Starting Strong: Asia Dialogue on the first 1000 days of the SDGs
Reflections from the moderator! Spent two days in Club Palm Bay Marawila , Sri Lanka facilitating a workshop with the above title organized by Southern Voice , ODI and CEPA . Do not be fooled by the pictures on the hotel site – the weather was wet and gloomy, and while we were safe from the disasters of floods and landslides affecting the rest of Sri Lanka, there were tensions of flying into the storms, and travelling across flooded by-roads. Dr Saman Kelegama, Executive Director of IPS and a speaker in the session on Mobilising Partnerships and Resources to achieve the SDGs, completed the last part of his journey to the venue in a boat! So the weather was a constant reminder to all of us of the importance of the SDGs – and how vital it is to address the social and environmental aspects of development alongside the economic if we are to sustain people on this planet. I have many take-aways from the two days, and I would like to share a few of...