1 September 2016
CSOs Reflect on Education-Related SDGs, National Development Strategies, Resilience
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Civil society organizations (CSOs) and other non-government actors have highlighted the contributions of libraries to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), shared lessons on how political context can shape the achievement of education-related SDGs, and reflected on a national sustainable development strategy in Egypt.

ActionAid released a resilience framework.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)31 August 2016: Civil society organizations (CSOs) and other non-government actors have highlighted the contributions of libraries to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), shared lessons on how political context can shape the achievement of education-related SDGs, reflected on a national sustainable development strategy in Egypt, and released a resilience framework.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has published a booklet on libraries’ contributions to SDGs. ‘Access and Opportunity for All: How libraries contribute to the UN 2030 Agenda,’ highlights the role of libraries in increasing access to information and knowledge across society, explaining libraries provide access and opportunity for all, including through providing information and communication technologies (ICT). The booklet further highlights libraries’ contributions through, inter alia: promoting universal literacy, including digital, media and information literacy and skills; closing gaps in access to information; providing a network of delivery sites for government programmes and services; and preserving and providing access to global culture and heritage.

The Overseas Development Institute’s (ODI) Development Progress project analyzed eight education-focused country case studies to explore how political context shapes opportunities and creates barriers for progress on education access and learning outcomes and for achieving SDG 4, “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” The report finds different types of States have varying prospects for sustaining and improving education quality, underscoring the importance of political analysis to identify and explain patterns of progress in education access and quality, as well as the potential benefits of tailoring education approaches to particular political situations. Other key findings include: transition periods create opportunities for reform and progress; and improving education financing is insufficient to achieve progress.

Social Watch released a paper on the ‘Lack of Strategy in the 2030 Agenda Strategy’ by The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights. The paper highlights the lack of a detailed roadmap in Egypt’s National Development Strategy Framework to achieve several SDGs, including on reducing poverty and unemployment. The paper finds that the Strategy: mentions environmental challenges without proposing how to address them; proposes removing all energy subsidies without considering the impact on the poorest citizens; disregards renewable and clean energy; lacks details on transparency and efficiency of government institutions; and proposes numerical targets for indicators without coupling them with strategies or other means of implementation (MOI).

In a paper, ActionAid presents a resilience framework based on its human-rights based approach (HRBA) that aims to help design programmes to build community capacity. ‘Through a Different Lens: ActionAid’s Resilience Framework’ stresses that a resilience programme must go beyond climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction (DRR) approaches to also address power relations and dynamics. The framework focuses on understanding a community’s vulnerabilities to different risks and analyzes vulnerabilities to shocks and stressors through four core interventions: realizing human rights and access to basic services; gaining awareness, knowledge and skills; developing collective action and partnership; and strengthening institutions and influencing policy. [Access and Opportunity for All] [Development Progress Publication Website] [How Does Political Context Shape Education Reforms and their Success?] [Social Watch Publication Website] [Through a Different Lens] [ActionAid Publication Website]

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