To avoid the bad experience of MDGs (2010-2015) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to be inaugurated in September by the United Nations in New York, are placing more emphasis on accountability and citizen engagement.
This also involves investing resources on intervention that have proved to have high impact.
Lack of accountability on financial and policy pledges by governments and development was noted during the recent 68th World Health Organisation Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland.
There is no way SDGs will be realized if accountability on commitments is not honored, said Lola Dare, chief executive officer (CEO) for Health Sciences Training Research and Development (CHESTRAD).
CHESTRAD is a global non state, not for profit organization established in 1992 tot employ evidence-based approaches to advocate for the development of equitable and sustainable health systems and youth empowerment. He called on developed countries to meet the commitment of 0.7 per cent of their Gross National Income (GNI) to aid for developing countries, make sure that ‘global talk and local walk of development partners align with recipient country priorities.’
The UK remains by far the largest EU donor for health in Official Development Assistance (ODA) in terms of volume and is also one of few OECD members to have achieved the recommended 0.1 per cent of GNI contribution to global health.
“Sweden and the UK are the only donors who have increased their ODA health grants or percentage of GNI in 2012,” reads part of a report. “African countries must demand for development partners’ accountability to country processes and institutions as a critical component of the accountability framework for SDGs,” Lola told The Guardian.
While most development partners have not honoured their commitment on health funding, African countries including Tanzania are far from honoring The Abuja Commitment health funding.
The commitment was made in 2001, which requires African countries to earmark 15 per cent of the country’s national budget on health.
Research by a Tanzania-based NGO, SIKIKA, shows the Abuja 2001 Declaration was later reinforced by the Maputo Declaration on Malaria, HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis (TB) and other related infectious diseases (ORID) in 2003.
To ensure SDGs target are realised there are a number of collaborations between government and citizens through Citizen Hearing so as to spur citizen action (demand better Reproductive Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health services) as well as government actions (response on demands from citizens).
SDGs will be inaugurated this September 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly.
