FAO and the Government of Georgia held an awareness-raising workshop about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030.

First Deputy Minister of Agriculture Nodar Kereselidze stressed the importance of food and agriculture in achieving the SDGs and highlighted the involvement of the ministry in the SDGs’s working processes.

At the workshop, FAO introduced the vision and principles for achieving the 2030 agenda. Mamuka Meskhi, Assistant FAO Representative in Georgia, spoke about the FAO’s role in implementating and monitoring SDGs.

FAO implements a project in Georgia which aims to develop the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture to implement and monitor SDGs. The final product of the project will be a two-year action plan which will include a needs assessment of the ministry and other government agencies regarding SDG implementation and monitoring. This action plan will be submitted by spring 2018.

Nina Sarishvili, representative of the Government of Georgia, and Niels Scott, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Georgia, attended the meeting.

WHAT ARE THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS?

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) -- also known as the Global Goals -- are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. These 17 Goals build upon the successes of the Millennium Development Goals while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption and peace and justice.

The SDGs were adopted by UN member countries in September 2015. FAO’s strategic plan focuses on key SDG areas including Zero Hunger, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, Sustainable Consumption and Production, Life Below Water and Life on Land.