Senator Pia  Cayetano has called for government’s renewed commitment to fulfill the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Let us make sustainability an integral part of our national development goals,” said Cayetano.

The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on SDGs, Innovation, and Futures Thinking, Cayetano, on Monday,  led the opening of the Senate exhibit on the SDGs at the Senate legacy hallway.

Cayetano stressed that while the country has committed to adopt the global goals, much remains to be done to achieve the various targets by 2030.

“We continue to face issues arising in health, education, agriculture, environment, equality, peace and justice, among others. We need to initiate more reforms to renew our commitment to the SDGs,” stressed the senator, who has filed measures in the Senate towards this cause.

Cayetano filed Senate Resolution No. 308, declaring the 2020s as the “SDGs Decade of Action.” It seeks to mobilize government, private sector, stakeholders, and citizens to work together towards sustainability in the next 10 years leading to 2030.

The senator also filed Senate Bill No. 1362 or the Sustainable Development Framework Act, which mandates NEDA to incorporate the SDGs and their associated targets in its sustainable development policy and programs.

Cayetano’s committee recently conducted a public hearing to discuss these measures with stakeholders from both the government and the private sector. The senator said she hopes to sponsor her proposals in plenary soon.

The exhibit runs until March 5 aims to promote public awareness on the importance of achieving the 17 SDGs to benefit all Filipinos.

Invited  were  Senate President Vicente Sotto III; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Titon Mitra; National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Assistant Secretary Carlos Bernardo Abad Santos; and Senate Deputy Secretary for Administration and Finance Services Atty. Arnel Bañas./Stacy Ang