Nigeria has experienced growth in the recent past and now is Africa’s largest economy. However, this growth has not translated in poverty reduction and reduced inequalities.” Said new Head of the United Nations System and UNDP Resident Representative, Fatma Samoura during a breakfast meeting with the media today.
United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Fatma Samoura, today, presented her Letters of Credence to the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the Hon. Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Newly appointed Resident Representative for UNDP in Nigeria (who will also serve as UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator) has taken up her position in Abuja. Before coming to Nigeria, Ms. Fatma Samoura, a Senegalese national, served as Resident Representative for UNDP Madagascar and as head of the UN System in the country from October 2010
In highlighting the critical challenges that lie ahead following the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Climate Agreement, Opia pointed out the need to align national plans and budgets to these very ambitious but achievable international development agreements.
"SDGs are a comprehensive framework for development and progress for all nations. They are a platform for launching our development and progress." stated Opia in his remarks during the interview with Nigeria's Africa Independent Television watched across the continent.
The world urgently needs to build upon these efforts with a new global compact on human mobility based on better cooperation among countries of origin, transit and destination, with enhanced responsibility sharing, and full respect of the human rights of migrants, regardless of their status.
Legislators have a representational role to play as they advocate interest of their constituents. They also have an oversight role, ensuring that the country gets value for money and remains on the SDGs path. They are also responsible for ensuring that policy formulation, planning and importantly, budget making processes respond to the SDGs.
“Although we all know that the government is the custodian of the national development agenda, citizens’ efforts and support in mobilising the needed resources remain key in delivering development results. The country will only achieve more than it did during the MDGs era if political will is matched with adequate resources; both financial and human.” Opia Mensah
It is therefore of enormous importance that the elimination of violence against women and girls and of all harmful practices against women and girls is part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and is included in specific targets in the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Africa today launched an initiative to support African countries to prevent and respond to the growth of violent extremism through a development lens.
With regards to data for the SDGs implementation, monitoring and reporting, the challenge facing Nigeria is how to apply the available knowledge and lessons learnt from the MDGs implementation over the past fifteen years.
The goal is simple, to create jobs, opportunities and to lift millions of smallholder farmers and households out of poverty, inequality and exclusion by transforming productive capacities.
Sustainable development in the 21st century is not something which happens to somebody else, somewhere else. We all have a stake in it -- and every country has work to do to progress towards it.
Our fallen colleagues and partners will be remembered this morning with moments of silence in many places. But nowhere are the memories of these colleagues more immediate, more vivid and more compelling than here in Abuja.
UNDP works in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria, development partners, UN agencies, civil society and local communities to help identify local solutions to meet national development challenges through a range of interventions that combine UNDP’s expertise and comparative advantage in the areas of Governance & Peace Building, Inclusive growth and Sustainable Development.
The Report highlights Nigeria's progress and status in meeting the MDGs targers agreed upon at the Millennium Summit in 2000. As the last report tracking progress in meeting the country's MDGs promise, it also highlights lessons learnt and proposes a way forward in the new development era, the Sustainable Development Goals.
This report highlights the results of the interventions we supported during the year 2014. It also shows our partnerships at both Federal and State levels continue to contribute to sustainable human development in Nigeria.
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