The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 proposed ambitious 17 goals and 169 targets to end extreme poverty and leave no one behind by 2030.
These goals for people, planet, peace, prosperity and partnerships - agreed upon by all of the UN’s 193 member nations - called on the public, private, and non-profit sectors to address many challenges.
The challenges range from ending hunger and reducing inequality to building resilient infrastructure and combat climate change.
While the architects of the SDGs envisioned their leadership at national level, their actual impact and transformation will ultimately be realised at subnational level, through collaborations.
Nairobi County - in recognising its potential leadership on triangular development based on its vibrant business community, academic prowess and inter-governmental readiness - is finding is place within the global community of champions of these new ways of development.
Related:
Also read:
The Global Ambition, Local Action (GA-LA) was launched at Occidental College by H.E Mayor Eric Garcetti at its United Nations Week in Los Angeles California, bringing together representatives from vanguard cities of Nairobi, Mumbai, Los Angeles, Paris and Tokyo.
GA-LA recognises the opportunity for unprecedented collaboration by like-minded global cities, all committed to advancing the SDGs and sharing lessons learned with one other.
The Nairobi government, in this collaboration, intends to harness brain-power, research and data to tackle old challenges with new tools and innovations.
Nairobi is the economic heartbeat of the region and its development so its economic progress or regress are intrinsically connected to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Its challenges though, as we realise, are not uncommon to other leading cities in the world.
Nairobi however, as envisioned in this bold step, intends to lead in creating and sustaining an environment where the economy thrives and the prosperity is shared by all its residents.
Nairobi has been developing its County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP), that must become a living document and respond to the aspirations of residents, but moreso a global business community as well as its vibrant Small and Medium Enterprise Ecosystem (SME).
In this quest for economic progress, we intend to ensure Nairobi becomes the leading meetings, incentives, conferencing and events (MICE) destination; continually supports responsible business by improving the ease of doing business for companies of all sizes; and creates an environment for employment and entrepreneurships for an increasingly young and educated population.
Nairobi, like other global hubs, is at the front line of getting services to ordinary people but it will not do this alone.
We now know that 60 to 70 per cent of the world’s population will be living in cities in the coming decades, and are therefore reminded that developmental challenges and the demands of an expecting citizenry demand win-win collaboration, especially with business that assures growth, economic and social transformation for these populations.
The county, as part of this global community, is integrating SDG targets into its CIDP and is committed to becoming a premier hub for collaboration with business and academia.
The aim is to ensure that its decisions are based on data, a cleaner environment, and a safer and prosperous Nairobi that is open for all sizes of businesses that espouse sustainability.
After all these are the hallmarks of a truly global city of the future and must remain our ambition, going forward.