KATMANDU, Dec 14: Business leaders have said that the private sector was ready to join hands with the government and other stakeholders for achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Speaking at a conference entitled 'Role of Private Sector in the Era of Sustainable Development' organized jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) along with two other organizations in Kathmandu on Tuesday, they said that the government should create an enabling environment for the private sector to make their contribution for global development agenda.
"Private sector is ready to commit and contribute for creating a better and sustainable future by helping others to grow together with us," Pradeep Kumar Shrestha, vice chairman of Panchakanya Group, a leading business group of the country, said in the conference.
"But the government should create an enabling environment for the involvement of the private sector in achieving SDGs," added Shrestha, who is also the vice chairman of Confederation of Asia Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
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. The 17 global goals, born at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 and agreed upon by 193 countries in 2015, are built on the success of the Millennium Development Goals with a conclusion that more needs to be done to improve people's life in a sustainable way. The world has vowed to achieve these goals by 2030.
"There is a huge possibility for us to go together with the government in achieving the SDGs. But, we (private sector) need rewards, incentives and opportunities, instead of only obligations," Merina Ranjit, a senior manager at CG Corp Global, said.
Also speaking at the conference, Anil Keshary Shah, the president of Nepal Bankers' Association (NBA), said that the private sector in Nepal was capable of taking development at the grassroots level. "If you see all the developments taking place, these are all the contribution and hard work of the private sector of Nepal," added Shah.
Yuba Raj Khatiwada, former vice chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC), said that the private sector has bigger role than the government in achieving the SDGs. "From creation of jobs to investment on enterprises, private sector can mobilize resources to end poverty as well as achieve all goals pursued by the world," he added.
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