African Parliamentary Conference on the SDGs

The UN SDG Action Campaign in partnership with the National Assembly of Nigeria and the African Network of Parliamentarians on the SDGs organised the first ever African Parliamentary Conference on  the SDGs on 9-11 March, 2016. The conference has as its theme – Parliaments, the SDGs and the Socio-Economic Transformation of Africa. The conference had the following objectives:

1. Share best practices, lessons and challenges in parliamentary engagement with the MDGs
2. Enhance parliamentary knowledge on the SDGs with particular emphasis on a governance and accountability architecture for the new framework as well as a defined role of parliaments in the implementation mechanism;
3.  Review national implementation and adaptation strategies of the SDGs, assessing parliamentary roles, inputs and opportunities.
4. Develop common strategies for effective parliamentary engagement in the domestication, mainstreaming and adaptation of the SDGs into national planning processes.
5. Promote understanding on emerging Africa vision for socio-economic transformation, their relationship with the SDGs and parliamentary role in their achievement.
6. Foster collaboration and partnership between parliamentarians, the UN System, non-state actors and international development partners in ensuring accountability to the SDGs especially as it relates to the needs and aspirations of Africa.

The conference was attended by over 120 parliamentarians from 25 across Africa and was preceded by the General Assembly of the African Network of Parliamentarians on the SDGs, a regional body of parliamentarians facilitated by the UN SDG Action Campaign and committed to advancing the SDGs in Africa through parliamentary mechanisms.