30 May 2019
Eastern European Countries Release VNR Main Messages
Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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Main messages have been released for all 47 countries that will present Voluntary National Reviews in 2019, including four countries from the Eastern European Group: Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.

The documents provide a brief overview of more comprehensive review documents that are prepared to report on SDG implementation efforts during the HLPF.

The VNRs are scheduled to be presented from 15-18 July 2019, in New York, US.

May 2019: The 47 countries scheduled to present voluntary national reviews (VNR) during the July 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) have released the main messages of their reviews, including four countries from the Eastern European Group: Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for the presentation of VNRs each year to facilitate the sharing of national experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, in order to accelerate SDG implementation around the world. They are presented during the HLPF session that takes place each July under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The “main messages” of the VNRs are submitted ahead of time, providing a brief overview of more comprehensive documents that are prepared by each national government.

Azerbaijan’s main messages note that a set of guidelines was presented to each line Ministry to identify specific work falling within their respective areas of responsibility that contribute to the 2030 Agenda. The government further reports that the country hosted its first high-level forum on sustainable development in October 2018, to discuss practical solutions to challenges involving inclusive economic growth, productive employment, gender equality, youth participation, peace and justice for all, access to clean resources, and tackling climate change. On challenges and areas where support is needed, Azerbaijan highlights data and statistics, protecting and restoring its land ecosystems and promoting their sustainable use, and applying the principles of the circular economy more broadly. Azerbaijan first presented a VNR in 2017.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s messages say the 2030 Agenda is as much about peace as it is about development, and note the development of an SDG Framework that will inform all strategic planning processes for the country. Per the main messages, this Framework is being prepared through an “extensive” consultative process with various institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), the private sector, academia and citizens.

Croatia reports that it has established the National Council for Sustainable Development with a view to coordinating SDG implementation at the highest level of the executive branch. In addition, it created an internet portal to disseminate results related to key sustainable development indicators. The main messages also note the organization of a conference to consult multiple sectors on the contents of its first VNR.

In its main messages, Serbia notes the 2017 formation, within its National Assembly, of a Focus Group for the Development of Control Mechanisms for the Process of Implementation of the SDGs. This Focus Group initiated the first public hearing on SDGs implementation, and the government reports that the Assembly is “becoming the centre stage for public advocacy of the SDGs,” by creating a legal framework and ensuring budgeting for the SDGs, liaising with various stakeholders, and conducting inter-parliamentary cooperation. The government also notes that, in collaboration with the UN development system, it has worked at improving coherence of sectoral and inter-sectoral government policies for the SDGs, and that a regional conference on promoting progress on the 2030 Agenda took place in the country to build momentum for the achievement of the SDGs across the region.

The July 2019 HLPF will take place under ECOSOC’s auspices on the theme ‘Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality.’ According to the draft programme, VNRs are scheduled to be presented from 15-18 July.

All 47 countries that will present VNRs in 2019 have made their main messages available via the UN’s VNR database. [HLPF 2019 Webpage]

This story is one in a series on the main messages of countries that have volunteered to present their VNRs at the July 2019 HLPF.


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