Yojna Patel Highlights India’s Commitment to Sustainable Development at UN Forum

New York [US], July 9: Yojna Patel, the Deputy Permanent Representative of India at the UN, spoke at the opening session of the 2024 United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). She stated that India has fully integrated the sustainable development goals (SDGs) into its national development strategies.

“We meet at a time when the world is facing the painful truth that only 12% of the SDG targets are on track. There is therefore an urgent need to renew the commitment to the 2030 agenda and its goals… India has fully integrated the sustainable development goals into its national development strategies,” Patel said.

Patel highlighted that several interventions have been launched in India to address each SDG, with Niti Aayog closely monitoring the progress. “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, numerous focused interventions have been launched to address each SDG. Niti Aayog, India’s premier national think tank, guided both its central ministries and state governments in implementing the SDGs. The Niti Aayog governing council, consisting of Chief Ministers, closely monitors the SDG progress, which is also reviewed during state consultations,” she added.

Patel mentioned that Niti Aayog uses various indices to track SDG progress and identify critical issues. “India is proud of its SDG localization model, which is built on four pillars: institutional ownership, collaborative competition, capacity building, and a whole-of-society approach. India’s strong economic growth indices stem from systematic reforms, inclusive policies, and leveraging of the digital public infrastructure,” she said.

She also discussed the aspirational districts’ program initiated and monitored by Niti Aayog, which aims to improve the quality of life in 112 of India’s most backward districts. “India aspires to become a developed nation by 2047, coinciding with the 100th year of our independence. We reiterate an unwavering commitment to partnerships, including south-south cooperation, and India looks forward to the high-level political forum as a platform for sharing best practices and fostering global commitment for realizing the 2030 agenda,” Patel concluded.

President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Paula Narvaez emphasized the need for decisive action in humanitarian response and investment in prevention. The 2024 HLPF drew from the experience of 37 countries conducting Voluntary National Reviews and heard from other countries and participants about experiences, best practices, and lessons learned in implementing the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs.