Distinguished delegates.

My name is Sai and I represent the Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) and the Women’s Major Group (WMG).

It is important that the SDG agenda is implemented in a comprehensive manner which not only includes monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals, Targets and Indicators, but also ensure the agenda is articulated at the policy level to ensure the sustainability of the implementation of the agenda. for instance under Goal 5, target 5.6 on universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, this target will be best implemented if Member States integrate this target in the respective gender, population and health policies at the national level in accordance to standards set in the ICPD and Beijing conferences. Only then can we realise the true and holistic intent of the above target at the national level.

Countries need to fully integrate the SDG agenda at the policy as well as at the programatic level, and therefore it will be imperative for Member States  to not only monitor goals, targets and indicators, but also pass domestic legislations in line with internationally agreed commitments on women’s health.