Kateb University launches SDSN Afghanistan
On Thursday, December 17 2020, the official launch event of SDSN Afghanistan was held virtually in the presence of over 300+ participants from the Afghan government, the international community, the private sector, academia, research thinks tanks, civil society organizations, and members of the Afghan community.
The event was moderated by Mr. Abdullah Alemi, Program Analyst of SDSN Afghanistan, and co-hosted by Dorothea Strüber, Manager of several of SDSN’s Regional and National Networks, including SDSN Afghanistan. The event was organized in two parts: a dialogue on the state of the SDGs in the country and the official launch ceremony of the network.
The opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Wali Farhat, Network Manager of SDSN Afghanistan, who expressed thanks to colleagues at SDSN Afghanistan, the SDSN Secretariat, and Kateb University. In following, he presented SDSN Afghanistan's three main programs:
- Awareness and Engagement,
- Teach Afghanistan, and
- Solutions for Sustainable Development.
E-dialogue on SDGs Panel
Ms. Naheed Sarabi, Policy Advisor at UNDP Afghanistan, mentioned UNDP's three SDGs-related areas: 1) Data collection and analysis, 2) Helping the Afghan government with integrating SDGs into policies, and 3) Finding alternative and sustainable sources for SDG financing.
Dr. Keith Shaw, SDG Integration Advisor at UNDP Afghanistan, highlighted the role of UNDP as a support function for SDG integration in Afghanistan. He emphasized the need for human development to happen within the scope of our planetary boundaries and reflected on how different actors in the country can work together to make it happen while interacting with each other and creating positive synergies.
Mr. Zia Shefaie, Co-Chair of SDSN Afghanistan, stressed the essential role of cross-sectoral partnership in achieving the SDGs in Afghanistan. Mr. Shefaie talked on the siloed nature of partnership among different sectors in Afghanistan, and he further pinpointed that to achieve the SDGs in Afghanistan, more coordination and collaboration among relevant stakeholders is crucial.
Dr. Nishank Motwani, Deputy Director of the Afghanistan Research Evaluation Unit (AREU), mentioned the challenge of misinformation in monitoring and reporting concerning the SDGs in Afghanistan. He further pointed out a shortage in evidence-based research which is necessary for formulating timely accurate data and information on the SDGs.
Mr. Nasir Sidiqee, Deputy Minister of Finance for Policy at Ministry of Finance, stated that the Afghan government is making progress in achieving the SDGs in Afghanistan through integrating SDGs into policies and programs such as the Afghanistan National Development Peace Framework (ANPDF) and NPPs. While he addressed the role of government in achieving the SDGs in Afghanistan, he highlighted that other stakeholder such as the international community, and higher education and research institutions, are also required to take part in leading progress towards achieving the Agenda 2030. To smooth the process of achieving the SDGs in Afghanistan, he mentioned that the Ministry of Finance takes the responsibility to facilitate opportunities for the mentioned stakeholders.
Mr. Mirwais Nahzat, Chief Operation Officer of Kardan University, talked on how universities can take the lead towards policy and program formulation, design, and implementation to achieve the SDGs in Afghanistan. “Universities can act as incubation centers for the SDGs". He further recommended that partnership among public and private universities can push for more SDG-related initiatives, in which he mentioned that SDSN Afghanistan is a leading example in this area.
The official launch event
The welcoming speech was delivered by Mr. Ali Ahmad Yousefi, the Chancellor of Kateb University and Chair of SDSN Afghanistan, who welcomed the guests and participants and appreciated the work of SDSN Afghanistan team on holding the official launch event of SDSN Afghanistan. The official launch event had H.E. Abbas Basir, Minister of Higher Education as a chief guest speaker and Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, President of UN SDSN as a keynote speaker. The guest speakers were respected Prof. Mohammad Shafi Sharifi, Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Kabul University and Ms. María Cortés Puch, Vice President of networks at UN SDSN.
The Leadership Council members of SDSN Afghanistan are UNDP Afghanistan, Kateb University, Kardan University, Kabul University, ACBAR, Afghanistan National Education Coalition (ANEC), Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), Ministry of Economy, ICC-Afghanistan, Bahar Sarab Group of Companies, and respected Ibrahim Qasimi, Former Parliament Member.
