12 July 2016: On the margins of the 2016 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), representatives of governments, UN agencies and institutional stakeholders discussed actions for monitoring progress on the means of implementation (MOI) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, during a side event organized by the Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development (IATF).

Discussion at the event, which took place on 12 July 2016, in New York, US, addressed: ways in which the IATF’s report can be used to support deliberations at the HLPF; ways in which the Task Force’s analysis of thematic issues should relate to the 2030 Agenda; whether the IATF should include a greater emphasis on MOI for those Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are under priority review by the HLPF in any given year; and modalities in which the Task Force could engage with sub-national and local authorities, civil society and business.

The Task Force published its inaugural report in March 2016, presenting a three-pronged approach for its monitoring activities: a discussion of the global context and its implications for the follow-up process; an overview of progress in implementation in each chapter of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) on financing for development, while covering the broader set of commitments and action items in an online annex; and an analysis of thematic issues. UN Member States endorsed this approach at the inaugural UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Forum on financing for development follow-up (FfD Forum) in April 2016. Since then, the Task Force has started preparing Issue Briefs to take stock of progress in implementing FfD and MOI commitments, and has conducted preparatory work for the online annex.

Opening the IATF’s discussion with Member States and stakeholders, Thulani Nyembe, Permanent Mission of South Africa, expressed support for greater emphasis on the MOI for those SDGs that are under priority review by the HLPF in any given year. He asked the IATF to release its report several months ahead of the FfD Forum.

Adebayo Babajide, EU, suggested the IATF report be released after the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and international financial institutions publish their data for the respective year, so it can be informed by the most accurate information. Consequently, he proposed that the FfD Forum take place closer to the HLPF. Babajide further stressed the need for: the HLPF to pay “full attention” to the recommendations provided by the FfD Forum, which should be based on the IATF report; consistency between the FfD Forum and the HLPF themes; and reviewing progress on MOI for all the SDGs every year, not only for those under priority review by the HLPF.

Paola Simonetti, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), said: the scope of the Task Force’s report should be broader than the AAAA to include all the FfD commitments made since Monterrey; FfD follow-up, through the IATF report, should complement the outcome-oriented SDG follow-up, by focusing on the qualitative aspects of implementation, such as policies, mechanisms, and institutions to deliver on the 2030 Agenda. She noted that the IATF report should inform the FfD Forum, which should inform the HLPF, in turn.

Shari Spiegel, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), said the FfD online annex will report on all the FfD outcomes, not only on the AAAA, and that the 18 Issue Briefs will constitute the basis of the online annex. She announced that 13 of the Issue Briefs have been published already, with the remaining five to be published over the summer.

The IATF was established through the AAAA to report annually on progress in implementing the FfD outcomes and the MOI of the 2030 Agenda, and to advise the intergovernmental follow-up on progress. The Task Force is comprised of more than 50 UN agencies, programmes and offices, regional commissions and international institutions, with DESA’s FfD Office serving as its coordinator and substantive editor. IATF is supported by other institutional stakeholders such as the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The HLPF is taking place from 11-20 July 2016, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, under the theme ‘Ensuring that No One is Left Behind.’ [IISD RS Sources] [FfD Forum Website] [IATF Website] [IISD RS Meeting Coverage]