Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. has called on local government units (LGUs) to help one another by sharing best practices to attain sustainable community development, and help realize the vision of the Bagong Pilipinas.
Abalos issued the call during the recent general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP).
The event was aimed at helping accelerate the implementation of the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the local level.
“I fully trust LMP to gather the best ‘sharers’ and practitioners in the field who will enable not only knowledge sharing, but also transfer of technology and experiential learning in this gathering,” Abalos said.
The 17 SDGs were established in 2015 as an urgent call to action by all countries to tackle global challenges.
All countries have agreed to work towards achieving them by 2030.
In his message, Abalos emphasized the importance of good local governance, noting that LGUs are closer to the level where actions are more likely to produce measurable results in a more responsive and inclusive process.
The interior secretary likewise highlighted steps taken by the DILG, in collaboration with partner national government agencies and LGUs that directly aid the realization of the 17 SDGs.
Some of these goals are poverty elimination, zero hunger, good health and well-being and quality education.
They also include clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities, and climate action.
“We have a lot of work and responsibilities to our fellow Filipinos. But I believe that nothing is impossible with the cooperation and collaboration of the entire government and people, under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,” Abalos said.
He also pushed for a whole-of –nation and whole-of-governance approach to achieve results.