New Delhi, Apr 20 (IANS): The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a joint statement of understanding on localisation of Sustainable Development Goals.

Panchayati Raj Secretary Sunil Kumar signed the agreement with UNDP Resident Representative Shoko Nodaon on the final day of the Iconic Week Programme on April 17.

The programme was organised as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) celebrations that commemorates the 75th year of India's Independence.

"Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) have been a critical component of local self-governance across rural India and we have witnessed the contribution of these institutions in achieving last-mile connectivity and execution of various schemes of different line department or ministries. SDGs too can be achieved only if we actively involve PRIs.

"We thank UNDP for their collaborative support in the Iconic Week of AKAM. And further we look forward to their increased and continued engagement with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to strengthen monitoring of SDGs at the grassroots," said secretary Sunil Kumar while signing the agreement.

Shoko Noda said that the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 can happen only if we consider local context and situations. The MoPR-UNDP partnership will help in keeping local priorities on top of the agenda, while planning and implementing programmes," she added.

As per the Joint Statement of Understanding, MoPR and UNDP will collaborate in the areas of knowledge sharing, capacity building and strengthening monitoring mechanisms among others and is expected to provide further impetus to the work of UNDP on SDG localisation.