Oleh Nemchinov chairs meeting of the Interagency Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals

Today, on 14 August 2024, the second meeting of the Interagency Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals was held, chaired by Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Oleh Nemchinov, to update national targets and indicators for achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a benchmark for where the world should be heading, a general call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and development prospects for all people in the world.

The event was attended by members of the interagency working group: first deputy and deputy ministers of all ministries, representatives of the President’s Office, the National Bank of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights and representatives of international organisations. In addition, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, and UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, Jaco Cilliers, were present.

The meeting is the result of a year-long work of ministries, the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers, the State Statistics Service and other central executive authorities, experts from international organisations, which were united into 17 working groups under the interagency working group. All work was carried out in close cooperation with the UN system and UNDP in Ukraine.

“Today’s meeting demonstrates the active work of the Government in organising and ensuring the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Ukraine, like other UN member states, joined the global process of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 with the approval of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the UN General Assembly, and since then an inclusive process of achieving them in Ukraine has been launched,” said Oleh Nemchinov, Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals demonstrate the scale of the global development benchmarks. They are comprehensive, interconnected and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. Sustainable development goals are incorporated into national policies and strategies, and national development plans are aligned with global goals.

The meeting approved updated national targets and indicators for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, as the full-scale invasion of russia has made it necessary to update local SDG targets and indicators. The updated targets are also aimed at rebuilding Ukraine, including the restoration of infrastructure, the energy system, water supply systems, etc.

The work done to update the targets and indicators confirms Ukraine’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and the desire to achieve them by 2030.

The implementation of the updated targets and indicators will not only help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, but also bring the country closer to the European Union member states, as well as integrate best practices and international experience into the post-war recovery and modernisation processes in Ukraine.