Botswana
REPUBLIC OF
BOTSWANA
PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF
BOTSWANA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
154 EAST 46TH STREET • NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017
TEL. (212) 889-2277
STATEMENT BY
THE HONOURABLE SLUMBER TSOGWANE
MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA
DURING THE
UNITED NATIONS HIGH LEVEL POLITICAL
FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (HLPF)
VOLUNTARY NATIONAL REVIEWS (VNRs)
19TH JULY 2017, NEW YORK
Excellencies,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;
1. Botswana is greatly honoured to be participating at this year's High
Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and also to be one of
the forty-four (44) countries to showcase at the voluntary national
reviews. This demonstrates our full commitment to the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and its underlying 17 Sustainabte -Development
Goals. I believe we all recognize that this global agenda is
very bold and stands to tackle the ever-changing world order that
confronts humanity today.
2. The extent to which we achieve the targets of this ambitious agenda
largely depends on the political will, strong leadership to drive
implementation and the well thought out yardsticks to constantly
monitor and evaluate our progress. ·
3. Efforts have been employed in Botswana to align these transformative
sustainable development goals (SDGs) with the country's development
frameworks namely, National Development Plan Eleven (11) and the
Vision 2036. This was further extended to the sub-national development
frameworks, that is; the District Development Plan Eight (8) and Urban
Development Plan Four (4). On the other hand, the current draft
framework for the National Strategy on Sustainable Development
(NSSD) seeks to provide an opportunity to ensure that the sustainable
development approach guides these national frameworks.
4. I wish to further confirm to this forum that all the necessary
institutional mechanisms have been established for effective
coordination of the implementation of the SDGs in Botswana. A multisectoral
National Steering Committee assisted by the Technical Task
Force, is in place to drive the SDG agenda. The already existing
Technical Working Groups {lWGs) that operationalize all government
programming throughout the economy are being taken on board in
order to facilitate implementation, monitoring and reporting on the
SDGs.
2
...'
s. One of the first tasks of the Steering Committee was development of a
plan of action in the form of 'a Roadmap' that focuses on (1)
Coordination, Ownership and Leadership, (2) Implementation, building
on existing structures, as well as (3) Data, progress and reporting. The
roadmap has been adopted for a coherent and well-coordinated
approach towards implementation of the SDGs and through it, a
countrywide SDG advocacy has been intensified.
6. We recognize that the SDGs are the business of all stakeholders;
Governments, private sector, civil society, Communities, Development
Partners including the UN system and other Non-State Actors.
Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates;
7. I find the theme for this forum, "Eradicating Poverty and
Promoting Prosperity in a Changing World"fitting as Government
of Botswana has a long history of prioritizing improving the quality of
life of its people. This commitment is demonstrated by the fact that, the
newly adopted national frameworks alluded to earlier, adopted themes
that specifically address both ''poverty eradication" and "promoting
prosperity. " We further recognize that poverty eradication is central to
the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
s. I am pleased to inform you that, in the spirit of leaving no one behind,
the coordination of poverty eradication is housed in the Office of the
President since 2010, in order to focus more on eradicating abject
poverty among the 6.4% poorest segment of the population, that lives
on less than 1.25 dollar($) a day. Currently, a Presidential Task Team
has been set up to review the whole poverty eradication programme
with a view to ensure that among other objectives, poor households
actually graduate into being economically independent.
9. Overall, poverty incidence is . pronounced among female-headed
households and more in rural than urban areas, yet it is these areas
that also experienced the most poverty declines, accompanied by
decreases in inequality levels. Provision of agricultural inputs subsidies
3
and various government socio-economic initiatives to the rural dwellers
played a significant role in significantly reducing rural poverty.
10. However, the challenges of a narrow economic base that is overdependent
on revenues from diamond mining, the capital-intensive
nature of the industry and delays in diversifying our economy away
from mining, did not create the much desired employment
opportunities. Rather it contributed to the growth of high-income
inequality and poverty levels not befitting an upper-middle income
country. While Botswana is free from hunger, stunting and malnutrition
among children under five, are still worrisome, particularly in rural
areas. However, several interventions are in place to support an
average of 95% of beneficiaries on a monthly basis, making the poor
and vulnerable families to be food secure.
Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates;
11. During the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) era Botswana reduced
child mortality from 56 to 11 deaths per 1000 live births between 2001
and 2011, following long periods of stagnation. Government also
continues to show commitment to achieving universal access to HIV
treatment, care and support which saved many lives. The country has
achieved a significant reduction in Mother to Child transmission of HIV
as less than 3 percent of children born to HIV positive mothers are
infected.
12. We, however, face the challenge of reducing maternal deaths as the
number of such deaths continues to fluctuate. During the SDG era,
particular attention will be paid not only to improve maternal health but
also to improve the entire primary health care infrastructure, which
seeks to leave no one behind.
13. Botswana government recognizes that Information and Communication
Technology (ICT), water, energy, roads, agriculture and industrial
infrastructure have high propensity to impact greatly on poverty
alleviation throughout the country. In this regard, I can confirm that the
bulk of the infrastructure budget for the next six years (in NDP 11),
4
focuses on water, energy, tourism, agriculture, education and health
with emphasis placed on maintenance and upgrading of existing
infrastructure.
14. Through the Industrial Development Policy (2014), diversified and
sustainable industries that stand to beneficiate locally available
materials and access to markets for youth, women farmers and smallscale
manufacturers, will be established. Government intends to
develop a National South- South and Triangular partnership strategy
whose main objective is to attract technological development and
capacity building opportunities through strategic partnerships.
1s. Significant progress has been made in uplifting the status of women
and enhancing their access to economic opportunities through various
policy instruments and programmes. Gender parity has been achieved
within the entire education system and there is substantial
representation of women in decision-making positions in various
sectors. On the contrary, women's representation in Parliament is very
low as it stands at 6.3% and Gender Based Violence still persists.
Uplifting the status of women and young people still remains
Botswana's priority in the advent of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates;
16. The Botswana Voluntary National Review Report for this year's High
Level Political Forum (HLPF) demonstrates how managing the tensions
between the social, economic and environmental dimensions of
sustainable development is key to dealing with the above challenges
bedeviling the country. Further interrogation of the important linkages
between poverty eradication and other goals like good health and
nutrition, gender parity and the provision of efficient infrastructure, is
necessary in order to facilitate our country's development trajectory.
17. This calls for concerted efforts in improving the country's means of
implementation by way of enhancing governance, accountability as well
as monitoring implementation of the SDGs. The role played by all the
5
Development Partners in this ongoing discussion cannot be overemphasised.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Framework
(2017-21) for supporting government programmes, identified
implementation bottlenecks, policy development as well as data
revolution as priority areas to tackle for the next five years.
18. We also believe that "Climate change is one of the greatest challenges
of our time and its adverse impacts undermfne the ability of all
countries to achieve sustainable development. In this regard Botswana
commits to Paris Agreement on Climate Change and a collective action
is required if we are to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
19. Our commitment to the implementation of the SDGs and the principle of
leaving no one behind, cannot be over-emphasised, recently during the
United Nations Public Service Awards, under the category on "reaching
the poorest and most vulnerable through inclusive services and
participation" Ghanzi District Council, under my Ministry scooped
position 2 for innovation and excellence in public services supporting
the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
20. Let me conclude by re-affirming Botswana's commitment to the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and
its underlying Sustainable Development Goals. I can assure you that our
national strategy office and the national statistical office continue to
work towards setting up a robust monitoring and evaluation system that
seeks to integrate targets and indicators of the national development
frameworks with those of the SDGs.
Thank you for your attention.
6
BOTSWANA
PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF
BOTSWANA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
154 EAST 46TH STREET • NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017
TEL. (212) 889-2277
STATEMENT BY
THE HONOURABLE SLUMBER TSOGWANE
MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA
DURING THE
UNITED NATIONS HIGH LEVEL POLITICAL
FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (HLPF)
VOLUNTARY NATIONAL REVIEWS (VNRs)
19TH JULY 2017, NEW YORK
Excellencies,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;
1. Botswana is greatly honoured to be participating at this year's High
Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and also to be one of
the forty-four (44) countries to showcase at the voluntary national
reviews. This demonstrates our full commitment to the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and its underlying 17 Sustainabte -Development
Goals. I believe we all recognize that this global agenda is
very bold and stands to tackle the ever-changing world order that
confronts humanity today.
2. The extent to which we achieve the targets of this ambitious agenda
largely depends on the political will, strong leadership to drive
implementation and the well thought out yardsticks to constantly
monitor and evaluate our progress. ·
3. Efforts have been employed in Botswana to align these transformative
sustainable development goals (SDGs) with the country's development
frameworks namely, National Development Plan Eleven (11) and the
Vision 2036. This was further extended to the sub-national development
frameworks, that is; the District Development Plan Eight (8) and Urban
Development Plan Four (4). On the other hand, the current draft
framework for the National Strategy on Sustainable Development
(NSSD) seeks to provide an opportunity to ensure that the sustainable
development approach guides these national frameworks.
4. I wish to further confirm to this forum that all the necessary
institutional mechanisms have been established for effective
coordination of the implementation of the SDGs in Botswana. A multisectoral
National Steering Committee assisted by the Technical Task
Force, is in place to drive the SDG agenda. The already existing
Technical Working Groups {lWGs) that operationalize all government
programming throughout the economy are being taken on board in
order to facilitate implementation, monitoring and reporting on the
SDGs.
2
...'
s. One of the first tasks of the Steering Committee was development of a
plan of action in the form of 'a Roadmap' that focuses on (1)
Coordination, Ownership and Leadership, (2) Implementation, building
on existing structures, as well as (3) Data, progress and reporting. The
roadmap has been adopted for a coherent and well-coordinated
approach towards implementation of the SDGs and through it, a
countrywide SDG advocacy has been intensified.
6. We recognize that the SDGs are the business of all stakeholders;
Governments, private sector, civil society, Communities, Development
Partners including the UN system and other Non-State Actors.
Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates;
7. I find the theme for this forum, "Eradicating Poverty and
Promoting Prosperity in a Changing World"fitting as Government
of Botswana has a long history of prioritizing improving the quality of
life of its people. This commitment is demonstrated by the fact that, the
newly adopted national frameworks alluded to earlier, adopted themes
that specifically address both ''poverty eradication" and "promoting
prosperity. " We further recognize that poverty eradication is central to
the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
s. I am pleased to inform you that, in the spirit of leaving no one behind,
the coordination of poverty eradication is housed in the Office of the
President since 2010, in order to focus more on eradicating abject
poverty among the 6.4% poorest segment of the population, that lives
on less than 1.25 dollar($) a day. Currently, a Presidential Task Team
has been set up to review the whole poverty eradication programme
with a view to ensure that among other objectives, poor households
actually graduate into being economically independent.
9. Overall, poverty incidence is . pronounced among female-headed
households and more in rural than urban areas, yet it is these areas
that also experienced the most poverty declines, accompanied by
decreases in inequality levels. Provision of agricultural inputs subsidies
3
and various government socio-economic initiatives to the rural dwellers
played a significant role in significantly reducing rural poverty.
10. However, the challenges of a narrow economic base that is overdependent
on revenues from diamond mining, the capital-intensive
nature of the industry and delays in diversifying our economy away
from mining, did not create the much desired employment
opportunities. Rather it contributed to the growth of high-income
inequality and poverty levels not befitting an upper-middle income
country. While Botswana is free from hunger, stunting and malnutrition
among children under five, are still worrisome, particularly in rural
areas. However, several interventions are in place to support an
average of 95% of beneficiaries on a monthly basis, making the poor
and vulnerable families to be food secure.
Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates;
11. During the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) era Botswana reduced
child mortality from 56 to 11 deaths per 1000 live births between 2001
and 2011, following long periods of stagnation. Government also
continues to show commitment to achieving universal access to HIV
treatment, care and support which saved many lives. The country has
achieved a significant reduction in Mother to Child transmission of HIV
as less than 3 percent of children born to HIV positive mothers are
infected.
12. We, however, face the challenge of reducing maternal deaths as the
number of such deaths continues to fluctuate. During the SDG era,
particular attention will be paid not only to improve maternal health but
also to improve the entire primary health care infrastructure, which
seeks to leave no one behind.
13. Botswana government recognizes that Information and Communication
Technology (ICT), water, energy, roads, agriculture and industrial
infrastructure have high propensity to impact greatly on poverty
alleviation throughout the country. In this regard, I can confirm that the
bulk of the infrastructure budget for the next six years (in NDP 11),
4
focuses on water, energy, tourism, agriculture, education and health
with emphasis placed on maintenance and upgrading of existing
infrastructure.
14. Through the Industrial Development Policy (2014), diversified and
sustainable industries that stand to beneficiate locally available
materials and access to markets for youth, women farmers and smallscale
manufacturers, will be established. Government intends to
develop a National South- South and Triangular partnership strategy
whose main objective is to attract technological development and
capacity building opportunities through strategic partnerships.
1s. Significant progress has been made in uplifting the status of women
and enhancing their access to economic opportunities through various
policy instruments and programmes. Gender parity has been achieved
within the entire education system and there is substantial
representation of women in decision-making positions in various
sectors. On the contrary, women's representation in Parliament is very
low as it stands at 6.3% and Gender Based Violence still persists.
Uplifting the status of women and young people still remains
Botswana's priority in the advent of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates;
16. The Botswana Voluntary National Review Report for this year's High
Level Political Forum (HLPF) demonstrates how managing the tensions
between the social, economic and environmental dimensions of
sustainable development is key to dealing with the above challenges
bedeviling the country. Further interrogation of the important linkages
between poverty eradication and other goals like good health and
nutrition, gender parity and the provision of efficient infrastructure, is
necessary in order to facilitate our country's development trajectory.
17. This calls for concerted efforts in improving the country's means of
implementation by way of enhancing governance, accountability as well
as monitoring implementation of the SDGs. The role played by all the
5
Development Partners in this ongoing discussion cannot be overemphasised.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Framework
(2017-21) for supporting government programmes, identified
implementation bottlenecks, policy development as well as data
revolution as priority areas to tackle for the next five years.
18. We also believe that "Climate change is one of the greatest challenges
of our time and its adverse impacts undermfne the ability of all
countries to achieve sustainable development. In this regard Botswana
commits to Paris Agreement on Climate Change and a collective action
is required if we are to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
19. Our commitment to the implementation of the SDGs and the principle of
leaving no one behind, cannot be over-emphasised, recently during the
United Nations Public Service Awards, under the category on "reaching
the poorest and most vulnerable through inclusive services and
participation" Ghanzi District Council, under my Ministry scooped
position 2 for innovation and excellence in public services supporting
the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
20. Let me conclude by re-affirming Botswana's commitment to the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and
its underlying Sustainable Development Goals. I can assure you that our
national strategy office and the national statistical office continue to
work towards setting up a robust monitoring and evaluation system that
seeks to integrate targets and indicators of the national development
frameworks with those of the SDGs.
Thank you for your attention.
6
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