James Kon
Brunei will present its second report on Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development in July.
The VNR, conducted for a second time, is a stronger analysis of interlinkages across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a more thorough understanding of the policy implications, synergies, and trade-offs, therefore providing an assessment of progress through data and evaluates the impact since the last review in 2020.
The presentation of the VNR report was highlighted by Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof in his keynote address at the launch of the SDGs website at the PMO yesterday.
“This is a crucial milestone, marking Brunei’s journey in implementing the SDGs while navigating the post-pandemic recovery phase and within a more complex global socio-economic environment,” the minister said.
Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi also outlined observations from the VNR process.
Firstly, the role of stakeholder engagement during the VNR process, where more sessions were held, including a national workshop, focussed engagement sessions and, more recently, the SDG Youth Dialogue and Pre-2023 HLPF Workshop.
“The sessions brought together major stakeholders and provided them a platform to discuss the SDG progress, showcase contributions and develop solutions. I believe these platforms will serve to strengthen cooperation and partnership,” the minister said.
Secondly, “the VNR process initiated improvements in national SDG indicators and data availability. This is critical for us to measure and evaluate SDGs progress effectively to develop evidence-based actions”.
While the minister recognises the work done within ministries, agencies and the SDG Technical Working Group, he also admitted that more work needs to be done. The data statistics workshop for SDGs, facilitated by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), is a good start to address gaps and make effective measures, he said.
Thirdly, the efforts made in communicating the SDGs.
The minister said he is pleased to see that there is more visibility in terms of the SDG presence and information-sharing to instil the ownership of SDGs to the community using a whole-of-nation approach.
“We must continue the momentum of progress. Not only should we encourage more collaboration and action, but the sharing of information and knowledge is crucial to supporting national efforts to achieve SDGs,” he urged.
The new SDGs website aims to promote awareness of national efforts and the progress in sustainable development, through knowledge sharing and data visualisation generated by the National SDG Tracker. The website also provides a platform for sharing global development and to communicate interest in fostering more SDGs actions.
The website, the minister said, “can bring us further by channelling information and promoting awareness of the SDGs to encourage more SDG actions and foster collaboration in Brunei and with the international community.
“The website will also allow us to track SDG progress through integration with the SDG tracker. This means that users can get the latest updates on the status of the implementation of those goals, along with data visualisation.”
He called on everyone to continue to work together to ensure that the SDGs are translated into action, thus shaping the future that is envisioned for Brunei Darussalam by both the SDGs in 2030 and Brunei Vision 2035.
Dr Arman Bidarbakht Nia from the UNESCAP, meanwhile, emphasised UNESCAP’s readiness to support Brunei’s efforts to further strengthen the national statistical system to facilitate the integration of SDG indicators into national planning.
Permanent Secretary (Wawasan) at the PMO Pengiran Hajah Siti Nirmala binti Pengiran Haji Mohammad as Chairperson of the Special National Coordination Committee on SDGs was also present.
