alpha Abu
Senior officials at the Ministry of Development and Economic Planning (MoDEP) have engaged media practitioners on preparation of the Voluntary National Review Reports (VNR) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation.
The event which was held at MoDEP in Freetown on Tuesday May 1st, 2021 focused on the efforts made toward SDGs 4 & 16 which focus on education for all, and the justice system, respectively.
Director of MoDEP, Dr. Sheka Bangura made comprehensive presentation on the data collection and assessment interventions on the two goals which he said the UN solicited the government to prioritise this year for thorough implementation.
Dr. Bangura spoke of their assessment of the impact of the Free Quality Education Programme, taking into consideration the provision of learning materials, the school feeding programme, and payment of school fees.
On SDG 16, the operations of particularly the Legal Aid Board were looked into especially its interventions in providing the people legal representation, advice and access to justice. Assessment was done on the increased deployment of magistrates and judges in rural districts.
The challenges encountered at the start of the VNR process were acknowledged and which largely centred on lack of funds though UNICEF, UNDP and the government supported the exercise.
The Permanent Secretary MoDEP , Peter Sam Kpakra spoke about their decision to engage journalists on the alignment of the government’s Medium Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) to the SDGs, acknowledging the important role the media could play in creating greater public awareness of the process. He said the views of some 2 million people were sought on service delivery and believed the process was inclusive and participatory, noting that access to justice for the poor especially those in the rural areas were looked into. He said international partners were pleased with the whole process and that the data collected was being prepared in the form of a report for presentation.
MoDEP in collaboration with Statistics Sierra Leone and relevant line Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) conducted the Rapid Data Collection on SDGs 4& 16. The comprehensive details of the VNR, according MoDEP officials, will be ready in July this year.
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