In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent Ukrainian crisis, many Sub-Saharan African countries, including Burundi, are grappling with economic slowdowns. These external shocks pose significant challenges, from rising food and energy prices to decreasing foreign investments and public aid for development. The United Nations, recognizing the critical need for resilient solutions, is supporting the Government of Burundi in an initiative designed to address these challenges.
At the heart of this initiative is the Millennium Institute's iSDG model. Customized to mirror Burundi's socio-economic and environmental dynamics, this model will aid in creating and implementing strategies that not only counter the impacts of these crises but also promote sustainable development. By tailoring the iSDG model, the project enables coherent, synergistic, and intersectoral policy interventions that align with Burundi's national strategic goals and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
Training and Capacity Building
One of the initial steps in the development of the iSDG-Burundi model was a training workshop for the Government of Burundi conducted in March 2023. It served as an avenue to familiarize key stakeholders with the model, highlighting its role in integrating economic, social, and environmental dimensions into policy analysis and development strategies. The workshop is a testament to the inclusive approach the project embodies, emphasizing collaboration and capacity building among government bodies, academic institutions, and other stakeholders.
Goals and Objectives
The project has several key aims:
Policy Identification: The project aims to identify crucial public policies and programs for realizing national strategic development goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Investment Estimation: It seeks to estimate the public investment required to implement strategic options and interventions necessary to accelerate progress toward these goals.
Awareness and Engagement: The project results will serve as an awareness-raising tool for stakeholder engagement, and as a catalyst to stimulate political debate towards achieving national strategic goals and the SDGs.
The long-term goals of the project include strengthening effective and efficient national systemic analysis capacity, which will facilitate national development efforts in Burundi. The project also aims to institutionalize integrated policy analysis at the national level. This will provide a solid foundation for integrating evidence-based policy analysis into government planning and budgeting processes.
In the next phase, we are actively engaged in data collection to calibrate the model and enable simulations and assessments of the National Development Plan (NDP). This ongoing work will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of policies and their alignment with Burundi's development goals.
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