MAROPENE RAMOKGOPA: SA is on track towards a sustainable future

Addressing the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in September, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that SA was in a new era of great promise. The president reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs), and the advancement of equality, peace and international solidarity.

This message resounds through the optimism in the 7th administration of the SA government. This optimism has energised the country’s resolve and commitment to inclusive growth, to build a capable state, and to meet development goals. It is clear that SA is committed to a sustainable future and will ensure that it continues on this path domestically and globally.

On international platforms in recent weeks, SA has reaffirmed its commitment to building a better world. We have taken our interventions to improve the lives of our people to the world, and shared the message of the collective action of various political parties through the government of national unity (GNU), the private sector and civil society in the country towards the common goal of accelerating our nation’s development.

During the UN General Assembly High-Level Week of 2024 in New York SA reaffirmed its support for the advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the UN SDGs. The SA government showcased the country’s commitment to democracy, to international solidarity and partnerships, and multisectoral collaboration towards fit-for-purpose governance on the collective path to creating a sustainable future.

The working visit to the UK and Ireland that was led by deputy president Paul Mashatile saw engagements with government leaders, the banking sector, investors and higher education institutions. It was clear in this working visit that there is a desire in the international community to deepen investment into SA and collaborate towards building a better world. SA has an important role to play in building a better world, but our goal is to ensure that we leave no-one behind in our country as we seek to meet our development goals.

SA remains committed to the UN SDGs, which are in line with the country’s National Development Plan (NDP) and the African Agenda 2063. These goals are the blueprint to achieve a more sustainable future for all as they address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate and environmental degradation. These goals promote global prosperity, peace and justice, which SA is playing a leading role in advancing.

Domestically, the SA government is working to ensure that all of its policies, annual performance plans and interventions put development at the centre. The department of planning, monitoring & evaluation is overseeing the work of ensuring co-ordination between departments, various levels of government and public entities.

We are also co-ordinating alignment of the GNU’s statement of intent to the country’s development goals, through the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP). The NDP remains the lodestar of SA’s development path, but the MTDP will ensure that in the current administration SA stays the course to meet its development goals.

As our legislative and policy frameworks are being tailored to meet the country’s immediate, medium-term and long-term goals, it is also critical to think about ways to stimulate further growth and development in the country. I recently attended the Hamburg Sustainability Conference in Germany, which sought to unite policymakers and business leaders to accelerate action towards the implementation of the SDGs.

This conference brought together leaders in government, business, civil society and academia to identify, among other things, how value chains can create more value for developing countries, and how the private sector’s potential to support the SDGs can be unleashed. This conference reaffirmed SA’s actions to achieve its development goals, yet also provided perspectives that can further support this endeavour.

What is clear is that there is a general understanding that government alone cannot address all of the challenges in the country and the world. The challenges of the world today make it imperative for governments, the private sector, civil society and all stakeholders in society to work together to place development at the centre of building a better and sustainable world.

SA is on that path, demonstrating the collective action and commitment to meet the country’s development goals. The global environment we find ourselves in today highlights the importance of interventions by governments to consider this path not just for today but for future generations.

• Ramokgopa is minister in the presidency for planning, monitoring & evaluation.