Submitted by: Rukevwe Etikini, Technical Program Advisor

Organisation: Development Initiative for Community Impact (DICI)

Date: July 21, 2025

Introduction

I represented DICI at the UN High-Level Political Forum 2025 held from July 15th to 18th. My participation focused on discussions around priority Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their interlinkages, with emphasis on gender equality, decent work, circular economy, and environmental sustainability. This report summarises key lessons learned and proposes actionable strategies for DICI to integrate into our programs.

1.  Session Participation Summary

July 15 (Day 1) – SDG 5: Gender Equality &

• UN-Habitat shared tools developed to track solid waste, highlighting that 85% of mismanaged waste globally originates from Africa, and they have two major programs addressing this.
• Emphasis on the vital role of communities in localising circular initiatives to achieve SDG 5 and promote environmental justice.

July 16 (Day 2) – SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Presentation of the Responsible Sustainable Consumption Report.
• Decline in child labour rates was noted.

• Tourism’s contribution to GDP was discussed as an opportunity for decent job creation.
• Governments were encouraged to formalise informal jobs to promote decent work and reduce vulnerability.
• The effect of heat on workers was highlighted, with a call to expedite tracking systems for occupational heat impacts.
• There was a call to revamp education systems to prioritise skills acquisition over degree formality.
• Discussions also covered transforming care work to be formalised, linking to the feminisation of poverty and gender equality.
• Canada’s wage equity laws and Egypt’s youth training initiatives were cited as good practices.

July 17 (Day 3) – No One Left Behind? Reassessing Global Commitments in Times of Scarcity

and SDG 14: Life Below Water

• Focused on ensuring equitable progress for vulnerable populations while strengthening commitments to ocean-related targets.

July 18 (Day 4) – SDG 14: Life Below Water

• Emphasised accelerating SDG progress through data for marine ecosystems, with strong links to other SDGs.

Strategic Recommendations for DICI

Based on these insights, the following are proposed strategies to integrate HLPF lessons into DICI’s programs:

Circular Economy s Waste Management (SDG 5 s Environment)

• Pilot Community-led 3R Hubs: Establish community-based Reduce, Reuse, Recycle initiatives in Delta State to manage plastic and household waste, creating jobs for women and youth as circular economy champions.
  • Partnerships with UN-Habitat: Explore collaborations to adopt or adapt their waste tracking tools within our environmental justice programs.

Decent Work s Economic Empowerment (SDG 8)

• Informal-to-Formal Worker Pathways: Design training and certification programs for informal workers to enhance safety (including heat resilience) and enable access to formal job opportunities.
  • Tourism and Youth Skills: Expand DICI’s youth skill training to include modules on hospitality, eco-tourism, and digital tourism in upcoming camps or skills programs.

Gender Equality s Care Economy

• Care Work Formalisation Pilot: Advocate and implement training programs for caregivers, linking them with employers to promote decent work, wage equity, and poverty reduction among women.
  • Gender-responsive Policy Briefs: Develop briefs based on Canada’s wage equity models to advocate for gender-targeted wage equity policies at state and national levels.

Environmental Data s Ocean Protection (SDG 14)

• Coastal Data Collection Initiative: Launch community-based ocean health monitoring in Niger Delta, focusing on marine pollution and plastic waste, integrating youth as citizen scientists.
  • Data for Advocacy: Use collected data to strengthen environmental policy advocacy and amplify DICI’s voice in regional and global SDG dialogues.

Conclusion

Participation at the HLPF provided strategic insights relevant to DICI’s mission of social, economic, and environmental justice. These proposed initiatives will enhance our impact, align with global best practices, and strengthen our positioning in multi-sector partnerships.I look forward to discussing these recommendations further for integration into our program planning and resource mobilization strategies.