Parliaments are instrumental in ensuring the implementation of the SDGs and therefore should be closely involved in the process. It was in this context that a self-assessment exercise on SDGs was carried out by the Malian National Assembly, using the IPU-UNDP toolkit, Parliaments and the Sustainable Development Goals. Mali is the first African country to undertake this exercise.
The self-assessment was organized by the IPU and took place in Bamako, Mali, on 24 and 25 January 2018. Participants included members of the Committee on SDGs of the National Assembly, the presidents and rapporteurs of parliamentary commissions and groups, women and young MPs, a questor, parliamentary staff, and representatives of the government and civil society.
The exercise helped the Parliament identify priorities for short- and medium-term operational strategies for the implementation of the SDGs. MPs defined actions and concrete goals in the areas of legislation, budget, oversight and representation. Recommendations included creating a communications strategy for the Parliament on SDGs, allocating a budget for their implementation, appointing a focal point for SDGs and carrying out capacity-building for relevant staff.
Other recommendations included the need to involve civil society and parliamentary staff in training on SDGs, requiring the government to provide an annual report on SDG implementation during the budget review, assessing the impact of draft legislation on SDGs and dedicating a day to the most vulnerable during each parliamentary session.
