ARGENTINA
Main messages
Introduction
Argentina assumes the 2030 Agenda after a sustained commitment to the provisions of the Millennium Summit. In 2003, President Kirchner resumed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as part of his government agenda, establishing the National Council for the Coordination of Social Policies (CNCPS) as a focal point, having participated since 2013 in dialogues and consultations on the post 2015 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In September 2015, during Cristina Fernández's presidency, Argentina made a commitment to the 2030 Agenda. In December 2015, the Macri Government continued the CNCPS as the governing and coordinating body.
Achievements
In 2016, Argentina formed the National Inter-institutional Commission for the Implementation and Follow-up of the SDGs, led by the CNCPS. From this area, the progress monitoring matrix was established, which includes indicators, public policies and budgetary investment linked to the SDG goals. The alliance with the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses allowed combining the political and technical dimensions that the 2030 Agenda raises. The commitment to “Leave no one behind”, based on the obligations of States with human rights, required multiple approaches: the revision of international goals to guarantee the inclusion of those that explain some vulnerable situation; the revision of the technical sheets of the indicators from the rights perspective; linking the goals of the SDGs in Argentina with the National Plan of Action on Human Rights; training in a human rights approach; the publication of accessible documents on the 2030 Agenda, among others. The localization processes were nourished by the learning developed in this process of implementation and monitoring at the national level, promoting articulation and feedback. The participation of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development have been priority areas of participation for our country.
Challenges
In 2020, the political, economic and social context is completely different from that of the presentation of the first National Voluntary Report. In 2017, Argentina had started a political cycle of neoliberal reinstatement. In December 2019, a new government administration begins, focused on state leadership, democracy and social justice, but in a scenario of social vulnerabilities and economic weaknesses conditioned by unsustainable external debt. This government reaffirmed its adherence to the 2030 Agenda by focusing on the Argentina Against Hunger Program. To which was added the combat to the pandemic of COVID-19.
Argentina implemented early mandatory preventive social isolation measures to prevent the spread of COVID19; construction of 12 Modular Emergency Hospitals began and a special fund was created to acquire equipment and supplies from laboratories and hospitals. It provided support for workers and the real economy. Among the measures adopted are: the increase in items for school and community canteens; the granting of an extraordinary bonus for retirees, pensioners, holders of the Universal Child Allowance and the Universal Pregnancy Allowance; exemption from employer burdens on sectors affected by the pandemic; strengthening unemployment insurance; setting maximum prices for food from the basic basket; Emergency Family Income; the prohibition of outages for non-payment; the provision of credits to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs); mortgage credit facilities; temporary freezing of rentals and suspension of evictions; the creation of the Guarantee Fund for SMEs and the Emergency Assistance Program for Work and Production; the prohibition of dismissals and suspensions for 60 days; among other. Such measures mitigated the consequences of the disease and the collapse of the health system and alleviated the negative economic and social consequences. In the post-pandemic world, Argentina must strengthen its productive apparatus and continue eliminating inherited and aggravated social inequalities by COVID-19. Putting Argentina on its feet requires restoring priorities so that, starting with the last ones, it reaches everyone. Achieving the objectives set by the 2030 Agenda remains a challenge and a horizon for our country.