Mongolia and SDG 9: Blog 8

This blog is going to be on Mongolia and the country’s focus on SDG goal no. 9. Mongolia is a landlocked country located in north-central Asia. It is roughly oval in shape, measuring 1,486 miles from west to east. It measures 782 miles from north to south. Mongolia is located between Russia to the north and China to the south. The country experiences long cold winters and short cool-to-hot summers. 68.4% of the country’s population lives in urban areas and 31.6% live in rural areas. In 2015, the literacy percentage for males was 96.4% while for women it was 97.9%. The Gross National Income (GNI) of the country is 10,100 US$ (2017) (Harris, Lattimore & Sanders, 2020).

Fig 1. One Stop Map. (n.d.). Map of Mongolia political [Image]. Retrieved on May 3, 2020, from https://www.onestopmap.com/mongolia/mongolia-11/.

Because Mongolia is a landlocked country, developing infrastructure in Mongolia will contribute to more equal delivery of social services and expansion of businesses at local levels. Expansion of transport networks will provide the basis for promoting equality in social services delivery to all parts of the population. By 2018, length of improved roads reached 10.6 kilometers and length of conventional roads reached 102.6 thousand kilometers, significantly increasing passenger and freight turnovers. In recent years, measures to develop other transport sectors have been taken. Some developments include the step-by-step introduction of competition in the aviation market, improvement of aviation safety, increased international flight routes, and renovation of airports. There has also been a word to expand railway transportation and establish logistic centers (Government of Mongolia, 2019).

Mongolia has established a monitoring, evaluation, and reporting system for SDG progress. The foundation for the monitoring and evaluation of SDG implementation is the review of MSDV-2030 on a two-yearly basis. However, the creation of a regular multi-stakeholder mechanism for monitoring and evaluation is vital for the successful implementation of the SDGs. Some reports have indicated that the performance monitoring is weak and there is no system of independent evaluation established in Mongolia. In order to address these challenges, eight government Sub-Working Groups were established to identify national SDG indicators and targets. This sets the foundation for results-based monitoring of SG targets and indicators (Government of Mongolia, 2019).

United National Mongolia. 2020. How much we need, how much we have: The UN funding gap by sustainable development goal in country: Mongolia [Image]. Retrieved on April 29, 2020 from https://mongolia.un.org/en/sdgs.

            According to the above image, Mongolia has 99.9% of the required resources for SDG 9. The annual total required resources are $3,798,870. The annual available resources are $3,795,718 (United Nations Mongolia, 2020). When it comes to climate change, Mongolia is significantly impacted by it. The frequency of natural disasters due to climate change directly affects the livelihood of people and exacerbates environmental degradation. Considering this, Mongolia is using SDGs to strengthen agreement around coordinated actions within government and different stakeholders (Government of Mongolia, 2019). With the available resources and coherent plans from the government, Mongolia has the potential to successfully implement SDG 9 with climate change in consideration.

References

Harris, C.D., Lattimore, O, and Sanders A.J.K. (2020). Mongolia. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Mongolia

Government of Mongolia. 2019. Mongolia voluntary national review report 2019 [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/23342MONGOLIA_VOLUNTARY_NATIONAL_REVIEW_REPORT_2019.pdf.

United Nations Mongolia. (2020). Our work on the sustainable development goals in Mongolia. Retrieved from https://mongolia.un.org/en/sdgs.

Canada and SDG 9: Blog 7

Let’s talk about Canada. Canada is the second-largest country in the world after Russia. Canada roughly occupies the northern two-fifths of the continent of North America. Despite Canada’s size, the population of the country is thinly distributed. Canadians are considered to be a model multicultural society that welcomes immigrant populations from every other continent. The country also harbors and exports a wealth of national resources. The current Prime Minister of Canada is Justin Trudeau. The estimated population of Canada is 37,512,000 (2019). Canada covers a total area of 9,984,670 sq. km. 81.4% of the country’s population live in urban areas while 18.6% of the population live in rural areas. 100% of the country’s population is literate. The country’s gross national income per capita (GNI per capita) is 42,870 US $ (Kruger et.al, 2020).

Fig.1. klerik78. Canada map with provinces and cities vector image [Image]. Retrieved on April 26, 2020,  from https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/canada-map-with-provinces-and-cities-vector-21161164

         Canada presented its first Voluntary National Review report in 2018. The report outlines the actions that the country is taking to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to help create a more equal, more prosperous and more inclusive country and world. Canada’s priorities are to build economic growth that works for everyone, to take action on climate change, and to narrow persistent socio-economic gaps (Government of Canada, 2018).

Fig. 2. Government of Canada. Infrastructure Canada [Image]. Retrieved on April 26, 2020, from https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/pub/dpr-rmr/2014/2014-02-eng.html.

          The Voluntary National Review report addresses green infrastructure which includes water and wastewater systems, clean energy, climate-resilient infrastructure like flood mitigation systems, and infrastructure to protect against changing climate. Canada typically spends 3% of GDP on public infrastructure annually and a growing portion of public infrastructure is managed by municipal governments. Canada will provide more than $180 billion in infrastructure funding towards efforts to build a green economy. The government plans to more than double existing federal funding over the 12 years of the plan from 2016. This will help improve the resilience of communities, transition to a clean growth economy, and improve social inclusion and socio-economic outcomes for all Canadians (The Government of Canada, 2018).

 The top priorities of Canada are safe water and clean air, affordable housing and child care, clean electricity grid interconnections, trade and transportation infrastructure, and new urban transit networks. By the end of 2025-2026 the Government of Canada aims to invest $20 billion in funding for green infrastructure initiatives to reduce GHG emissions and improve climate resilience and environmental quality. When it comes to human resources, the Government of Canada invests more than $2 billion every year to help more unemployed and underemployed Canadians access the training and employment support they need to find and keep good jobs in the economy. The Government of Canada will support the construction and improvement of housing, water treatment systems, health facilities and other community infrastructure through its Investing in Canada Plan (The Government of Canada, 2018). 

Fig 3. PressProgress. Poll:7 in 10 Canadians now agree climate change seriously threatens the future of the planet. Retrieved from https://pressprogress.ca/7_in_10_canadians_now_agree_climate_change_seriously_threatens_the_future_of_the_planet/

 The Government of Canada has its priorities outlined and has a detailed and structured plan on implementation of the goals. To ensure Canada meets its commitments, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mandated the Honorable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Children, Families, and Social Development, to lead Canada’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda. He will be collaborating with all other ministers and their departments. An SDG Unit was also under establishment to support Minister Duclos in this new role (The Government of Canada, 2018). Canada is also determined on developing clean infrastructure and reducing its impact on the environment. All the plans and goals announced in the Voluntary National Review were planned in accordance with changing climate and environment. The country is focused on developing infrastructure sustainability and reducing GHG emissions. 

References

Krueger, R.R., Bercuson, D.J., Morton, W.L., Nicholson N.L. & Hall, R.D. (April 14, 2020). Canada. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Canada

Government of Canada. (2018). Canada’s implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable

development Voluntary National Review [PDF File]. Retrieved from 

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/20033CanadasVoluntaryNationalReviewENv6.pdf

New Zealand and SDG 9: Blog 6

            For this blog, I will be covering a country on the continent of Australia, New Zealand. New Zealand, Maori Aotearoa, is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, the southwesternmost part of Polynesia. The country comprises of two main islands- the North and South islands along with a number of small islands. The capital city of the country is Wellington which is on the North Island. New Zealand is about 1000 miles long and about 280 miles wide. The population of the country is estimated at 4,966,000 (2019). The Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is 38,970 U.S. $ (Vowles et al., 2020).

Fig 1. Pavalena. (n.d.). New Zealand map [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/new-zealand-map-vector-1724517 on April 11, 2020.

            The title to New Zealand’s first Voluntary National Review (VNR) is ‘He waka eke noa’ which is a Maori proverb meaning ‘we are all in this together’. The country’s first VNR covers all 17 SDGs with a focus on how they deliver outcomes most relevant to New Zealand. Multiple stakeholders, including non-governmental sectors, have made contributions to the VNR. New Zealand is developing a broader set of measures – the Living Standards Framework (LSF). The LSF puts sustainable intergenerational wellbeing at the center of policymaking and the management of their resources. This is an innovative framework for measuring and analyzing the dynamics of wellbeing, as well as risk and resilience across a broad range of economic, social and environmental domains. In addition, Statistics New Zealand has developed a new set of metrics- Indicators Aotearoa New Zealand (IANZ). The IANZ goes beyond traditional economic measures such as income and GDP and includes wellbeing and sustainable development. IANZ and LSF will be used for monitoring and reporting of progress of the SDGs (United Nations, n.d.).

Fig. 2. The Treasury. (2018). The treasury’s Living Standards Framework [Image]. Retrieved from https://treasury.govt.nz/publications/tp/living-standards-framework-introducing-dashboard-html#section-4 on April 11, 2020.

            New Zealand wants to deliver transformation and growth for all by investing in infrastructure, research and development, and regional economies. New Zealand has a good national infrastructure base. The country is focused on strengthening infrastructure over the next 10 years to keep pace with a growing population. This will also help them move towards a more sustainable, lower-emissions economy. New Zealand is aiming to improve digital connectivity for economic and social benefits and improve wellbeing. The government of New Zealand supports businesses to thrive and be innovative through greater investment in research and development (R&D). Approximately 97 percent of all businesses in New Zealand employ less than 20 employees. The goal is to raise the present GDP of 1.37 percent to 2 percent over the next 10 years. To reach this goal, an R&D tax credit has been introduced to support the combination of grants that are currently in place (“New Zealand’s progress towards the SDGs-2019”, 2019)

            New Zealand has its challenges in the infrastructure sector. The country has relatively low levels of productivity growth and investment in large-scale infrastructure. New Zealand’s institutional arrangements for managing infrastructure investments have not delivered good infrastructure outcomes at a local level. The poor management structures have resulted in ad-hoc and short-term investment decisions that are often focused on the asset solution. This is also because planning and funding decisions are not linked to an overarching vision and strategy. There are inconsistencies in the approaches that central and local government take to the planning, marketing, procurement and delivery of infrastructure (“New Zealand’s progress towards the SDGs-2019”, 2019).

Fig. 3. Auckland Council. (n.d.). Auckland Infrastructure [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plans-projects-policies-reports-bylaws/our-plans-strategies/auckland-plan/development-strategy/Pages/aucklands-infrastructure.aspx on April 11, 2020.

            New Zealand has a range of initiatives underway to ensure their investment in infrastructure improves wellbeing and living standards. They are working to improve the incentives in the country’s infrastructure system to ensure they deliver good infrastructure outcomes at a local level. The country is also establishing the New Zealand infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. The government and industry are collaborating to lift the capability and the capacity of the construction workforce. They understand that development of human capital is essential to ensure the country can build, maintain and replace the infrastructure they require to prosper (“New Zealand’s progress towards the SDGs-2019”, 2019).

            New Zealand has an extensive climate policy agenda. The agenda sees action on climate change embedded with its broader economic strategy. New Zealand has endorsed the Paris Agreement and committed to reducing its emissions to 30 percent below 2005 by 2030. The country has also announced its intention to become a net-zero carbon economy by 2050 (“New Zealand’s progress towards the SDGs-2019”, 2019). New Zealand is a developed country which has shown its commitment towards an infrastructurally stronger country while being environmentally responsible.

References

New Zealand’s progress towards the SDGs – 2019[ PDF File]. (2019). Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/23333New_Zealand_Voluntary_National_Review_2019_Final.pdf.

United Nations. (n.d.). New Zealand. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/newzealand.

Vowles, J., Moran, W., Dalziel, R., Blyth, C.A., Sinclair, K. & Oliver, W.H. (April 10, 2020). New Zealand. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Zealand

Peru and SDG 9: Blog 5

          In my blogs so far, I have covered countries from Europe, Africa, and Asia. In this blog, I will be writing about a country in South America. Peru is a country in western South America. Peru is a tropical country, and its northern tip nearly touches the Equator. The Andes mountain range poses immense difficulties in travel and have long impeded national unity. The name Peru is derived from a Quechua Indian word meaning land of abundance, which is a reference to the economic wealth produced by the rich and highly organized Inca civilization that rules the region for centuries. Peru’s gross national income (GNI) is 191,881$ and GNI per capita is $5,970.79.3% of Peru’s population lives in urban areas and 20.7% lives in rural areas (Davies et al., 2020).

Fig.1. USA.gov. (2018). Peru [Image]. Retrieved from https://2016.export.gov/peru/.

            Peru’s government has prepared its “Pre-image of Peru in 2030” to begin the dialogue for a concerted vision. This will guide the design of the National Strategic Development Plan to 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The country has also created the System for Monitoring the Indicators of the SDGs: “Objectives to transform our country” to monitor and follow-up on its implementation process. The country considers developing sectoral statistical data and technical reports in compliance with the SDGs at all state levels. There has been an improvement of public investment to finance sustainable development, reaching 91% of total investment plans. The government also plans to implement a national plan of reconstruction after the serious damages El Nino phenomenon caused to the country’s infrastructure in March 2017 (UN, n.d.).

Fig. 2. Bnamericas. 2019. Peru developing US$30bn in infrastructure projects through 2025 [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/peru-developing-us30bn-in-infrastructure-projects-through-2025

            Per government officials, Peru had 52 infrastructure projects underway between 2019 and 2025.President Martin Vizcarra said 24 of the projects were under construction in 2019, while 25 other projects would soon enter the construction phase and the rest has begun the structuring stage. The President estimated that 95% of the plans would be completed by 2025. After recalculating Peru’s infrastructure shortfall, the President stated that the country needs 49% of GDP in infrastructure to close the gap of 636 bn soles (Bnamericas, 2019).

            Peru also prioritizes environmental conservation. The main environmental objective is the conservation of forest resources. The country emphasizes on preservation of Amazonian rain forests, dry forests and Andean forests (United Nations, n.d.). Peru has prioritized SDG 9 in the “Average” category after SDG 4 ‘Quality Education’, SDG 8 ‘Good Jobs and Economic Growth’, SDG 17 ‘Partnerships for the Goals’ and SDG 5 ‘Gender Equality’ as shown in Fig. 2. This demonstrates that Peruvian businesses tend to place more weight on SDGs that relate to social impact over environmental priorities (World Business Council, 2020).

Fig. 3. World Business Council. (2020). Peru-Peru 2021. Retrieved from https://sdghub.com/peru-peru-2021/.

            We also need to consider how the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected Peru’s SDG implementation goals. Just like most countries, cases of coronavirus are rising in Peru. The government has responded rapidly to “flatten the curve”. There has been added pressure on the Peruvian health system. The true impact of COVID-19 will be complex. This challenge will require the leadership of the state and the support of everyone, particularly the private sector (Sacasa, 2020). In my opinion, Peru has good initiatives and has its strategies planned out to develop infrastructure in the country. However, the COVID-19 pandemic will obstruct the implementation of SDG 9 projects. Hopefully, the world will recover fast once the pandemic comes under control.

References

Bnamericas. (September 4, 2019). Peru developing US$30 bn in infrastructure projects through 2025. Retrieved from https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/peru-developing-us30bn-in-infrastructure-projects-through-2025

Davies, T.M, Burr, R.N., Moore, J.P., Kus, J.S., & Pulgar-Vidal, J. (2020). Peru. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Peru.

Sacasa, M.d.C. (April 1, 2020). Peru embarks on a comprehensive approach to COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/blog/2020/peru-embarks-on-a-comprehensive-approach-to-covid-19.html.

UN. (n.d.). Peru: Taking action for sustainable development [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Peru_Government.pdf

United Nations. (n.d.). Peru. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=6200&nr=25&menu=172.

World Business Council. (2020). Peru -Peru 2021. Retrieved from https://sdghub.com/peru-peru-2021/.

Poland and SDG 9, Blog 4

Poland is a country in central Europe. It is bounded by seven nations. Historically, Poland has suffered tremendously throughout the course of 20^th century. During World War II, Poland’s strong Jewish population was almost wholly annihilated in the Holocaust along with non-Jewish Poles, victims of more partition and conquest. When the Third Reich fell, Poland lost its independence and became a communist satellite state of the Soviet Union. By the 21^st century, Poland established itself as a market-based democracy and a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the European Union (EU) (Kondracki et al., 2020).

Fig. 1.Shah, Shakhil. 2018. Europe’s best connected country [Image]. Retrieved from https://emerging-europe.com/news/poland-is-emerging-europes-best-connected-country/ on March 31,2020.

Poland presented a new national development model in the Strategy for Responsible Development (SRD). The SRD is coherent with Agenda 2030 in many aspects: at the level of objectives, areas and priority actions, and indicators.  In Poland’s Voluntary National Review 2018 (VNR), Poland outlines its national approach to the implementation of all 17 SDGs. All the SDGs come up with a short diagnosis, identification of the priorities in each area and presentation of key actions to implement the set priorities. They share their experience in building partnerships, dialogue, and cooperation between administration and stakeholders (UN, n.d.). According to Poland’s 2018 VNR report, the Polish government has established a task force to select national priorities, ensure a participatory VNR, and ensure information exchange and monitoring of progress on implementation (Risse, 2019).

Fig 2. Elzbieciak, Tomasz. 2019. What is the future of polish infrastructure? CEOs and ministers give their predictions [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.eecpoland.eu/2020/en/news/what-is-the-future-of-polish-infrastructure-ceos-and-ministers-give-their-predictions,338790.html on March 31,2020.

To develop an innovative economy, investments in research and development are steadily growing. Expenses on R&D in Poland are mainly sustained by the business enterprise sector (66% of total domestic expenditure in 2016), and the second main investor is higher education (31%). About 3% of domestic R&D is invested by government sector finances. For the SDG 9 goal, almost half of total infrastructural expenditures are allocated to engineering and technology (Statistics Poland, 2018).

Poland has developed a comprehensive programme of adaptation of forests and forestry that aims at preventing or minimizing the negative effects of natural phenomena, combating excessive soil erosion, strengthening the resilience of forest ecosystems threatened by progressive climate change. Poland is an active participant in the global climate policy. Poland’s efforts focus on fulling international agreements and commitments on climate protection (The 2018 National Report, 2018). In my opinion, Poland is committed to improving the country’s infrastructure while focusing on climate change.

Fig 3.Kruk, Przemyslaw. 2016. The majestic beauty of trees in Poland captured in infrared photography [Photo]. Retrieved from https://www.boredpanda.com/tree-nature-infrared-photography-przemyslaw-kruk/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic.

References

Kondracki, J.A., Davies, N, Dawson, A.H., Jasiewicz, K., Kazimierz, M.S., Roos, H., & Wandycz, P. (March 28, 2020). Poland. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Poland.

Risse, N. (April 4, 2019). Audit finds Poland has identified SDG accelerators, needs work on indicators. Retrieved from https://sdg.iisd.org/news/audit-finds-poland-has-identified-sdg-accelerators-needs-work-on-indicators/.

Statistics Poland. (2018). A picture of Poland statistics for SDGs [PDF File]. Retrieved from http://unic.un.org.pl/files/279/Folder%20GUS%20-%20Internet.pdf.

The 2018 National Report. (2018). Implementation of the sustainable development goals in Poland [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/19409Poland_VNR_20180615.pdf.

United Nations. (n.d.) Poland. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/poland.

Togo and SDG 9: Blog 3

Togo is a narrow strip of land on Africa’s west coast. Togo was granted independence from France in 1960 and has struggled to build a stable country and economy. Even though the country is one of the world’s top five producers of phosphates, it remains poor and dependent on foreign aid. Togo has a population of 7.6 million and covers 21,925 sq. miles of land. The official language of the country is French. Life expectancy in Tog is 59 years for men and 61 years for women. Faure Gnassingbe Eyadema is the current president of Togo who succeeded his father after 2005 (BBC, 2020).

Fig. 1. Wikipedia (n.d.). Flag of Togo, [Image]. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togo#/media/File:Flag_of_Togo.svg on March 8, 2020.

                Togo has put in considerable efforts in terms of investment in road, port and airport infrastructure along with the development of digital economy. In addition, efforts were also made to promote industrialization and access to energy (Togolese Republic a, 2017). Since Togo’s adoption of the Development Programme for 2030 in September 2015, the country has firmly committed and taken ownership of these foals in the formulation of its National Development Plan (NDP) for the period 2018-2022. Togo has conducted several awareness and outreach activities dedicated to SDGs to ensure a shared vision at all levels. Some of the activities that were conducted are training and sensitization workshops carried out at the national and regional levels. This will benefit the development stakeholders and allow them to take full ownership of the issues at stake. Togo has made significant efforts to promote sustainable industrialization and resilient infrastructure. The Lome-Brukina Faso border corridor and the main cross-throughways were rehabilitated along with the Gnassingbe Eyadema International Airport in Lomé (Togolese Republic b, 2017).

Fig. 2. Tbite (2014). Gnassingbe Eyadema International Airport New Terminal, [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1721045 on March 8, 2020.

Fig 3. ChrisZwolle (January 17, 2015). Togo road infrastructure, [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1579760 on March 8,2020.

 The airport was also upgraded to international standards in 2016 with the construction of a new terminal with the capacity to accommodate more than 1.5 million passengers per year. This increased the number of passengers to 758,000 in 2016 from 589,416. A 155 miles fiber-optic network has helped to connect more than 560 office buildings and more than 10,000 civil servants. This has enhanced the modernization of public administration and simplification of administrative procedures. Efforts towards a functional, accessible and equitable healthcare system have also been conducted (Togolese Republic b, 2017).

            Since 2010, Togo has established an Institutional mechanism for the coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of development policies (DIPD). DIPD is aimed at the national coordination of the different levels of monitoring and evaluation of developmental policies and ensuring accountability. A unit has been established at the Presidency of the Republic which oversees monitoring sustainable development and international agreements. There has been monitoring of integration of information communication technology (ICT) (Togolese Republic a, 2017). It is estimated that it may cost Africa up to $84 billion per year (about 6 percent of Africa’s GDP). Corruption in public procurement needs to be tackled which will strengthen the relationship between the public and private sectors to better deliver on SDG-related projects (United Nations, 2019).

            The government of Togo has also considered sustainable industrialization. Togo’s government has implemented power-saving advice programme, implemented a transparent and modern legal and institutional framework to attract more national and foreign private investors, secured industrial sites and establishment of roadmaps and created National Investment Promotion and the Free Zone Council (Togolese Republic a, 2017).

            Togo is working to strengthen its statistical output through National Institute of Statistics and Economic & Demographic Studies, finalization of the National Development Plan incorporating the SDGs and the mobilization of resources to finance its implementation (Togolese Republic b, 2017). This demonstrates that Togo’s government is committed to push the country towards development and build its infrastructure to complete the SDGs.

References

BBC. (February 24, 2020). Togo country profile. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14106781.

Togolese Republic a. (July 2017). High- level political forum on sustainable development [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/16521Togo_EN.pdf.

Togolese Republic b. (July 2017). High-level political forum on sustainable development Togo Country Report Summary [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/16305Togo_EN.pdf

United Nations. December 5, 2019). Economic Commission for Africa [PDF File]. Retrieved from http://www.lldc2conference.org/custom-content/uploads/2019/11/ECA-MTR-side-event-concept-note.pdf

Timor-Leste and SDG 9: Blog 2

Timor-Leste is situated in the eastern half of the island of Timor, north of the Timor Sea and Australia. The country is bordered by Indonesia in the west and the Savu Sea in the north. the country occupies 9242 sq. miles, including the islands of Pulau Acrobat and Paula Jaco. The country has a population of 1.2 million people (Timor-Leste, 2020). The largest city is Dili which is also the capital and spoken languages are Tetuma and Portuguese, Indonesian, and English. Timor-Leste is mountainous. The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. The country has struggled to achieve political stability. It has remained East Asia's poorest countries and is heavily dependent on foreign aid (The Heritage Foundation, 2019). 

Fig 1. Wikipedia (n.d.). East Timor, [Image]. Retrieved on Feb 23,2020 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Timor.

Timor-Leste has championed the 2030 Agenda by advocating for the standalone goal of peace, justice, and strong institutions. The country has established its commitment to peace, inclusion, and institution building as the foundation for achieving all the SDGs (United Nations, n.d.). The nation's Strategic Development Plan has three key areas: social capital, infrastructure development, and economic development (Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, n.d.).

Currently, Timor-Leste lacks the necessary infrastructure to support a modern and productive country where its people are connected with each other and the world. The country aims to build an extensive network of quality and well-maintained roads to connect communities and promote rural development, industry, and tourism, ad provide access to markets. There are around 886 miles of national roads, 540 miles of district roads and 1880 miles of rural roads. The national road network consists of two coastal roads along the north and south coasts. They have five roads crossing the country and connecting with the two coastal roads.  Traffic levels are increasing rapidly, resulting in congestion. The traffic volumes are expected to increase as the economy expands. By 2030, Timor-Leste plans on completing the National Ring Road with the capability of taking a full-length container at an average speed of 37 miles/hour and constructing new bridges to provide all-weather access on all national and district road routes. The Strategic Development Plan also comments on the country's plan on providing access to safe drinking water and sanitation systems. Major sewerage collection systems will be built in Dill (the capital of the country) and water systems and community latrines will be installed in rural areas. By 2030, all Timor-Leste citizens will have access to clean water and improved sanitation (the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, n.d.).

Fig. 2. DepositPhotos (n.d.). Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste [Image]. Retrieved on Feb 23,2020 from https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdepositphotos.com%2Fvector-images%2Fdemocratic-republic-of-timor-leste.html&psig=AOvVaw3qiQRJM_0FWvl_XdHP5ngE&ust=1582595639771000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCPCegLiK6ecCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAP

Timor-Leste's government realizes that they cannot solely rely on their substantial oil and natural gas reserves for their economy. They encourage private sector activity across all industries, including growth of small and macro businesses. In their process of establishing the country as an upper-middle-income country, they face challenges in the form of current poor infrastructure, shortage of skilled and trained people, and an under-developed private sector. To achieve their economic vision, the country intends on moving away from their agriculture and the public sector towards a growing private sector, mature industries, and an expanding services sector. Since Timor-Leste is predominantly agricultural, they plan on developing the efficiency and productivity of this sector. This is considered as their important first step towards industrialization. The country's private sector expenditure and private sector domestic capital formation will eventually replace government expenditure as the primary driver of economic growth. This change will be facilitated by both the Infrastructure Fund and the Human Capital Development Fund (Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, n.d.).

Timor-Leste's people have a strong relationship with the natural environment. They support sustainability to support their families. The country will take action to manage their natural resources and environment sustainably in the process of achieving their SDG goals by 2030. They continue to recognize that their successful development will depend on the health of their forests, rivers, the sea, and their animal life (Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, n.d.).

 References

Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. (n.d.). Timor-Leste strategic development plan 2011-2020 [PDF File]. Retrieved from http://timor-leste.gov.tl/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Timor-Leste-Strategic-Plan-2011-20301.pdf.

The Heritage Foundation. (2019). Timor- Leste. Retrieved from https://www.heritage.org/index/country/timorleste

Timor-Leste. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/timor_leste.htm.

United Nations. (n.d.). Timor-Leste. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/timorleste.

Nepal and SDG 9: Blog 1

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9 addresses building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation. Investments in transport, irrigation, energy and information, and communication technology are all important to achieve sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries. Investment in infrastructure fosters growth in productivity and incomes and improvements in health and education. Technological progress and innovation drive industrialization which in-turn drives development. We need more investments in high-tech products to increase efficiency and a focus on mobile cellular services that increase connections between people (United Nations, n.d.). 


Fig. 1. United Nations (2018).  Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation, [Image]. Retrieved on Feb. 16, 2020, from https://www.isglobal.org/en/-/sdg-9-build-resilient-infrastructure-promote-inclusive-and-sustainable-industrialization-and-foster-innovation.

Nepal is a country in Asia. It is a landlocked country between India to the east, south, and west and Cina to the north. It extends roughly 500 miles from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south ( Proud et al., 2020). 


Fig. 2. Furian, Peter Hermes. (n.d.). Nepal political map with capital Kathmandu, national borders,cities and rivers, [Image]. Retrieved on Feb 16, 2020 from https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/nepal-political-map-capital-kathmandu-national-453588196.

Nepal has built 7,767 miles of the strategic road network and 33,933 miles of the local road network. The targets and indicators for 2030 are to increase road density, grow access to telecommunications to 100 percent, and raise the share of industry in total output to 25 percent (Government of Nepal a, 2015). 
Nepal's industrial sector (manufacturing, water and electricity, and construction) has low investment and a lack of competitiveness. The share of the industry in total output is only 15 percent. The goal for 2030 is to increase the share of industry in total output to 25 percent. This will promote labor-intensive activities and create better external sector balances. To achieve this goal, the government intends to upgrade certain sections of roads to address the present-day traffic demand as well as to make road sections safer. The focus will be on upgrading sections of East-West highway and other highways to the Asian Highway standard. The government also intends to initiate flyovers and subways in Kathmandu valley and other major cities (Government of Nepal a, 2015). The country has plans to achieve their SDG goals. However, the results and processes must be monitored to ensure that related policies and actions reinforce the achievement fo the SDGs. A system of macroeconomic policy auditing will be implemented to monitor outcomes along with existing surveys that should be tailored to the SDG monitoring (Government of Nepal a, 2015). 
Nepal will require an investment of Rs. 134.6 billion per year during 2020-22, Rs. 174 billion per year from 2023-25  to implement poverty reduction interventions (Government of Nepal b, 2018). In the process of industrialization to establish infrastructure and create jobs, Nepal also needs to be environmentally conscious. Being a developing country, a lot of its population head towards cities for better opportunities. This may cause overpopulation in some areas. During developmental executions, Nepal needs to use its resources sustainably and make sure that the environment and people in the areas are not negatively impacted. 
Considering Nepal is categorized as a least developed country (LDC), it has faced challenges in attaining SDG goals. There are limited data availability and the absence of a data consolidation platform. Among 380 SDG indicators, only 15 percent are currently available publicly while others will be either estimated using existing data or will be obtained in future surveys (National Planning Commission, n.d.). 
Nepal will have to lean primarily on its government to achieve the SDGs. The country will require scaling-up investment along with developing the county's human resources. The majority of such investments will have to be financed from domestic resources. The country also requires external resources and foreign direct investments to unlock infrastructure bottleneck and promote economic growth (Government of Nepal a, 2015). 

Fig. 3. Shrestha, Ratna Sagar (2017). Nordic development model: Implications for Nepal, [Illustration]. Retrieved on Feb. 16, 2020, from https://thehimalayantimes.com/opinion/nordic-development-model-implications-nepal/.

Nepal has definitely given SDGs implementation a priority. Nepal has committed to SDGs. The National Planning Committee of Nepal has developed a strategy for incorporating the SDGs through 3As: alignment, adaptation, and adoption. The monitoring and evaluation of the SDGs will occur through 4Is: identification, instruments, investment, and institutions (Nepal Planning Committee, n.d.). 

References

Government of Nepal a. (2015). Sustainable development goals [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/content/dam/nepal/docs/reports/SDG%20final%20report-nepal.pdf.

Government of Nepal b. (December, 2018). Needs Assessment, costing and financing strategy for sustainable development goals [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://www.npc.gov.np/images/category/SDGs_Costing_Final_Version.pdf. 

National Planning Commission. (n.d.). Monitoring the implementation of the IPOA and SDGs: A focus on data challenge. Retrieved from http://unohrlls.org/custom-content/uploads/2018/07/Monitoring-the-Implementation-of-the-IPOA-and-SDGs-Khomraj-Koirala-Nepal.pdf.

Proud R.R., Karan, P.P., Zuberi, M., Rose, L.R. (February 14, 2020). Nepal. Retrieved from  https://www.britannica.com/place/Nepal.

United Nations (UN). (n.d.). Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/infrastructure-industrialization/.