Representatives from countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) that will present their Voluntary National Reviews (VNR) at the July 2020 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) convened for a workshop for strengthening national capacities to address opportunities and challenges associated with the VNR process.The meeting was organized by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile, from 3-4 February 2020. The workshop aimed to go beyond VNR preparation, adopting a more strategic approach regarding “second-generation VNRs” and focusing on national-level appropriation and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The workshop addressed: identification of national and sub-national priorities and gaps; statistical and data capacity for measuring the SDGs aimed at evidence-based decision making; integration of the SDGs into planning and budgeting schemes; evaluation of the SDG financing architecture; and multi-actor participation and commitment.

Government representatives from ten of the 11 countries that will present their VNRs in 2020 attended the meeting, namely Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, government representatives that have presented VNRs in past year shared their experiences and lessons learned.

Representatives from ECLAC, the private sector, and civil society also participated in sessions that addressed planning, financing for development, and data and statistics. UN Resident Coordinators from the region provided insight into their role and experience in supporting countries to deliver on the 2030 Agenda, examining: lessons learned and links between VNR processes; regional, national and sub-national strategies; and available policies, tools and opportunities, particularly UN contributions.

The workshop identified recommendations to address sustainable development challenges for the beginning of the UN Decade of Action for the SDGs, which requires accelerating sustainable solutions to achieve the SDGs by 2030, and addressing such challenges as reducing poverty and inequality, achieving gender equality, fighting climate change, and closing financial gaps.

The meeting, organized with support from the Government of Germany, was held in advance of the fourth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, which will take place from 28-31 March 2020, in Havana, Cuba. [ECLAC Press Release]