July 2018: The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is inviting submissions of best practices, success stories and lessons learned on SDG implementation so far. DESA aims to collate stories from various sectors and stakeholder groups in an “evidence-based stocktaking” in preparation for the 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

Noting that the world is now three years into the SDG era, DESA’s call seeks to answer the questions of where society stands and whether we are on track to meet the ambition of the Goals. Submissions will be accepted between 1 November 2018 and 28 February 2019, then analyzed by an inter-agency team. The results will be published online and a selection will be showcased at an event held in the lead-up to the 2019 HLPF.

According to guidance from DESA, submissions can: identify implementation gaps and constraints or show ways to address them; feature practices that may be replicated or scaled up; or look at steps that can be taken to accelerate progress. Stories should describe the title and linkages to SDG targets, geographical coverage, key stakeholders involved and impacted, the results, impacts and spillover effects, as well as enabling factors and constraints that have accelerated or hindered the project or initiative being described. [Call for Submissions]