National Workshop on Fast-Tracking and Reporting of Progress on SDGs held in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar: A National Workshop on Fast-Tracking and Reporting Progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was held today in Bhubaneswar. The workshop was jointly organised by the Government of Odisha in collaboration with NITI Aayog under its State Support Mission and UNDP.
Key policy makers, senior government officials and experts from various States/UTs of the country participated in this one-day workshop to share, learn and discuss strategies for accelerating SDG implementation through integrated planning, financing and monitoring approaches.
Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, in his keynote address highlighted the urgent need for an evidence-based, multi-stakeholder approach to address development gaps, improve governance structures, and mobilize sustainable financing—aiming to ensure inclusive growth.
BVR Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog, underscored India’s notable successes in implementing the SDGs, from poverty reduction initiatives to effective localization efforts, while urging States and Union Territories to promote knowledge sharing for greater collective impact.
Chief Secretary, Odisha Manoj Ahuja, in his inaugural address provided a brief overview about the key SDG achievements in the State of Odisha and underscored the importance of SDGs in achievement of Viksit Odisha @ 2036 and Viksit Bharat @ 2047. He focussed on data driven localisation of SDGs and decentralised governance are essential for accelerated development.
Anu Garg, the Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary to Government of Odisha, in her insightful presentation shared the important initiatives taken for SDG implementation and monitoring by the Government of Odisha, highlighted key achievements under various SDGs and emphasised on the need of integrated planning, implementation and monitoring for fast-tracking the SDGs in Odisha.
Welcome address and context setting of the workshop was highlighted by Rajib Kumar Sen, Senior Advisor (SDGs), NITI Aayog.
Dr. Ulrike Reviere, Country Director, GIZ, India also dwelt on challenges and opportunities in accelerating SDGs in different states of the country.
Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative, UNDP, India spoke about the need to develop institutional architecture, evolve a monitoring framework for catalysing SDGs into transformative action.
The first technical session of the workshop on Strengthening SDG Localisation, moderated by UNDP, deliberated on innovative approaches adopted and key initiatives undertaken by States such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Jharkhand in institutionalizing SDGs at the respective local government level.
Officials from NITI Aayog and Capacity Building Commission shared the objectives and initiatives carried out under the State Support Mission and Mission Karmayogi respectively.
In the session on Financing , the SDGs was moderated by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, reflected on the best practices in resource mobilization and the need for public-private partnerships to enhance financial allocation and sustainability for SDG initiatives. The State-specific learnings on SDG budgeting process and initiatives from Haryana, Odisha, Meghalaya and Rajasthan enriched the session.
The Voluntary National Review (VNR) session enabled knowledge-sharing between experts from the UNRCO, Civil Society Organizations, think tanks and the private sector, focusing on India’s upcoming 3rd VNR and lessons learnt from the previous reviews.
The national workshop concluded with key takeaways, reiterating the Government of India’s commitment to evidence-based policy-making and collaborative efforts by the States in advancing the SDG agenda and its achievement by 2030 in the country.
