Parliament discusses Sustainable Development Bill

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

The Government moved the Sri Lanka Sustainable Development Bill on Thursday in Parliament to provide for the development and implementation of a national policy and strategy for sustainable development of the country and for the establishment of a Sustainable Development Council.

Deputy Minister of Petroleum Resources Development Dr. Anoma Gamage moving the adjournment motion explained the Parliament that the Government seek House approval to synchronise economic, social and environmental factors of Sri Lanka with the 17 sustainable development goals set by the United Nations.

“The Sri Lanka Sustainable Development Bill aims to cater to the current needs without endangering the next generations. Equal attention will be made on economic, social, and environmental factors. The United Nations have identified 17 sustainable development goals and related 169 goals that will be established by 2030,” she said.

“The Government is looking at amalgamating the economic, social, and environmental factors in terms of decision making. Social and environmental audits will be conducted on new projects, and all state organisations will work towards securing environmental and social expectations. These 17 goals will be made a part of the national planning process and also establish a board for sustainable development. The President will appoint the members and the board will have a wide spectrum of responsibilities and authority,” she added. 

According to the Bill, Sri Lanka intends to design, develop and implement a National Policy and Strategy on Sustainable Development and facilitate all agencies responsible and to follow up and monitor the progress. Sri Lanka would set its own national targets, guided by the global level of ambition but taking into account national interest and circumstances and also incorporate such 17 Sustainable Development Goals in national planning processes, policies and strategies in the relevant ongoing processes in the economic, social and environmental fields.

End poverty in all its forms everywhere, end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all, build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation, reduce inequality within and among countries, make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss, promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels, and strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development are the 17 Sustainable Development goals the UN has set in 2015. (AH)