Sdgs in penang

Localisation of SDGs: Making Gender Equality a Key Factor in Inclusivity

THERE are many ways local governments can transform a city into an advanced and progressive society. One of those includes the promotion of equality among all women and men, girls and boys, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or socioeconomic background. This message is brought up to the table by Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) in collaboration with the State of Penang, City Council of Penang and Municipal Council of Seberang Perai through “The Asia-Pacific Conference on Localising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Leaving No One Behind”, 25-26 October 2017 held in Penang, Malaysia.

Represented by Secretary General, Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, UCLG ASPAC advocated the essential role of local governments in localizing the global agenda. She highlighted the importance of local governments to

become more effective and accountable to their citizens and shared the road map on integrating SDGs at local level. She also encouraged local leaders to initiate partnerships between public bodies, private sector and civil society in the community, considering their ideal position.

Dato’ Maimunah, recently appointed as the Mayor of Penang, formerly Mayor of Seberang Perai, stated that “no mayor should be left behind.” Therefore it was crucial to raise awareness on SDGs amongst mayors, such as through MALA (Malaysian Association of Local Authorities) - a member of UCLG ASPAC in which she acts as President. She presented Penang’s Gender Responsive and Participatory Budgeting that managed to reduce gender gap in the Island.

In the two-day conference, the discussion included a comprehensive discussion on the overview of sustainable development goals. Participants were invited to reflect on implementation of SDGs at Sub-National and Local Governance level as well as to agree that coordination between the national and sub-national policies, strategies, and plans should really exist. The importance of gender equality transcending all the SDGs was also highlighted in this discussion and it provided approaches to accelerate SDGs at subnational and local governance level.

*****