Over 85 CSOs deliberate on SDGs attainment

About 86 civil society organisations (CSOs) have joined forces at the fourth Ghana Giving Summit (GGS) to deliberate and proffer solutions toward attainment of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The leadership of these CSOs and NGOs underscored that while the CSO space has played a significant role in efforts toward attainment of the SDGs through philanthropic activities over the years, poor record-keeping, absence of a credible national database and accountability modalities are not only undermining stakeholders’ contributions but also dwindling donor funding support.

The summit highlighted the numerous challenges facing philanthropic work in the country, and discussed radical steps that need to be taken in mitigating the looming danger of dwindling funds for sustainable projects. CSOs and NGOs alike have played various roles in advancing the SDGs, especially SDGs one to six among others.

Key among the proposed solutions is a national philanthropy policy (NPP), which would set standards and modalities for the operationalisation of humanitarian organisations and a code of conduct streamlines activities and harmonises data for continuous donor funding support.

They argued that with only about six years left to meet the 2030 SDGs deadline, the absence of a national policy remains a major impediment to progress toward achieving the targets.

The summit, themed ‘Activating Radical-Local Philanthropy’, emphasised that without adapting radical approaches to streamline the space, the trend of dwindling funding for SDGs will intensify; posing a threat to the sustainability of ongoing projects and jeopardising future ones.

Memberships and Ecosystem Assistant at Worldwide Initiative for Grantmaker Support (WINGS), Prince Nii Afotey, stressed that philanthropy involves dedication and committing time and resources to development and plays a key role in attaining the SDGs

“Global organisations can give us grants for implementing the SDGs; but every implementation must be local because of country differences and the dynamics of social challenges. This explains why local mobilisation, monitoring and implementation are important to achieve these goals.

“Local NGOs cannot qualify for some of the funds on the global stage; and when they do, because of lacking a national policy, the implementation process lacks accountability and credibility – it does not meet the fund reporting requirement,” he said.

National Coordinator for CSOs on the SDGs in Ghana, Levelyn Asiedu, stressed the importance of enhancing impact-reporting metrics to attract the necessary support; emphasising that a collective effort is imperative to bridging the funding gap.

Acting Director-Centre for Strategic Philanthropy and Social Investment (CSPSI), Emmanuel Marfo, advocated for improved data availability – stressing that robust data is not only essential for driving policy formulation but also for attracting crucial donor support.

Presentations on the five SDG pillars

Participants were divided into groups corresponding to the SDGs’ five pillars – people, planet, partnerships, prosperity and peace – to engage in a panel discussion.

The discussions were not only about identifying challenges but, more importantly, finding solutions that can empower these organisations to play a more effective role in achieving sustainable development.

The session ended with presentations and proposals proffering tailored solutions that fit the country’s context.

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