CEO NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant and United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, Yuri Afanasiev, will sign the Government of India-United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) for 2018-2022, at a special signing ceremony on September 28 at NITI Aayog premises. The signing ceremony would be presided over by Vice Chairperson, NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Members of NITI Aayog and will be attended by the heads of UN agencies in India.

Government of India-United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (SDF) 2018-2022 outlines the work of UN agencies in India, to support the achievement of key development outcomes that have been identified in consultation with the government and are aligned to the national priorities. The NITI Aayog is the national counterpart for the UN in India for the operationalization of the UNSDF. Nineteen (19) UN agencies have signed on the UNSDF 2018-2022. 

The UNSDF 2018-22 comprises of seven priority areas that outline the work that UN agencies will undertake jointly or individually, fully aligned with the priorities of the GoI. The seven priority areas outlined in the UNSDF are: 1. Poverty and Urbanization; 2. Health, Water, and Sanitation; 3. Education and Employability; 4. Nutrition and Food Security; 5. Climate Change, Clean Energy, and Disaster Resilience; 6. Skilling, Entrepreneurship, and Job Creation; and 7. Gender Equality and Youth Development.

(The full UNSDF document can be found at: http://in.one.un.org/)

Sustainable Development Framework establishes UN India cooperation with NITI Aayog as national counterpart and seven shared development priorities. Government of India and the United Nations formalized a Five Year Sustainable Development Framework with NITI Aayog as the national operational counterpart; nineteen UN agencies endorsed the Framework. The Framework specifies seven priority areas-poverty and urbanization; health, water and sanitation; education and employability; nutrition and food security; climate change, clean energy and disaster resilience; skilling, entrepreneurship and job creation; and gender equality and youth development-to guide UN agency activities aligned with national priorities.