The Vision 2030 National Development Plan was created in 2008, with the adaptation of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, but there have not been any deliberative discussions or reviews by the central or local government until now.
The scope of the auditor general's report titled Jamaica's Preparedness for Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal's, published in September, included:
• an institutional framework for the implementation of the SDGs;
• resource allocation and capacity-building mechanisms; and
• strategies for raising awareness, monitoring and reporting on the progress of preparedness for SDG implementation.
The report points out several significant lapses in accountability that need to be with urgency by our nation's leaders, one of which is the need for a strengthening of the institutional framework that governs the Vision 2030/SDGs implementation.
According to the report, Planning Institute of Jamaica “assumed the lead role”; however, there was no documented evidence to confirm this role as the lead agency. Further, the auditor general found that the lines of accountability were unclear in the National SDG Core Group.
While we seek long-term funding for the full implementation of the SDGs, there must be a strong institutional framework that ensures our monitoring and accountability is well organised and transparent, or we will suffer mismanagement of resources.
To this end, the report highlighted that the Ministry of Finance and Public Service has no representation on the national core group oversight committee, even though it has responsibility for collection and allocation of public revenue to allow for socio-economic development.
To this end, the report highlighted that the Ministry of Finance and Public Service has no representation on the national core group oversight committee, even though it has responsibility for collection and allocation of public revenue to allow for socio-economic development.
The report recommends that Cabinet considers “delegating overarching responsibility for coordinating the implementation”. This will “identify clear lines of accountability”. It also recommends “the formation of an internal mechanism to apprise parliamentarians of their role and the approach to be taken with respect to matters relating to SDGs”.
Although this audit did not examine SDG preparedness at the sub-national level, I wish to implore every municipal corporation to adopt this audit because SDG implementation at the local level translates to national sustainable development.
The whole of Government, including the Office of the Cabinet, must take serious responsibility for fixing these mechanisms that will serve us well long after 2030, as they seek to strengthen our long-term planning, monitoring and evaluation capabilities.
