The Ghana Civil Society Organisations Platform On Sustainable Development Goals has called on government to address the lack of data on the majority of the SDGs indicators and targets.
The Platform indicated that it was important for government to take the necessary steps to collect and disseminate data, , through the National Reporting Platform to holistically address issues of poverty, inequality and ensuring national development in Ghana.
The groups said the lack of data particularly disaggregated data on the experiences of persons living with disabilities is a major constraint in measuring progress on the implementation of the SDGs in the country.
“We call on government to consider the proposed additional indicators submitted by CSOs for inclusion into the SDGs monitoring framework,” a communiqué released after its Annual General Meeting in Accra, stated.
The group made up of over 2000 civil society organizations expressed concern about the low level of public awareness and discussion in the media on the SDGs nationally.
“We encourage all stakeholders to take the necessary steps to ensure the full and equal participation of people living with disabilities in all events and initiatives relating to the SDGs and particularly call on government to address all barriers relating to the involvement and participation of people living with disabilities on the SDGs,” the group said.
The group welcomed the seats that have been guaranteed for civil society by the Government of Ghana on the implementation and advisory committees for the SDGs, including the High Level Inter-Ministerial Committee (observer status), the SDGs Implementation Coordinating Committee, and the National Technical Committee all hosted by the NDPC, as well as the Ghana Statistical Service Advisory Committee on Data.
The CSOs however called on the private sector companies to actively work towards the implementation of the SDGs through funding support and ensuring that their own activities reinforce and align with the 17 global goals.
“We encourage the media to significantly increase their coverage of the SDGs in Ghana and align media stories relevant to issues of poverty and development to the associated SDG’s,” the communiqué added.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri