Nauru presented its first ever Voluntary National Review (VNR) in New York at the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF) Thursday, 18 July 2019.
The VNR was presented by David Adeang, Minister for Finance and Sustainable Development.
Since the adoption of the 2030 agenda in 2015, Nauru began the process of reviewing its National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) to ensure that it is responsive to the changing needs and priorities of the Nauruan people.
The revised NSDS is also aligned with relevant global processes such as the SAMOA Pathway and 2030 agenda and provides a useful roadmap. The VNR is aligned to coincide with the review process to avoid duplicating efforts.
The Division of Planning and Aid Division under the Ministry for Finance spearheaded the review process with the guidance of a technical working group which was created to advise and guide the Ministry in the review process.
The VNR aims to facilitate sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learnt, with a view to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The Minister provided a compelling presentation highlighting the findings of the review in particular the challenges relating to educational and health outcomes, which are critical to Nauru’s development.
The presentation also highlighted efforts of the Government in improving economic and social services in infrastructure development.
However, while efforts have been made to implement the 2030 agenda the presentation underlined the challenges of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of the Middle Income Small Island Developing States and calls for the United Nations Development System to do more to assist Nauru’s development efforts.
The Civil Society Representative from ECONAURU Cassie Appi also provided perspectives on how Civil Society was doing its part in the implementation of the 2030 agenda.
One of the initiatives highlighted in her statement was the ability of the organisation to work in collaboration with Government agencies in implementing projects at the grassroots level, minimising duplication of efforts.
Going forward the Government’s long term priority is the higher ground initiative to relocate essential infrastructure and coastal communities.
Photo IISD Caption: David Adeang, Minister for Finance and Sustainable Development presents Nauru's VNR