11 July 2016: France has submitted its executive summary on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in preparation for the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) at the 2016 session of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The summary outlines France’s SDG accomplishments and challenges, international development initiatives, work on indicators, and next steps.
France is one of 22 UN Member States that will present VNRs at the 2016 session of the HLPF, the first year in which VNRs are taking place. The executive summaries and other documents from volunteering countries are available on the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ (DESA) platform for inputs.
According to France’s summary, the Interministerial Representative for Sustainable Development and General Commissioner for Sustainable Development steered the drafting of the country’s report on SDG implementation, as tasked by the Prime Minister.
On participation and inclusion, it states that national civil society organization entities such as the National Council for Ecological Transition, the National Council for Development and International Solidarity, and the National Advisory Commission on Human Rights were consulted in the preparation of the report. It adds that an online, public consultation, open to all, has been launched, and that Ségolène Royal, Minister of the Environment, Energy and the Sea, in charge of Sustainable Development, and André Vallini, Minister of State for Development and la Francophonie, launched consultative workshops on the implementation of the SDGs, which were attended by over 180 participants.
On the global SDG indicators developed by the UN’s Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), the summary reports that the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), is conducting a feasibility study on their production at the national level. It adds that France adopted, in 2015, ten wealth indicators that cover employment, investment, national debt, health, inequalities, education, environmental protection and happiness.
On accomplishments related to sustainable development, the summary notes that it has achieved a high standard of living and quality of life driven by inclusive social security systems (unemployment benefits, supplementary benefits and redistributive policy) and access for all to healthcare and basic goods and services (water, energy, quality food and education). It adds that the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act provides a legislative framework for France’s voluntary commitment to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, and the country introduced a plan to tackle unemployment by reducing social security charges, improving vocational training, and fostering youth employment.
On sustainable development challenges, the Government remarks that work still needs to be done to reduce social, educational and gender inequalities, maintain healthy ecosystems, sustainably manage natural resources, and tackle unemployment, especially among young people. It states that one in seven households lives below the poverty line (income of less than €960 per month), one in five children is highly vulnerable, and men earn 23.5% more on average than women for the same number of working hours, especially in executive positions.
On international development, the executive summary notes that France seeks to reach the collective EU goal of official development assistance (ODA) of 0.7% of gross national income by 2030, with a special effort made for the least developed countries (LDCs) (short-term target of 0.15% to 0.2% of gross national income). It reports that France has undertaken earmarking an additional €4 billion per year to fund development by 2020, including €2 billion for climate change action, bringing the French Agency for Development’s volume of financial assistance to over €12.5 billion per year. It also notes that the French Agency for Development already achieved its target set in 2013 to support at least 50% of projects with a climate co-benefit.
On next steps, France says that it plans to: develop an SDG national action plan through an inclusive process, and that a committee of multidisciplinary international experts has been set up to inform Government thinking on the development of this plan; regional consultative workshops on SDGs could be held in the fall of 2016; local reviews could be conducted to identify outcomes and challenges related to the 17 SDGs; a participatory internet platform will seek to disseminate good practices and recommendations, monitor progress and rally coalitions; and SDGs could be placed on the agenda of a next Interministerial Committee for International Cooperation and Development meeting.
Out of the 22 countries that will present voluntary national reviews this year, 21 have submitted summaries or other preliminary documents: Colombia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Madagascar, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Togo, Turkey, Uganda and Venezuela. China’s input has not been published yet. The HLPF is taking place from 11-20 July 2016, with the VNR presentations scheduled for 19-20 July. [France Input (in French and English)] [IISD RS Story on Morocco, Norway and Philippines Inputs] [IISD RS Story on Madagascar and Togo Inputs] [IISD RS Story on Egypt, Estonia, Republic of Korea and Samoa Inputs] [IISD RS Story on African Inputs] [IISD RS Story on EEG Inputs] [IISD RS Story on WEOG Inputs] [IISD RS Story on LAC Inputs] [Input Platform] [IISD RS Meeting Coverage]