KARACHI: Organisations representing civil society expressed concern on Monday over the lack of political will and slow progress towards implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Representatives of variousorganisations discussed the issues at a consultation meeting organised by the Pakistan Institution of Labour Education and Research (Piler) and Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) with the support of the United Nations Development Programme at the former`s headquarters.

Karamat Ali of Piler said the SDGs were interlinked and theirprioritisation must be integrated.

He said the quality of education could not be improved without structural reforms that provided social and economic security to people as poverty was the root causebehind theratioofdropping out and lack of enrolment of children in schools.

He said that despite being an agricultural economy, Sindh seri-ously suffered from malnourishment; its children and women were more vulnerable.

Punhal Sario of the Sindh Hari Porhyat Council said structural and economic reforms and stability of democracy were the core principles for sustainable development.

Writer Muqtada Mansoor said there was a need to change powerstructure and electoral system to allow marginalised sections to be part of legislation and policymaking. He said the existing electoral process did not allow the hegemony of feudal lords and tribal chief tains to be challenged, therefore, he suggested that for the implementation of SDGs, it was necessary to empower the local government system.