2 August 2016: Recommendations for future sessions of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) are among the highlights of civil society input and action in recent weeks. They have also offered views and tools on financing for the UN Development System (UNDS), institutional gaps in the UNDS, integrated action to address climate change and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) makes a case for early action to achieve the SDGs, both generally and in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Following the 2016 session of the HLPF, members of global, regional, national and local CSOs have recommended: beginning future HLPFs with the Ministerial Segment, which would include both the voluntary national reviews (VNRs) and adoption of the Ministerial Declaration; providing more time for Member States to engage with each country to promote interactive dialogue and debate, including with major groups and other stakeholders; and ensuring VNRs make the best use of already available information. In their letter to the president of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), they also underscore the role of parliaments in national reviews, and suggest developing guidelines for participation and engagement of all actors at the national level.

On financing, the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation and UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTFO) released the second annual report on “Financing the UN Development System (UNDS).’ The report finds that the majority of UN organizations are dependent on earmarked funding, which influences the planning and execution of budgets and fundraising. On financing the SDGs, the report recommends moving away from fragmented financing, towards more integrated normative policy and operational support, including approaches that facilitate innovative partnerships, results-based programming and impact measurement, coherence across agencies and accountable, transparent financing and participatory budget processes. The report also presents new thinking around financing the UNDS through a series of essays, including from senior UN officials.

Also on financing, Development Initiatives released a paper, titled ‘The role of blended finance in the 2030 Agenda.’ It highlights that blended finance aims to reduce or compensate for risk, which represents a key barrier for increasing private investment and capital flows into developing countries. The paper describes options for using blended finance to target SDG needs, and the potential to improve data availability, transparency and accountability on finance. To ensure that blended financing for the SDGs is effective, Development Initiatives will conduct additional research on “the context and sectors for which blended finance is best suited and ensuring that stakeholders can understand and monitor the impacts,” by October 2016.

On institutional gaps and the UNDS, Global Policy Watch says the negotiations on the 2016 Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR), taking place in October 2016, offer an opportunity for Member States to close institutional gaps in the UN system. The blog highlights proposals to better position the UNDS to implement the 2030 Agenda, including to: address system-wide coherence and increase common planning among UN entities; strengthen coordination and joint planning between development and humanitarian pillars; promote harmonization among administrative practices at country, regional and headquarter levels; ensure that financing for development (FfD) is aligned with UN mandates and strategic plans; and develop a common approach to assessing the effectiveness of partnerships.

“Climate action and SDGs are indivisible” and will require synergistic solutions, the World Resources Institute (WRI) reflects in a commentary. Calling for a “mindset of partnership” between climate and development professionals, the authors argue that addressing climate impacts and building low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure make good investment sense. They recommend: integrating climate and development concerns into national economic planning and policy; developing political narratives that link climate and development goals with national aspirations, and translating them for businesses and citizens; and transforming agriculture, energy, industrial development and transportation to promote good development outcomes, tackle climate change and build resilience.

In an article for the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Natalie Jones argues that eliminating fossil fuel subsidies represents an opportunity to enhance climate action and move to a low-carbon economy, and that it is both more urgent and more easily solved than scaling up renewable energy. From a trade perspective, she explains that such subsidies: impair the relative cost competitiveness of renewable energy; reinforce technologies that impose barriers to development of renewable technologies; and reduce the fiscal space for investment in other energy sub-sectors and distort investment decisions. She recommends that the World Trade Organization (WTO) address fossil fuel subsidies under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) or under a new sectoral agreement on energy subsidies.

On early action to achieve the SDGs, ODI cautions that achieving the SDGs and leaving no one behind will become more difficult if governments delay. In a flagship report, titled ‘Leaving no one behind: a critical path for the first 1,000 days of the SDGs,’ ODI quantifies the benefits of early action, pointing to evidence that an additional US$1 invested in high-quality preschools generates returns of US$6-17. The report also quantifies the estimated cost of leaving no one behind in education, health and social protection across 75 countries, finding that 30 low-income countries (LICs) will require an additional US$70 billion each year to meet costs, and MICs will have to ensure proper allocation of existing revenues. By September 2018, the report recommends, governments should: identify marginalized populations; develop a ‘leave no one behind’ strategy; and ensure oversight via a cross-ministerial ‘leave no one behind’ working group. Over the longer-term, the report recommends sustaining action to address systemic barriers to progress of marginalized people and monitoring stepping-stone targets every three to five years. In a research report, titled ‘Projecting Progress: The SDGs in Latin America and the Caribbean,’ ODI analyzes the region’s progress towards one target of each of the 17 SDGs. It assigns low ratings for the targets relating to the environment, including on combating climate change, protecting ocean habitats and reducing waste.

On the private sector, Swiss Sustainable Finance responded to Switzerland’s presentation on initial steps toward the SDGs, as presented during the HLPF’s voluntary national reviews. From a private sector viewpoint, it noted, the initial steps report provides a road map for implementing the SDGs, emphasizing a firm link to existing policies and programs, an emphasis on partnerships and a plan for the transition phase that allows for establishing monitoring and management processes. Swiss Sustainable Finance highlights opportunities for the private sector to contribute to implementation and catalyze change, and recommends a stronger focus on innovation and creation of investment opportunities to facilitate private investment.

Also on the role of business in delivering the SDGs, the Business and Sustainable Development Commission collaborated with ODI to analyze the role of business in achieving the SDGs. Highlighted private sector contributions include: Unilever’s role in formulating and coordinating a position for business contribution to the SDGs, making them more accessible for the private sector; GlaxoSmithKline’s announcement that it will stop seeking patents for drugs in least developed countries (LDCs), which will make medicine more affordable; and PriceWaterhouseCooper’s SDG engagement survey. The Commission stresses its role in convincing business that the “sustainable development and the SDGs represent the most significant opportunity for market transformation and inclusive growth.”

The Business and Sustainable Development Commission, which launched during the World Economic Forum in January 2016, recently welcomed 12 new members, bringing the total membership to 31. The new Commissioners are: Ho Ching, CEO, Temasek; Begümhan Doğan Faralyalı, Chairwoman, Doğan Holdings; Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA; Helen Hai, CEO, Made in Africa Initiative; Mary Ellen Iskenderian, CEO, Women’s World Banking; Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group; Mads Nipper, Group President, CEO, Grundfos; Cherie Nursalim, Vice Chairman, GITI Group; Ricken Patel, President and Executive Director, Avaaz; Dinara Seijaparova, CFO, National Management Holding, ‘Baiterek’; Hans Vestberg, former CEO, Ericsson; and Mark Wilson, CEO, Aviva. [CSO Letter on HLPF] [Financing the United Nations Development System: Current Trends and New Directions] [The role of blended finance in the 2030 Agenda] [Global Policy Watch Blog] [WRI Commentary] [ICTSD Blog][Leaving no one behind: a critical path for the first 1,000 days of the Sustainable Development Goals] [Projecting Progress: The SDGs in Latin America and the Caribbean] [Swiss Sustainable Finance Presentation] [Business Commission Blog] [Business Commission Press Release]