Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, Abdul Halim Iskandar, has said he is optimistic that the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda can be achieved through the localization of SDGs to the village level.

The present time is ripe for everyone to include SDG localization and make it an essential part of transformative action once again to correct the course of the 2030 agenda and achieve all targets on time, he added in a statement released on Tuesday.

During the "Driving Changes at the Local Level: Innovative Approaches to Localize the SDGs" agenda at the UN Headquarters, New York, the United States, he observed that the power of local action has not been accorded due notice by global citizens during various 2030 SDG agenda achievement discussions.

Most people are focusing too much on what is happening on the global or national level, despite the fact that concrete actions start from the smallest unit, namely the village, he added.

Moreover, moving toward 2030, only 20 percent of the SDG targets are progressing, while the rest have stagnated or are even regressing, he noted.

During the meeting, which was attended by delegations from 196 countries, he outlined three important elements within the Village SDGs initiative.

The first is data collection to establish specific targets that match locals' needs. The second is a multi-party approach. The third is sustainable support for villages.

He urged everyone to continue to strengthen local actions, generate positive impacts for people, ensure a prosperous future for everyone, and make sure that not a single village or person is left behind.

During a High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2023 at the same location, the minister said that localizing SDGs to the village level is the answer to carrying out sustainable development in a concrete manner.

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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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