Senate forms committee on sustainable development goals

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate unanimously adopted on Tuesday Resolution No. 122 forming a new oversight committee on the government’s sustainable development goals (SDGs), innovations and future thinking.

The resolution also merges two other standing committees — the Committee on Agriculture and Food with the Committee on Agrarian Reform; the Committee on National Defense and Security with the Committee on Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation; and the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources with the Committee on Climate Change.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri sponsored the resolution.

Sen. Pia Cayetano welcomed the resolution, saying that it would help the Senate be “cognizant and conscious” of the 17 SDGs agreed on by members of the United Nations (UN).

“It would be the responsibility of the Committee to at least make sure that the body knows that there are such goals that need to be achieved by way of prioritizing,” Cayetano said.

The SDGs seek to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people will enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

Cayetano added that that the new committee would oblige the Senate to allot time and resources to address issues that could affect future generations.

“That is something that we tend to neglect precisely because, by human nature and survival, we tend to focus on the problems on hand. The objective here is to be planning for the future, to think out of the box,” she added.

/atm