Climate change, drug abuse threat to SDGs attainment

THE progress towards attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the country is being threatened by climate change-induced drought and drug abuse among others, a senior Government official has said.

Poor rains linked to the El-Nino weather patterns have crippled yields across Southern Africa and last week President Mnangagwa declared this year’s farming season a nationwide state of disaster.

In 2023, Cabinet also declared drug and substance abuse a state of disaster and quickly set up a national committee to help come up with measures to address the challenge.

Yesterday, senior Government officials from provinces, workers’ representatives, and development partner organisations met other stakeholders under the Voluntary National Review (VNRs) exercise of the SDGs.

All United Nations member states are required to conduct VNR, with Zimbabwe now doing its third after the first two were developed at the High-Level Political Forums of 2017 and 2021 and a progress report was issued in 2020.

The 17 SDGs were launched in 2015 and will run until 2030 as a successor to the Millennium Development Goals, which were inaugurated in the year 2000. VNRs aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences including successes, challenges, and lessons learned, to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The VNRs also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of Government and to mobilise multi-stakeholder support and partnerships for the implementation of SDGs.

“Despite efforts made to achieve the SDGs together with Agenda 2063 and Vision 2030, progress has been hampered by global risks and vulnerabilities, which have increased on account of tight monetary financial conditions, funding squeeze, intensifying geo-political tensions, growing adverse weather conditions, supply chain disruptions and disease pandemics,” Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Judith Ncube, said in a speech read on her behalf by provincial permanent secretary, Mr Paul Nyoni.

“Emerging issues such as climate change and drug and substance abuse have become a menace in our efforts to achieve the set agendas. The need for accelerative actions by everyone to be able to attain the 2030 agenda is therefore imperative,” she said.

A representative of the workers from the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, Mr Ambrose Sibindi, said high levels of employment need to be addressed as that has an adverse effect on the economy. He said this was contributing to poverty and the drug and substance abuse menace in communities.

“From the labour movement, we are concerned with the high levels of unemployment because that affects the economy in a big way. The business community cannot maximize profits because the market is diminished. The high levels of poverty are also another challenge as breadwinners are few,” he said.

“This also speaks to the drug menace we are witnessing among the youths, which is driven by unemployment. This has also driven high the demand for people wanting to benefit from the Basic Education Assistance Model (Beam) as a number of guardians and parents are struggling,” said Mr Sibindi.

“So, the descent work and economic goal, quality education and zero hunger are affected due to unemployment.”

He said there was also a need for the youths to be trained in sustainable skills and given capital to start businesses, so that they can stand on their own.

Mr Sibindi also urged the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to attend, to assist struggling industries and help bring them back to their feet, with a focus on exporting to grow their revenue base.

An official from the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Association (ZCIEA), Ms Sarudzai Dube, said the unavailability of vending spaces in the city centre was affecting women who are the majority in the vending spaces.

She said the development was affecting the attainment of SDGs focusing on eradication of poverty, as women always play cat and mouse games with law enforcement authorities.

“As women, we want to fend for our families, but we face many challenges in achieving that. The economy is more informal than formal, but working spaces are a challenge,” said Mrs Dube.

“The places we are given by the council are few and we witness the running battles. Some areas are too expensive for us and it complicates things and affects our role in achieving the SDGs.”—@themkhust