20 October 2015: The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) launched a consultation directed at Major Groups and other stakeholders on follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Based on a questionnaire, the consultation seeks to informally contribute to the preparation of the UN Secretary-General’s forthcoming report on follow-up and review.

The questionnaire on ‘Critical milestones towards a coherent, efficient, and inclusive follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda at the global level’ is available until 15 November 2015. Responses will be posted on the UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.

The questionnaire includes sections on: institutional responsibilities for follow-up and review, at the levels of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF); overarching annual theme of the HLPF, versus thematic reviews of progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) to be carried out by the HLPF; HLPF National Reviews of implementation; regional reviews and processes; and inclusion of the UN system and other stakeholders in the global follow-up and review.

The UN Secretary-General’s report was called for in ‘Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ (paragraph 90), which requests the UN Secretary-General, “in consultation with Member States, to prepare a report, for consideration at the 70th session of the General Assembly in preparation for the 2016 meeting of the HLPF, which outlines critical milestones towards coherent efficient, and inclusive follow-up and review at the global level.”

According to the agreement, the report also should include a proposal on the organizational arrangements for state-led reviews at the HLPF, under the auspices of ECOSOC. [DESA Major Groups Webpage] [Questionnaire]