Recently, our ministry alongside the Directorate for Sustainable Development organised a number of events in order to mark European Sustainable Development week. The aim of these events was to provide tangible ways on how to deal with sustainability in our everyday lives and to help Malta’s efforts in reaching the famed Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs.  

The SDGs are our roadmap for environmentally and climate-friendly economic practices; for better conservation of species and more sustainable agriculture; for alleviating poverty; for social standards; and for better education, greater productivity, increased labour supply and ultimately stronger growth.

The initial implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development had commenced in 2016. Five years have already gone by and we are now at a crossroads in the implementation process of these assigned goals and targets, due to the outbreak of Covid-19. Sustainable development covers the whole policy spectrum. This is one of the reasons why I, in my capacity as Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, was tasked with making sure that sustainable development is streamlined across the whole of government.

There are various challenges that we need to address in our endeavours. Many a time we need to surpass the challenge of simplifying these seemingly complex concepts, thus bringing them closer to home. That is exactly what we have done through SDG week.

Engaging youths

One of our main events focused on youth involvement. Indeed, the direct involvement of young citizens is an integral part of the principles of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and its SDGs, which call for inclusive and representative decision-making at all levels. It also reflects the Government of Malta’s vision and commitment to empower youth.

Agenda 2030 recognises youths as “critical agents of change” with SDG targets addressing specifically youths. When thinking about agents of change, we can look to the past in order to see who these agents of change were. And as history has taught us, it is youths who bring about change.

Achieving such change requires collective efforts. However, I believe that big changes begin with us; with small individual changes in our daily lives, which subsequently grow to include our families, our communities and Maltese society at large.

As an example: most probably we wouldn’t realize the change brought about by one person opting to use public transport rather than his or her own car. However, if that one person starts a chain-reaction in his or her community, the effect of such a change will be felt by the whole nation.

I encourage youths and all of us to reflect on how sustainable development can be incorporated into our daily lives.

Sustainability in policy planning

Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, the Maltese Government is working on aligning its approaches to policy coherence with the 2030 Agenda. An example of this is the SD proofing of the Budget process, for which we have also sought the assistance of the OECD.

National budgets have an important role in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as they influence government’s work programmes and what policymakers are able to address when they make policies.

Clearly there is no “one size fits all” solution, since each country has its own constraints, specificities and economics. However, SDGs are a critical yardstick against which progress will be measured. This requires more coherence, coordination and integration across all levels.

It therefore requires us Governments to strengthen existing mechanisms and establish clear mandates for vertical coordination (between national, local and regional levels) and horizontal coordination (between Ministries, Entities and Departments).

In view of this, we created the role of Sustainable Development Coordinators and Focal Points as designated by the Sustainable Development Act. Apart from that, we have also set up another two relevant bodies - the Guardian for Future generations and the Sustainable Development Network.

We are now looking to expand our work from the budget-focus, by streamlining sustainable development principles in the whole of the policy formulation process.

Integrating sustainable development considerations across all policy domains would support the alignment of incentives and lead to a coherent approach to policy and overcome administrative silos.

This will increase the government’s transparency and accountability of progress towards the social, economic and environmental targets of the SDGs.

COVID and the SDGs

I believe that in the so called post-Covid-19 era, implementing the SDGs has become even more important. There should be no excuses as to what we need to do to save our planet, the environment and humanity as we know it. What was important before Covid-19 will still remain through this time and after. If it is jobs that we need to create, then the SDG goals deal with that, if it is sustainable economic growth that we need; then the SDGs are part of the solution. Inclusive and sustainable industrialization, together with innovation and infrastructure, can unleash dynamic and competitive economic forces that generate employment and income.

At the same time, I also believe that what we went through will sensibilize our populations further with regards to the social, environmental and economic aspects of our work on the SDG goals. I also believe that witnessing the liberating effect that the detraction of the human factor had on our planet has also left an impact on our subconscious and a stronger respect for our environment and other living beings.

The heightened level of sense of community and humanity as a whole - that was leveraged to face this pandemic can be replicated in bringing us together to attain our common SD goals.

 Carmelo Abela, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister