6 December 2012
Governments Respond to SDG Questionnaire
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The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), has posted responses to a questionnaire on the development of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The three Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that responded - Comoros, Fiji and Haiti - call for participatory consultations at all levels and coordinating the SDGs within the post-2015 development framework.

December 2012: Comoros, Fiji and Haiti responded to a questionnaire on the development of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, hosted by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), posted governments’ responses to the 12 questions contained in the questionnaire, which came from 61 Member States and the EU and its Member States.

On priority areas for the SDGs, Fiji highlights macroeconomic stability and climate change, including both adaptation and mitigation activities. Comoros and Haiti support focusing on: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; improving universal health care coverage; and promoting gender equality. Comoros also suggests: achieving universal primary education; involving youth in creating green jobs; ensuring environmental sustainability; strengthening civil society governance and social cohesion; promoting a green economy; and developing a global partnership for sustainable development. Haiti also lists: increasing sustainable agriculture; providing professional education for all; improving universal access to water and sanitation; increasing the global share of renewable energy; increasing city disaster resilience; accelerating reforestation and protecting biodiversity; and improving the international trade, economic and financial system.

On balancing the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainable development, Comoros and Fiji propose reflecting these dimensions within each Goal. Fiji and Haiti support integrating modified or updated MDGs into a larger sustainable development framework. Fiji also supports the option to expand MDG 7 on environmental sustainability into several goals with a natural resource dimension, including energy, food and water goals. Fiji also proposes, inter alia, donor harmonization. Haiti also supports the incorporation of updated or modified MDGs into SDG proposals.

On key uses for the SDGs in its country, the small island developing States (SIDS) select: helping to balance economic, environmental and social pillars in policy-making and guiding development cooperation (Comoros); defining national policies and addressing key pressures leading to unsustainability (Haiti); and influencing national budget allocations and guiding development cooperation (Fiji).

Fiji and Haiti suggest that common but differentiated targets are most appropriate. For instance, Haiti suggests, a Least Developed Country (LDC) could aim to reduce HIV prevalence by 10% while a developed country could aim for a 50% reduction.

On coordinating the SDGs within the post-2015 development agenda, the SIDS call for participatory consultations at all levels, with Comoros recommending involvement of the Major Groups as defined in Agenda 21. Haiti says any further consultation on the post-2015 agenda should use the SDGs as a guideline.

On a new Global Partnership for Development, Haiti calls for this to define the roles and responsibilities of every party, particularly on resource allocations between developed and developing countries. According to Fiji, the Partnership should be constructed around the SDGs and should be accountable and transparent.

Comoros suggests making reference to the Barbados Plan of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. [Questionnaire Responses]

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