Think Tank for Health and Health-related SDGs inaugurated to accelerate progress towards achieving goals

A Health and Health-related Sustainable Development Goals (HHSDGs) Think Tank has been inaugurated in Accra to speed up the achievement of health and health-related sustainable development goals.

The world is now halfway towards 2030, the year by which the global community pledged to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

However, the SDGs Report 2023: Special Edition shows that the achievement of most SDGs is moderately or severely off track.

Therefore, there is an ever-greater urgency to build momentum, embrace solidarity, and speed up progress on the SDGs.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development outlines 17 interlinked goals to address global challenges. SDG 3 is distinctive, focusing on health and well-being, but its significance extends beyond its standalone status.

The inauguration of the Health-related Sustainable Development Goals Think Tank is geared towards accelerating the achievement of Goal 3 and all the other goals.

The think tank was inaugurated in Accra on Monday, June 3, at a stakeholder engagement held by the University of Cape Coast Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the inauguration of HHSDGs Think Tank, the Director of Research at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. David Teye Doku said it is important to work towards achieving the health and health-related targets in the SDGs.

He explained that this is non-negotiable, adding that the other goals can only be achieved when there is health.

“This is a stakeholders’ engagement and inauguration of Health and Health Related SDGs think tank. This is a think tank like no other. It’s a think tank that has been established with the aim of providing evidence and support for accelerating progress towards the achievement of health and health-related sustainable development goals.

“The health and health-related goals are very critical. Without health, you can’t achieve anything and so this event is meant to bring all stakeholders together to work towards this goal,” Prof. David Teye Doku said.

He noted that the new think tank has been carefully put together with 14 stakeholders from across all sectors knowing that achieving the SDGs cannot be done in isolation.

He said just as collaboration with local stakeholders is important, there is also a need to partner with development partners.

“We cannot do it all by ourselves. We need development partners but we should lead the process and also mobilise local resources that can support us to do this and of course, we are aiming also to work together with development partners to provide funds to support us with technical assistance for the work we do.

“We are aiming that we can influence government policy, we can influence resource allocation for what we do at least for the next six years so that we can catch up to achieve the SDGs,” Prof. David Teye Doku said.

In a keynote address delivered on his behalf, Health Minister Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye commended the University of Cape Coast Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy for bringing together stakeholders to engage on how to collaborate to accelerate the achievement of Health and Health-related Sustainable Development Goals.

He said the Ministry of Health is determined to do its part to help the country achieve the various SDG targets in health.

He said this is why over the years, the Health Ministry has introduced and improved several interventions.

“The Ministry recognises the need for collaboration, partnership and continued engagements with stakeholders to achieve this vision of a healthy population for national development. Therefore, we welcome this meeting of stakeholders to discuss how to strengthen collaboration on how to achieve the SDGs in Ghana and the deliberation of the HHDGS think tank.

“We hope that this meeting will generate actionable collaborative approaches to achieve the SDGs in Ghana. We also take this opportunity to invite the new think tank to be part of our engagements for improving health outcomes for the population of this country,” Dr. Eric Nsiah-Boateng who delivered the address on behalf of Health Minister Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye said.

On his part, Special Advisor to the President on the SDGs, Dr. Eugene Owusu emphasised that health is central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

He said achieving Goal 3 is paramount because health and well-being are important to every country as it enhances Labour contribution towards economic growth.

He said over the years, Ghana has made good progress in the health sector as far as the SDGs are concerned.

He admitted that despite the achievements, significant challenges remain and collaboration is needed.

“To overcome these challenges, we must strengthen our collaboration and harness the strength of all stakeholders. Let me state emphatically that health is the cornerstone of sustainable development,” Dr. Eugene Owusu said.

He urged all stakeholders on the Health and Health-related Sustainable Development Goals Think Tank to use the platform to share ideas and come up with solutions that will help the country achieve the SDGs, especially Goal 3.

“We must recognise that good health underlines all other goals. Accelerating progress towards SDG is an absolute development imperative and needs a focus on health to become achievable.

“Let’s use this platform to share knowledge, and form partnerships towards achieving SDG goal 3 and the 2030 agenda,” Dr. Eugene Owusu said.