Economy Minister highlights Gov’t efforts in implementing Sustainable Development Goals at Dubai summit

Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Tuesday highlighted his Government’s efforts in implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in comments at the ongoing World Governments Summit in Dubai.

The Minister said Georgia was “one of the first countries” to join the 2015 UN General Assembly resolution on sustainable transformation, and told the event the implementation of the SDGs outlined in the resolution had already started in Georgia. 

Georgia has started an intensive process of incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals into national goals, aligning them with the country's strategic priorities. The goals and objectives were set taking into account the national context, challenges and opportunities”, he said.

The Ministry of Economy cited Davitashvili as saying the Government was “firm” in its decision to activate the SDGs in local self-governments. 

For this purpose, in 2021, a plan for the implementation of the SDGs at the local level was developed [...] Pilot programmes for the implementation of the plan have already started and five large cities have been selected for the initial stage. At the moment, 32 municipalities are already involved in the process. The goal of the Government is to localise sustainable development goals in all 64 municipalities by 2025, which should contribute to achieving the goals set for 2030”, he said.

The Minister noted the “complex network of interconnected challenges” across the world, adding striving for sustainable development had become “not only a national duty, but a shared responsibility”.

Georgia, with its unique geographical location and diverse ecosystems, is particularly sensitive to the impacts of climate change. Thus, cooperation with other nations is not only an option, but a necessity", the official told those in attendance.

Davitashvili said in recent years Georgia had made “significant progress” in inclusive access to economic opportunities, “structural improvement” of the economy, and strengthening of social security networks.

Georgia's economy has proven its resilience against past economic crises, maintained macroeconomic stability, and along with short-term measures, created strong economic foundations for achieving long-term development goals. 

In addition, I would like to emphasise that even in difficult times, Georgia continued to implement structural reforms in various areas of the economy, including the harmonisation of our regulatory framework with the European Union legislation”, Davitashvili said.

Running between Monday and Wednesday, the Summit is taking place under the theme of “Shaping Future Governments” and involves governments, international organisations and private sector from around the world.