On 1 December the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments in cooperation with the Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation has organized discussion on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals adopted at the end of 2015. They have been adopted in order to ensure welfare, equality and provide educational possibilities for people in the whole world. These aims are to be implemented until 2030 and included in the national planning and funding framework. The discussion was organised in the framework of the project “Working together towards empowering local and regional governments for effective development outcomes in EU partner countries”.
The discussion was opened by the Mayor of Jelgava city, Mr Andris Rāviņš, who has stressed, that sustainable development goals should be included in the development planning documents of Latvia. It is already happening at the state level: in the “Sustainable Development Strategy of Latvia until 2030” there are included issues connected with sustainable development goals. Such priorities are also included in the “National Development Plan of Latvia for 2014–2020”, and municipalities are invited to include sustainable development priorities in their planning documents as well.
Deputy Head of the Cross-Sectoral Coordination Centre Mr Vladislavs Vesperis has stressed, that priorities brought forward by Latvia are closely related with sustainable development goals, as they meet today’s situation. He said, that reforms are being implemented in education, health care, and implementation of these priorities will be continued further by the government. Likewise, the Secretary General of the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments Mrs Mudīte Priede has emphasized, that Latvian municipalities understand they should work locally, but think globally. “Latvian municipalities are implementing actively development cooperation projects, and they are very interested in bilateral cooperation with Eastern Partnership countries,” revealed Mrs Priede.
At the second part of the discussion the participants participated at the ”social exercise” lead by journalist Mr Sandijs Semjonovs. At the center of discussions there were issues on tax system and investments of large enterprises in Latvia.
Mrs Zane Zaceva, Project Assistant