Implementation of SDGs through cooperation – 2016 SPECA ECONOMIC FORUM
November 22-23, 2016, Ganja (Azerbaijan) hosted 2016 SPECA ECONOMIC FORUM entitled “Enhanced Implementation of SDGs through Cooperation”, which was jointly organized by the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the current Chair of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
The objective of the event was to take stock of how the subregion is positioning itself in the implementation of SDGs, to assess national SDGs strategies and institutional frameworks, and to examine practical approaches and modalities for SPECA participating countries. Mr. Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary of UNECE and Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Executive Secretary of ESCAP attended the meeting.
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During the first day, in the framework of Session III STATISTICAL ASSESSMENT AND STATISTICAL CAPACITY BUILDING NEEDS, CAREC presented its vision towards to SDGs implementation in Central Asia.
Data paucities are large in SPECA participating countries. Therefore, there is an urgent need to map SDGs data and indicator readiness against the emerging indicator architecture. Based on ESCAP findings, the discussions under this agenda item considered how SPECA can serve as a mechanism that identifies gaps in statistics, as well as capacity-building needs for enhanced collection, timeliness, and accessibility of data.
The recommendations emerging from the Forum have been submitted for adoption to the 11th Session of the SPECA Governing Council as a “Draft Ganja Declaration on Enhanced Implementation of SDGs through Cooperation”.