QUETTA: Members of civil society and former representatives of local councils have stressed the need for making joint efforts to achieve sustainable development goals and implement relevant laws.

Speaking at a workshop here on Friday, they suggested that members of the civil society should be taken into confidence regarding development work at the gross-roots level.

The workshop was organised jointly by the UNDP and LEAD for SDGs. It was largely attended by former local councilors, members of civil society and representatives of different non-governmental organisations.

Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion were Abid Lehri, Anwar Hussain, Hamida Noor, Sabina, Mir Aslam Rind, Isa Roshan, Abdul Rahim Kurd, Nighat Naz and Ume Kulsoom.

The speakers said that poverty, hunger and malnutrition could be eradicated only through joint efforts. They said that better planning was needed to provide employment opportunities to the people.

They said that in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), all projects needed to improve utilisation of resources as per the 2030 agenda and improve the monitoring and reporting processes in the public sector.

President of the Local Government Association Balochistan Abid Lehri said that it was a matter of great concern that rulers of the country had no concern for public issues and they were not ready to discuss the development goals to improve lives of the masses at the grass-roots level.

A former member of QMC, Mir Aslam Rind, said that 98 per cent of elected representatives of the provincial assembly did not know about the budget and public welfare and only talked about their funds and contractors on the floor of the house and did not discuss how to improve the lives of the masses.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2021