New Delhi, 20 April 2022: The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a far-reaching joint statement of understanding on localization of Sustainable Development Goals.

The agreement was signed by the Secretary, MoPR Shri Sunil Kumar and UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Shoko Noda on the final day of the Iconic Week Programme. The programme was organized as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) celebrations that commemorate the 75th year of India’s independence.

At the signing of Joint Statement of Understanding on 17 April on Poverty Free and Enhanced Livelihoods Village during the Iconic week of AKAM, Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary MoPR said, “PRIs have been a critical component of local self-governance across rural India and we have witnessed the contribution of these institutions in achieving last-mile connectivity and execution of various schemes of different line department/ministries. SDGs too can be achieved only if we actively involve PRIs. We thank UNDP for their collaborative support in the Iconic Week of AKAM. And further we look forward to their increased and continued engagement with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to strengthen monitoring of SDGs at the grassroots.”

About 65% of India’s population lives in rural areas and the Government is increasingly routing the funding of social sector schemes in sectors such as sanitation, housing, solid waste management etc through rural local bodies.

“The achievement of Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 can happen only if we consider local context and situations. The MoPR-UNDP partnership will help in keeping local priorities on top of the agenda, while planning and implementing programmes,” said Ms. Shoko Noda.

As per the Joint Statement of Understanding, MoPR and UNDP will collaborate in the areas of knowledge sharing, capacity building and strengthening monitoring mechanisms among others. This Joint Statement of Understanding will provide further impetus to the work of UNDP on SDG localisation.

UNDP has been leading efforts in partnership with NITI Aayog and the State governments, notably Haryana, Karnataka, Nagaland, Punjab and Uttarakhand to localise and accelerate the SDGs through its signature solution of Sustainable Development Coordination Centres.

Providing handholding support to Panchayats through preparation of holistic, inclusive, and participatory Gram Panchayat Development Plans will pave the way for creating an enabling environment that helps in acceleration of SDGs.

For more information, please contact:

Charu Sethi

Head of Communications and Partnerships, UNDP India

charu.sethi@undp.org

James Jose

Communications Officer, State Outreach, UNDP India

james.jose@undp.org; 9999610431