Lesson 3 Test: Reading questions on passage 2
Select the best answer for each question based on the passage about the challenges of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ethiopia.
Select the best answer for each question based on the passage about the challenges of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ethiopia.
Passage 2:
Challenges of SDGs in Ethiopia
With the expiration of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which guided global development till 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been adopted as a more comprehensive and feasible approach to the development of nations. The world has committed to 17 integrated SDGs to keep the development of nations on a growing path. This ambitious and transformative agenda has a lifespan of fifteen years, terminating in 2030. It is an intensified development initiative that embodies universal aspirations for achieving a better, more just, equitable, peaceful and sustainable future. Thus, the achievement of the 2030 Agenda will definitely requires the participation of all stakeholders. In Ethiopia, as shown in the analysis of its development laws, one can understand that there is an enabling environment to collaborate and promote sustainable development. The constitutional support, government initiated development projects and growing interest in environmental conservation can be mentioned as a move towards the goals. However, there are a number of factors that have slowed down or held back the full realization of the agenda.
For example, the FDRE Constitution promotes the adoption of a viable model and legal framework for sustainable development, but there seems to be lack of strong political commitment to fully implement existing laws. There are also legal gaps that limit the practicality of the envisioned goals. Two legal gaps that can be mentioned in this regard are the absence of supplementary laws and lack of regulations that support environmental impact assessment system. As the declaration on sustainable development is not supported by supplementary laws, there is a problem of delineating the boundary in which stakeholders can operate. Additional opportunity for effective implementation is missed, as there are no sectorial laws that provide opportunity to mainstream environmental impact assessment systems. This is irrefutable evidence that there is a weak political will in protecting the environment.
Ethipian government is also highly involved in economic activities that aim at alleviating poverty. However, this is done without considering the adverse effect inflicted as a result inclining towards one of the pillars of sustainable development. Sustainable development can only be realized when the three pillars of development namely, economic, environment and social aspects are given equal emphasis. Nevertheless, what is observed in Ethiopia is a commitment to promote investment and other development projects at the expense of environmental protection. Thus, prioritizing one pillar of development over the other has become the other challenge for realizing SDGs.
The institutions that are working on sustainable development also lack synergy and that is the other challenge. Achieving sustainable development, particularly the SDGs, is possible only with synergy at international and national levels. That is why, the 2030 agenda put revitalizing partnership and interconnections as cornerstones for the realization of SDGs. However, the global dedication for SDGs is not very encouraging, as a number of commitments on trade, aid, investment, and financing the Least Developed Countries have not been significantly met. In Ethiopia, too, lack of synergy is discovered as a cross-cutting issue, as the environmental agencies have not yet developed good communication culture among themselves.
Seen from the perspectives of having qualified consultants and responsible institutions, the existing institutional capacity is weak and poses another challenge. First, most consultants in the country are not well qualified to carry out Environmental Impact Analysis and report it effectively.
Besides this, there are consultants who are ready to compromise their responsibilities to their clients’ interest. Likewise, most government offices place themselves at a higher level and do not want to become accountable to Environmental Protection Authority, and this prevents the authority from regulating the activities of these offices.
To conclude, the challenges seizing the full implementation of sustainable development need to be vigorously addressed. There should be a strong political will to enact existing laws and to draft sectorial laws. Then, the implementors should be empowered to fully employ the laws. Besides, institutions such as environmental agencies and investment authorities should pay equal attention to pillars of SDGs. These institutions are also required to be committed and accountable to their actions.
Adapted from Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (December, 2018)