13 October 2015: The UN Development Group (UNDG) published a guide to mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, for use by UN Country Teams (UNCTs) as they support the tailoring of the 2030 Agenda to national contexts, while protecting its integrity. The approach outlined in the guide – called ‘Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support,’ or MAPS – was developed by the UNDG’s Sustainable Development Working Group, in response to Member States’ request for coordinated support from the UN development system for implementation of the Agenda.

The MAPS approach focuses on policy coherence and multi-stakeholder engagement, based on partnership development, data and accountability.

The guidance provided addresses: building awareness; applying multi-stakeholder approaches for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) integration; tailoring SDGs to national, subnational and local contexts; monitoring, reporting and accountability; creating “horizontal” policy coherence across silos; creating “vertical” policy coherence from the global to local levels, budgeting; and assessing risk and fostering adaptability.

UNDG recommends that the first four of these areas be initiated as soon as possible, “given their core role in landing” the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs at the national level. On monitoring, reporting and accountability, it says the early steps relate to governments following the progress of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) and beginning work toward identifying nationally-relevant and human rights-sensitive indicators, targets, and establishing baseline data.

The publication was authored by Darren Swanson of Novel Futures.

UNDG notes that it will provide further guidance in 2016 on: national reporting; capacity development for data, monitoring and review; and using SDG-based analytical tools. [Publication: Mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Interim Reference Guide to UN Country Teams] [UNDP Publication Page]