Lalitpur, Feb. 7
The COVID-19 pandemic could reverse the positive
trends in ending poverty, health, education and economic growth, according to
the National Planning Commission.
In its Sustainable Development Goals: Progress
assessment report 2016-2019, the planning body said that the pandemic has the
potential of reversing the progress made in most of the SDGs – the 2030 agenda
of development.
"The pandemic has the potential of not only
delaying but effectively reversing the positive trends in most SDGs
particularly ending poverty, zero hunger, healthy lives, quality education,
decent work and economic growth, reducing inequalities and partnership for
sustainable development," concluded the NPC report. There are 17 SDGs to
be achieved by 2030.
The report was jointly launched by Vice Chairman
of the NPC Prof. Dr. Pushpa Raj Kandel and member of the National Assembly Dr.
Bimala Rai Poudel at a programme in Lalitpur on Sunday.
Although the report talked about the situation
before the coronavirus scenario, it significantly noted that there had been
enormous consequences for livelihoods, mobility, infrastructure and essential
services. "It is therefore essential to realign strategies for the
attainment of SDGs and fine-tune targets to reflect the new normal," it
said.
However, Dr. Kandel said that the impact of the
pandemic was moderate on the economy and development as the economic activities
had taken up better than expected. He stated that the NPC was devising a
rehabilitation strategy to revive the economy in the post pandemic scenario.
But real challenge to the implementation of the
SDGs and monitoring is data gap. "A big constraint to the development is
weak statistical base. We do not have better data-set of the sub-national
governments," said Khomraj Koirala, Joint secretary at the NPC.
According to the report, a total of 169 targets
and 479 indicators were adapted in Nepal to monitor the SDG progress but data
are available for only 104 targets and 218 indicators which means that there is
no information available for 35 per cent of the targets and 55 per cent of the
indicators.
Required data is also not available for the important
parameters on water quality, water use efficiency and protection of
water-related ecosystems, youth employment and underemployment, and urban
infrastructure and green spaces.
"The data gap that exists is significant and
may even be indicative of the fact that the initial enthusiasm with respect to
the national commitment to their integration in the process of planning and
development has given away to quiet complacency in implementation," read
the report.
Dr. Kandel pointed out the immediate need to
create a robust statistical base for the effective integration of the SDGs into
the development even at the sub-national levels.
However, the report portrayed a mixed situation
on SDGs progress in the first three years of implementation (2016-2019).
There has been a steady decline in levels of
poverty nationwide, although regional and ethnic differences continue to exist.
Population living below US$1.9 a day is
15 per cent, noted the report.
Although there has been progress in school
enrolment at the primary level with 97.2 per cent and ratio of girls to boys
and primary completion rate is 89.5 per cent, the achievements are below the expectations.
Likewise, only 21 per cent of the population has
access to safe drinking water although basic water supply coverage is 88 per
cent. However, there was a significant progress in sanitation with 85 per cent
of the population using toilets.
The report said that the share of squatter
population remains low and households living in safe houses have improved.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 8 February 2021.
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