(MPI) – The ASEAN Ministerial Dialogue on Accelerating Actions to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was jointly organized by Indonesia, Cambodia and the Phillippines in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat via video conference in the afternoon of September 20th, 2021. Speaking at the Dialogue, on behalf of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the SDGs national focal point, Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Phuong shared some achievements and challenges regarding the implementation of the SDGs and suggestions for strengthening ASEAN cooperation in executing SDGs, especially in the context of post-pandemic recovery.

Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Phuong had his speech. Photo: MPI

Deputy Tran Quoc Phuong informed that Vietnam had actively nationalized the 2030 Agenda and the 17 SDGs in compliance with international commitments. Vietnam has just completed the first National Report to review the 5-year progress towards SDGs. According to the 2019’s year-end data, Vietnam was capable of reaching 5 out of 17 goals by 2030, including Goal 1, 2, 4, 13 and 17. However, the country still faces many challenges in completing the remaining goals.

Before the pandemic began, the world had made certain progress in implementing SDGs, but these advances were not enough to achieve SDGs results by 2030. Even before this global phenomenon occurred, the 2021 Asia-Pacific SDG Progress Report by UNESCAP indicated that less than 10 percent of SDG’s would have been met by 2030. Especially, the ongoing COVID-19 will negatively affect the all nations’ decade-long missions of maintaining and promoting the achievements of SDGs.

From its points of view, Viet Nam would like to propose some strategic recommendations for continuing efforts of SDGs implementation in the region as well as minimizing negative impacts of COVID-19 by means of green recovery.

Firstly, it is essential to strengthen the resilience of communities, especially those are most vulnerable to risks, diseases and non-traditional challenges through improving and modernizing the social assistance system aiming towards all citizens. Multilateral approaches are needed with global and regional solidarity in pandemic responses, production promotion and equitable distribution of vaccines.

Secondly, sustainable economic development via green growth methods needs to be promoted, while science, technology and digitalization should be considered as important driving forces for ASEAN's growth, eminently for the private sector. Digital connectivity in trade should also be motivated to facilitate sustainable and transparent exports and imports in the ASEAN. We should emphasize on cooperation and experience sharing in applying the circular economy model and promoting sustainable production and consumption.

Thirdly, it is urgent to take actions to reduce environmental degradation, protecting natural resources and biodiversity, and increasing climate resilience and responses, along with elevating joint actions in the ASEAN on marine plastic waste treatment and sustainable use of ocean resources.

At the moment, there are two global agreements the SDGs 2030 and Paris Agreement shaping the international cooperation as well as the importance of Development and Planning Ministries with development partners. The upmost challenge in implementing these agreements and commitments is to mobilize resources to realize such vital commitments. The fact shows that the gap between financial needs to implement desirable goals and budget allocation are loosen, leading to failure in achieving global goals. This could be seen in a research conducted by Vietnam and IMF in 2018 on additional financial demand for achieving the SDGs in five sectors (education, health, transport, water and electricity infrastructure) at 7 percent of GDP annually by 2030 as estimated. Therefore, the MPI would like to recommend ASEAN Development and Planning Ministers to establish an ASEAN’s forum on Innovative financing for promoting the SDGs and Paris Agreement implementation in post-COVID-19 era. The forum will be the best place for ASEAN countries and development partners, as well as business community to share best practices and experience in mobilizing resources in a diversified approach to achieve these goals. Deputy Minister Phuong hoped this initiative would enable ministriesto hold roles in leading and coordinating SDG implementation as well as climate finance.

Overview of the Dialogue at the MPI terminal. Photo: MPI

At the Dialogue, heads of development planning agencies of the ASEAN Members discussed strategies and ways for the SDGs implementation in the region and mitigation on negative impacts COVID-19 on sustainability efforts; Strengthening collaboration among national development planning agencies of ASEAN Members and potential cooperation with ASEAN partners. The delegates had discussed and adopted the draft joint statement of the ASEAN Ministerial Dialogue on accelerating actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the panel discusstion, the panelists shared some point of views on ensuring continuous progress of SDGs implementation, and striving to address and recover from the COVID-19, and ensure coherent actions; strategies to reverse the negative trends in specific SDGs, where the region has been having draw back or slow progress such as Goal 13, Goal 14, Goal 16 and other Goals related to environment and climate change; creative and innovative financing modalities to achieve the SDGs./.

Ministry of Planning and Investment