16 December 2014: In a report transmitted by the UN Secretary-General, the Friends of the Chair (FOC) Group on Broader Measures of Progress proposes a road map for the development and implementation of an indicator and monitoring framework for the post-2015 development agenda, for January 2015 to 2020. The FOC, which was created by the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC), notes that the UNSC “and its working mechanisms will guide and lead the response to the statistical needs arising from the post-2015 development agenda.”

According to the FOC, the post-2015 development agenda “as currently manifested in the goals and targets proposed by the Open Working Group would pose a significant challenge for even the most advanced statistical systems,” and statistical systems in many developing countries will have difficulty in complying with the associated requirements.

The report calls for the establishment of an Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consisting of international agencies, regional commissions and representatives of national statistical systems, which would: conduct its work in an open and inclusive manner; develop the indicator framework; monitor and report on progress towards post-2015 goals and targets at the global and regional levels; explore the possibilities of partnerships; and regularly review capacity-building activities in statistical areas relevant to SDG indicators, and make recommendations.

The report also recommends creating a High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for post-2015 monitoring, and to establish, under the umbrella of the UNSC, a biennial World Forum on Sustainable Development Data with possible regional and country-level events. It calls for the FOC to continue to provide and facilitate statistical support for the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, as required.

According to the report, an indicator framework or monitoring and reporting global progress on the post-2015 development agenda could be designed based on several principles, including: universality; inclusiveness; scope of the development agenda; interlinkages and cross-cutting issues; “means vs. ends”; and focus on meaningful outcomes. The report also highlights the importance of: taking into account the “significant mismatch” between capabilities of national statistical systems and the ambition to report on a broad set of indicators; basing global and regional post-2015 monitoring on comparable and standardized national data and national reporting mechanisms; and considering the various accountability mechanisms that need to be established for the post-2015 development agenda at the national, regional and global levels.

The indicator framework will be the subject of discussion at an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) of the UN Statistics Division (UNSD) in late February. The UNSC’s 46th session (3-6 March 2015) is then expected to discuss and decide on the road map for developing and implementing the indicator and monitoring framework for the goals and targets of the post-2015 development agenda, and the establishment of appropriate working mechanisms.

The FOC is composed of 24 countries and includes various organizations that participate as observers. The UNSD acts as Secretariat of the Group. [Publication: Report of the Friends of the Chair Group on Broader Measures of Progress (E/CN.3/2015/2)] [FOC Webpage] [IISR RS Story on FOC’s Survey on National Statistical Activities] [IISD RS Story on UNSC’s Assistance to Post-2015 Agenda Negotiations]