The Senior Special Assistant to Governor ‘Seyi Makinde on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Hon Kunle Yusuff, on Wednesday, stated that the state government for using SDGs Concepts to support 20,000 farmers in the state, through the launching of State Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (Oyo-CARES).
Hon. Yusuff made the disclosure in Igbo-Ora, shortly after Governor Makinde flagged off the Annual input support to 20,000 Oyo State Farmers under CARES project at Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igbo-Ora.
He noted that the Oyo State Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus for 20,000 farmers launched by Governor Makinde is a program that responds to crisis arising from Covid-19 and any conflict-related matters.
According to him, the Oyo State CARES is a “Farmers economic empowerment programme,” adding that: “The program is necessarily important because it is all about Goal (1) and (2) of the SDGs Global 2030 Agenda. Goal 1 aims to end Poverty of all forms everywhere within the State, while Goal 2 aims to achieve Zero Hunger.
“The world has seen many crises over the past 30 years, including the Global Financial Crisis of 2007- 2009. Each has hit human development hard but, overall, development gains accrued globally year-on-year. COVID-19, with its triple hit to health, education, and income, may change this trend.
“The pandemic presents both an enormous challenge and tremendous opportunities for reaching the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a roadmap for humanity. They encompass almost every aspect of human and planetary wellbeing and, if met, will provide a stable and prosperous life for every person and ensure the health of the planet.
“The pandemic has also shown us that the wisdom of what is already inherent in the SDGs; the challenges we face cannot be dealt with in isolation. As of 2017, there were 821 million people Chronically Undernourished. COVID-19 has exposed weaknesses in Global Food Supply chains. SDG (1), Zero Hunger is the bedrock of the goals. The crisis has made this goal more challenging, but also presents an opportunity to completely revolutionize development.
“Like a double helix, the SDGs and the COVID-19 pandemic response are intertwined and cannot be tackled by a piecemeal approach. Getting “back to normal” is simply not feasible—because “normal” got us here.
“The crisis has shown us how deeply connected we are to others and to the planet. COVID-19 is forcing us to revisit our values and design a new area of development that truly balances economic, social and environmental progress as envisioned by the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.”
While the beneficiaries were appreciating the State government for the laudable programme, they also used the opportunity to thank the Governor on some of his developmental projects in Ibarapa zone.
