By Khaleeq Kiani

PAKISTAN secured a score of 55.6 under SDGs’ global index against a far better regional average of 63.3 and is even lower than
regional peers Bangladesh’s 56.2 and India’s 58.1.

As a result, the country ranked 122 on the SDG index of 157 nations compared to Bangladesh’s 120 and India’s 116 position,
according to July 2017 results.

The good news, however, is that its preparedness to deliver on 2030 targets is among some of the top in the world, raising hopes that
it would not be repeating its dismal performance of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) when it missed almost all targets.
Pakistan’s performance would be assessed in about 230 unique indicators on 17 goals set under UN commitments.

To begin with, parliament has adopted the SDGs as a national development agenda unlike the MDGs that were generally considered
a UN-driven initiative only to be complied with by four-yearly progress reports. These reports were prepared by consultants,
without any implementation mechanism in place to actually deliver.

Special SDG units have already been established at the Planning Commission and provinces — as committed early last year by the
country’s planning ministers — to mainstream SDG objectives by creating synergies among various federal and provincial
organisations and agencies.

At the federal level, however, three separate SDG units have been created — one at Prime Minister Office, another at parliament led
by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and yet another at the Planning Commission. The three do not have an internal interface for policy
coordination.
Interestingly, the first two units have huge funds at their disposal on an annual basis, with current’s year allocations estimated at
Rs55 billion in the form of prime minister’s SDG programme (Rs30bn) and Rs12.5bn each for clean drinking water for all and
electricity for all.

There is zero to negligible information about the outcome of the spending made through parliamentarians mostly belonging to the
ruling party. There are fiduciary concerns because this amount is normally spent outside the normal financial regulation mechanism.

A step forward, the mission for SDG implementation has been taken to the grass roots level via the local government (LG) system
— for bottom up engagement and implementation of targets as majority coverage areas stand devolved to the provinces — and
onwards to the district level.

Representatives of the LGs at the district level were engaged through a national conference where they were given a chance to
express their priorities. Most referred to education, health, water and unemployment as top issues. Interestingly, sanitation and
climate missed their radars, perhaps because of lack of general awareness. It also emerged that absence of bathrooms was impacting
female education.

A major challenge for the planning commission appeared to be the data gap reporting analysis. It was noted that of the 230
indicators, reporting of data on 14 overlapped to where either data was not being reported at all or was being reported on the
sidelines. Reporting on around 45 per cent variables was available but was not being computed.

The remaining 55pc variables are of a serious nature. The newly inducted Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Sartaj Aziz,
with his development background has required the commission to replicate these goals as national development goals and be made
part of the next five year plan 2018-23 — prioritising education, health, economic wellbeing, water, peace and security and
affordable energy, in that order. He has directed that these goals be made part of the planning processes and given to the line
ministries for implementation.

Another problem at the gross root level that was noted was the absence of administrative and financial powers of the district
governments. An even greater challenge was how to create awareness and knowledge about how critical the SDG goals were to
uplifting the lives of the people and how to make the process sustainable. At the planning commission level, the authorities
proposing any big project are required to articulate if and how much their project papers were related to the SDGs.

But more importantly, authorities have to work on balancing outcomes of various goals. Pakistan’s performance on prevalence of
poverty is impressive with only 4.1pc population reported poor at $1.90 per day and estimated to go further down to 0.2pc by 2030.

But this performance does not appear to be translating into other goals. For example, if the rate of poverty is so low why then are
45pc children under 5 years of age growing stunted and why is 22pc of the population still undernourished?

It transpired that average family budgets had diverted towards dense food — meat, milk etc. The planning commission analysis
showed the country’s philanthropic network was actually supporting the social network to a great extent.

Also, while Pakistan’s overall economic indicators were comparable with emerging economies its general social indicators were
lagging behind even Nepal and Bhutan.

It has been noted that Pakistan is very poor in terms of water quality despite a number of initiatives at the federal and provincial
level. The indicators have gone down drastically over the last 10-15 years resulting negatively on health and nutrition and
resultantly education.

Poor water quality arose out of untreated industrial waste and arsenic flowing into drinking water resources, causing increased
prevalence of hepatitis, cancer and other diseases.

In fact, all this appeared to boil down to governance problem as housing societies and industries expanded without planning in all
major cities, leaving untreated industrial water and sewerage waste into canals and water channels, affecting urban infrastructure.

As part of the SDG monitoring unit, a score card is being developed on how much expenditure out of the federal or provincial
development plan has gone into a district and what the outcome has been.

A sample study showed a Rs15,000 per capita expenditure out of the provincial annual development plan last year compared to
Rs40 in Layyah District. A next step would be to explain the outcomes of these expenditures on health, education and other
rankings.
n Pakistan, a country ranked 147th out of 187 countries and territories on the human development index, working towards achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is more than a matter of policy – it is one of necessity. But realizing the 2030 agenda and
improving our population’s health and wellbeing will require a fundamental shift in policy, at all levels.  

The 2030 agenda is even more complex than its predecessor, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which, despite efforts and
spending by the government, my country failed to meet. Out of 41 indicators adopted by Pakistan, only four were achieved, while
progress on 24 of them was off track. From my own experience in the health sector, some of the reasons for this failure to achieve the
MDGs include the lack of adequate planning for goals and related actions, the absence of a multi-sectoral approach, and the sparsity of
data for monitoring and planning purposes.

Turning to the SDGs, the task facing the country is even greater, given that the 17 goals are interrelated in nature and therefore cannot
be achieved by working in silos. Poverty is one of the major causes of ill health, and in turn catastrophic health expenditures are
pushing people further into poverty. Similarly, education, climate change, waste management, and occupational hazards all are
interlinked with health and other targets. Meeting the SDGs will require adopting a multi-sectoral approach and involving a diverse set of
stakeholders to develop and implement the right policies. 

Stakeholder mapping around the health- related SDGs

While carrying out a mapping study of stakeholders to promote the health-related SDGs in Pakistan, I found the country’s efforts
towards achieving the goals to still be in their infancy. And while numerous stakeholders are working towards the 2030 agenda, the type
of coordinated efforts we desperately need among all actors – NGOS, think thanks, academia, the media, and government – appear to
be lacking. The SDGs require not only a multi-sectoral approach, but also a multi-stakeholder approach to be adopted in true spirit.

Yet, there is an opportunity in Pakistan to engage all these various stakeholders through SDG units being set-up to provide overall
strategic coordination and oversight of the agenda. These units are being established both at the Federal level within the Ministry of
Planning, Development and Reforms \, as well as at provincial levels within planning and development departments. At both levels, core
committees have been created to facilitate representation from all stakeholders. In addition to this, a SDGs Secretariat and a task force
consisting of parliamentarians are working at federal and provincial levels. When it comes to health, SDG units are also being
established within the federal ministry of health and within departments of health at provincial levels. The linkages of these various units
and taskforces, however, remain somewhat unclear.

Unfortunately, the involvement of these units with think tanks, academia, or NGOs has so far been limited to consultative meetings and
discussions, with little ensuing action. Furthermore, most of these discussions have excluded stakeholders and organizations working
outside of federal or provincial capitals – organizations who are often the ones closer to the issues at hand and have the most to
contribute.

Recognizing that the national level SDGs discussions have only slowly been gaining momentum, there is still great hope going forward.
The existing SDG units can play a pivotal role in enhancing meaningful coordination among stakeholders, including between different
ministries and departments, leading to the development of a detailed roadmap for implementation of the SDGs in Pakistan.

Moving forward
As a first step towards the development of this actionable roadmap, the federal unit could organize a national forum that would bring
together all relevant actors to discuss their current roles, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, agree on responsibilities, and identify
ways to track progress and convert it into an actionable roadmap as a collective national vision, instead of working on silos. Such a
roadmap, which could include clear roles and responsibilities with attached targets and performance indicators, is indispensable to
providing a voice to all stakeholders and ensuring government accountability for their actions, and thus ultimately achieving the SDGs.

This kind of arrangement will require the government to take on a leadership role while at the same time creating space for deeper
consultation and involvement of various stakeholders, both outside and inside of government. Only by having an integrated and
inclusive approach will the country stand a chance of achieving the SDGs.
The National Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production (NAP-SCP) is an outcome of
extensive deliberations and inputs from National Roundtable and Provincial multi stakeholder
consultative workshops to pave the way for mainstreaming SCP related policies as tools to achieve
sustainable development in Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Climate Change led
the NAP-SCP formulation process in collaboration with UN Environment, the EU SWITCH-Asia
Programme and the support of the 10YFP Secretariat. For formulating the NAP-SCP, out of SDG
seventeen sectors following sectors namely Climate Change, Energy, Sustainable Food System,
Sustainable Buildings and Cities, Sustainable Transport, Water, Land eco-system, Marine eco-system,
Industry, and Education were prioritized by the stakeholders at the national and provincial levels to
address the 12th SDG target. Pakistan Policy document “Vision 2025” has been taken as the base for
the formulation of NAP on SCP. It attaches top priority to mainstream SCP in the sectoral policies of
the Government to achieve sustainable development through targeted interventions in the priority
sectors for increasing the resource use efficiency in the areas, which are demonstrating major
inefficiencies. In response to SDG12 as well as to the implementation of the 10-Year Framework of
Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, adopted in 2012 and recognized as the
first target under SDG12, the NAP-SCP in all sectors aims on accelerating the shift towards SCP,
increasing resource use efficiency, decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation,
mainstreaming SCP into sustainable development policies, programmes and strategies, supporting
capacity building and facilitate access to financial and technical assistance and dissemination of
information and knowledge on SCP principles. The NAP-SCP provides conceptual objectives and
frameworks complemented by a set of suggested policy enablers and actions that could translate
SCP into projects on the ground. A paradigm shift is required to provide incentives from low value to
high value products and internalization of environmental costs into pricing mechanisms with
increased resource use efficiency in the value chain. There is a need to recognize to upgrade human
resources, promote environment conservation and management, adopting and implementing
integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to
climate change and resilience to natural disasters. The key strategic actions include: establishment of
climate resilient infrastructure; optimal exploitation of indigenous renewable energy resources, cut
waste full losses through investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure; introduction of
farm and crop management techniques, increasing storage facilities and on farm residue
management, eco-labeling of agricultural products; promote smart cities, prevent urban
encroachments on fertile agricultural and forest lands, provide affordable housing, integrated waste
management programme; introduction of market tools to promote value chains of transport
management; integrated water resource management, recycling and re-use of industrial and
domestic wastewater; promotion of sustainable forest and land management; integrated coastal
management, protection of marine flora and fauna; greening the supply chain by resource efficiency
and clean technologies, upgrade and modernize technologies, development of eco-industrial parks,
technology parks, incubators and cleaner production centers; provide quality and affordable
education and estalinkages between universities and industries. Pakistan National Action Plan on
SDG 12[Type text] Page 2 The NAP-SCP is an over-arching document that will be implemented by the
respective ministries, governments departments, relevant agencies and organizations. It is proposed
that these agencies devise their own programmes and develop projects to implement and monitor
the actions reflected in the NAPSCP in short, medium and long-term perspective in accordance with
their respective area of responsibility. Similarly, the provincial governments including Azad Jammu
Kashmir (AJK), GilgitBaltistan (GB), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and local
 governments will also devise their own strategies, and programmes for implementation of the
Action Plans for SCP. The NAP-SCP outline the road map for the country to achieve sustainable socio-
economic development by eliminating inefficiencies and over exploitation of resource base to
protects environmental degradation. Hence shall meet the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generation to meet its own needs

1. No Poverty
The first s

ustainabl
e development goal aims to “end poverty in all its forms” by 2030. Since the government has signed up to SDG 1, they can be asked to adopt the equivalent of US$1.25 per person a day
as an official poverty line. The SDGs can also be used to push for a quick consensus on ways of measuring “poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions”.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1284960/pakistans-challenges-sustainable-development-goals-2015-2030

2. Zero Hunger
By 2030, Pakistan is supposed to “end hunger and ensure access for all, especially for the poor and vulnerable, to nutritious and sufficient food the year round.” By signing on the SDGs,
the government has committed to ending all forms of malnutrition. However, independent of these commitments, if the country wants to achieve high growth rates and sustain the latter to
ensure development, hunger and food insecurity need to end. The tragedy is that it is not the case that Pakistan is not producing enough food. It can easily afford to provide adequate
nutrition for all citizens. It is a question about asymmetric income and wealth distribution which, in turn, results in iniquitous access to food.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1284960/pakistans-challenges-sustainable-development-goals-2015-2030

3. Good Health and Well-being

With Goal 3 – promoting good health and well-being – calling for an integrated approach crucial for progress across multiple goals, including alleviating poverty and hunger, the focus
includes a commitment to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases by 2030. It also aims to achieve universal health coverage, and provide
access to safe and effective medicines and vaccines for all.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1285181/the-poor-state-of-pakistans-healthcare-system

4. Quality Education
Goal 4 prioritizes equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. This goal has seven targets and three means for implementation, covering all levels of
education; from early childhood, primary to secondary, technical vocational for decent jobs, and university through formal, non-formal and technology enabled channels, conducive
learning environments, adequacy of trained teachers and opportunities for scholarships to pursue continuous learning.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1285411/right-to-education-where-do-we-stand
5. Gender Equality
The Gender Gap Index 2015 ranked Pakistan 2nd from the bottom among 145 countries. Goal 5 aims to address gender equality and women empowerment. Poverty, poor health and
illiteracy make almost 50pc of the country’s population who are not full participants in the realm of socio-economic development. The low status of women, in fact, deprives the state of
realising the full productive potential of half the population.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1285636/broken-promises-why-women-and-girls-are-denied-rights

6. Clean Water and Sanitation

Goal 6 of the development agenda talks about ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation; eight specific targets have been formulated to achieve universal
and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for all, to end open defecation with special attention given to the needs of women and girls.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1285837/when-human-development-is-linked-to-devolution

7. Affordable and Clean Energy

For affordable clean energy, Pakistan requires more transmission lines, cost-effective production, better-regulated renewable energy markets. Germanwatch’s latest Global Climate Risk
Index, which measures how nations are affected by weather-related disasters, ranks Pakistan as the world’s 8th most impacted nation. Experts have estimated that about a quarter of the
country’s land area and half its population is vulnerable to climate change-related disasters. With its dry climate, extreme weather events, and natural resource shortages, the country’s
climate vulnerabilities can’t be overstated.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1286015/the-clean-energy-imperative

8. Decent Work and Economic Growth

Goal 8 empowers governments to break free from the shackles of aid and propels nation-states towards making greater strides in trade, growth, jobs and safeguarding the dignity of
individuals, communities and nations. And, for the first time, there is an unequivocal opportunity for the private sector and businesses to join hands with governments and the
international community, and test their mettle in the cause for sustainable development.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1286219/when-employment-sustains-growth?preview

9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Goal 9 aims to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation”. This goal recognises firstly, that sustainable human development
improvements cannot come without economic growth, particularly in manufacturing. Every job in manufacturing creates 2.2 jobs in other sectors and is therefore critical in generating
employment. Secondly, it places the signatory countries’ sights on a goal that is beyond physical manufacturing and assembly, to the higher value addition processes of innovation,
research and design.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1286221/harnessing-the-demographic-dividend

10. Reduced Inequalities

Goal 10 focusing on reducing inequalities by 2030 underscores the need for policies ‘to achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40pc of the population at a rate higher than the
national average’ among other targets — all focused on inclusive economic growth. For the country as a whole, 48pc of rural households are landless, with the highest incidence of
landlessness at 62pc in Sindh.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1286226/pakistans-casino-economy-a-blueprint-for-inequality

11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

Goal 11 – sustainable, green and resilient cities – forms the defining constructs of an emerging urban planning paradigm that is fast gaining global traction. Here, strategic plans are
replacing master plans. Gated communities and urban sprawl, supported by private automobile-friendly transportation infrastructure, are being discouraged to promote mixed, integrated
neighbourhoods with walking and bicycling supportive streets. With more than half of the world’s population presently residing in urban centres, these designs serve as the frontlines in
the battle against climate change.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1286233/what-will-our-growing-megacities-look-like

12. Responsible Consumption and Production

Goal 12 calls for ensuring sustainable consumption and production, reaffirming global consensus on the centrality of sustainable practices in the quest for sustainable development. The
targets linked to Goal 12 include sharp cuts in food losses and waste; environmentally sound management of chemicals; sustainable public sector procurement; enhancing knowledge
and awareness about the benefits of sustainable practices and lifestyle; rationalisation of fossil fuels subsidies; and strengthening the scientific and technological capacity of developing
countries to embrace SCP.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1287096/doing-more-and-better-with-less

13. Climate Action

Goal 13 specifically calls for ‘urgent actions to combat climate change and its impacts’. About 45 of the 169 targets related to this goal highlight the need to tackle climate change and
avert impacts, particularly on food, water, energy and economic development. The challenges of climate change and its adverse impact undermine the ability to achieve Vision 2025 —
Pakistan’s development blueprint. Adverse climate impacts are reflected through increased floods, prolonged droughts, changing temperatures and extreme weather events — heat-
waves, glacial melting, changing monsoons and cropping cycles.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1287097
14. Life Below Water
Goal 14, aimed at the Integration of Oceans into the SDG framework, calls for commitment to ensuring the sustainability of oceans and marine life with special attention to the welfare of
populations dependent on ocean life. Pakistan has witnessed various happenings in its ocean fisheries environment, with numerous incidences of large mammals – sharks and whales –
washing up dead on its coastlines, similar to the incidence of the whale deaths reported in Australia earlier this year. With seas and oceans being over-polluted due to human activity and
serving as repositories of human waste, chemical pollution and dumping grounds for industrial non-useable outputs, our ocean has turned into a junkyard. This toll on marine life directly
impacts the welfare and livelihoods of communities dependent on these resources.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1287880/coastal-management-minimising-biodiversity-loss

15. Life on Land

Goal 15 focuses on protecting, restoring and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managed forests, combating desertification, and halting and reversing
land degradation and biodiversity loss. Pakistan is poised for a turnaround of the system. Rapid action is needed to sustain populations with the erosion of land resources. A reversal is
possible provided a science-based approach is followed along with institutional reform and resource mobilisation.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1287106/development-versus-managing-ecosystems-what-will-pakistan-do

16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

Goal 16 aims to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all
levels.”

This goal has 12 targets that include reduction in violence and related death rates; an end to abuse, trafficking, exploitation, violence and torture of children; rule of law and equal access
to justice; substantial reduction in corruption and bribery; effective, accountable and transparent institutions; responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making;
provision of legal identity for all, including birth registration; public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms; and strengthening of institutions to prevent violence and
combat terrorism and crime.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1287111/translating-aspiration-into-reality

17. Partnerships for the Goals

Goal 17 that aims to revitalise global partnerships for development by building domestic means to implement the SDGs. Global partnerships must have varied elements: more
development assistance, debt relief, trade agreements that help developing countries find markets and better conditions for foreign and domestic investment. Partnerships matter when
lifting people out of poverty, when protecting the environment and when building peace — partnerships between governments, the private sector, civil society and the international
community.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1287112/looking-inwards-the-new-development-paradigm