25 October 2018: Action for Sustainable Development (A4SD) and the UN Foundation have developed surveys to gather stakeholder views on the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in order to ensure effective SDG implementation and engagement. The A4SD survey also explores follow-up and review processes for SDG implementation at all levels.

The HLPF plays a central role in overseeing a network of SDG follow-up and review processes at the global level. In 2019, the UN will hold two sessions of the HLPF: one under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), from 9-18 July, and another one at the level of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), on 24-25 September.

The A4SD survey, prepared in collaboration with Newcastle University, includes a total of 31 questions addressed to civil society stakeholders. The questions focus on follow-up and reviews of the 2030 Agenda implementation at the national, regional and global levels.

The Action for Sustainable Development survey asks how governments continue to engage after their VNR presentations.

At the national level, the survey examines topics such as: the shift in policies and priorities by governments to focus on the sustainable development agenda; opportunities and level of engagement in the follow-up and review and process, including in Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs); and how governments continue to engage after their VNR presentations.

At the regional level, the survey explores items such as: linkages between UN regional follow-up and review mechanisms and VNR countries, including in terms of sharing lessons learned from previous VNR countries; providing opportunities for multi-stakeholder partnerships; and assessing regional challenges and shared regional targets. The survey also includes questions on the effectiveness of various elements of engagement such as giving access for persons with disabilities, organizing outreach in different languages, providing funding to enable stakeholders to participate in official meetings, and strengthening the capacity of national stakeholders to engage.

At the global level, the survey explores engagement opportunities provided to stakeholders on, inter alia, accessing relevant information and documents, participating in formal meetings of the HLPF, and contributing independent evidence, assessments, and reports. It also considers the effectiveness of the HLPF engagement modalities, and calls on stakeholders to provide their views on activities such as: the inclusion of “shadow” or “parallel” reports by stakeholders on the UN’s online VNR platform; the organization of official HLPF sessions aiming to exchange learning experiences between national governments and stakeholders; ensuring a more accessible stakeholder accreditation process; and giving greater opportunities for civil-society-led side events.

The survey is available online in English, French and Spanish, and responses should be submitted by 9 November 2018.

The UN Foundation’s annual stakeholder survey aims to take stock of the 2018 HLPF, and to gather views on how to maintain momentum on SDG implementation and ensure success at the 2019 HLPF sessions and beyond. The survey considers, among other topics: the overall takeaways of the 2018 HLPF; the effectiveness of HLPF events and sessions; aspects of the VNRs and the thematic reviews that are effective and that could be improved; the extent of stakeholder groups’ participation in the HLPF; conditions required to make the 2019 HLPFs and VNRs a success; ways to maximize the effectiveness of the 51 countries that will present their VNR at the 2019 HLPF; and “what we must get right” in 2019 to ensure SDG achievement by 2030.

The survey is available online and responses are due by 31 October.

Beginning in 2019, governments are expected to initiate a process of reviewing UNGA resolution 67/290 on format and organizational aspects of the HLPF and UNGA resolution 70/299 on Follow-up and Review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the Global Level. [Action for Sustainable Development website] [English version of A4SD survey] [French version of A4SD survey] [Spanish version of A4SD survey] [UN Foundation survey] [HLPF website]