HCM CITY— The partnership between Government, enterprises and civil society is vital to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Việt Nam, experts have said

The SDGs were adopted by 193 countries a year ago with qualitative objectives across the social, economic and environmental dimensions to be achieved by 2030.

They are 17 goals with 169 targets and 231 indicators, Jasmine Jaruphand, the Asia Pacific Regional Lead for the Sustainable Development Goals Action Campaign, said.

“It is the time to build new partnerships and alliances to make sure the SDGs are a reality for everyone, everywhere by 2030,” she told a workshop held in HCM City yesterday (September 20).

“The UN will play a key role in co-ordinating new partnerships for action with governments and the private and public sectors.”

The campaign’s methodology includes building public awareness and partnerships, developing creative and innovative communication tools and fostering citizens’ action and SDG solutions in the community.

Generating citizen-driven data for the SDG tracking process and facilitating inclusive dialogues for policy change are also included, she said.

Phil Maclaurin, business unit manager of Premier Oil Vietnam, said, “UN Sustainable Development Goals make good sense for strong businesses.

“As a business leader, I believe most of my team can work within four to six goals,”

“The 17 sustainable development goals are well-chosen and visionary. They are visions that Government and big agencies like the UN seem best able to deliver.”

SDGs impact the economy, politics, society, education, quality of life and environment.

STAI Incubator

Young talented people aged from 18 to 30 can participate in the 2016 Sustainable Tourism Awareness and Ideas (STAI) Incubator, part of efforts to implement the SDGs in Việt Nam.

The competition aims to increase community awareness to protect marine life and eco-systems as well as develop ideas about sustainable coastal tourism among young Vietnamese, Đào Mạnh Hùng, chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Education Association, said.

"It is a forum for young people to contribute to tourism development," he said.

With a coastline of more than 3,000 kilometres, a total of 125 beaches and thousands of islands, Việt Nam has huge potential for coastal tourism, which accounts for 70 per cent of the tourism sector’s revenues, he said.  

The contest is jointly organised by Sustainable Development Goals Action Campaign, Asian Development Bank, Publication and Social Development Engagement Centre, and Sea Media Co., Ltd.

In the first round titled “Creator” held from June 25 to September 25, contestants will present proposals on promising projects to tackle problems related to sustainable tourism in Việt Nam.

Fifteen teams with the best ideas will be chosen to enter the “Ideation” round in October from which six will be selected for consultancy from experts from international organisations.

The “Integration” round in November will further whittle down the number of projects to four for financial support from investors to implement them.

The contest is part of a community project to implement the UN’s SDGs in Việt Nam between 2016 and 2030.

It targets making 50 million people, or 50 per cent of the population, aware of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2020, Hanni Tran, head of the contest organising board, said.

Thirty million people would serve as advocates for SDGs, articulating them and doing related tasks, she added. —VNS