June 2016: Two countries from the Eastern European Group (EEG) have submitted documents on their forthcoming voluntary national reviews (VNRs) during the 2016 session of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Georgia provided a short document on the process to nationalize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while Montenegro issued an executive summary of its report. The documents are available on the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) platform for inputs to the 2016 VNRs from participating governments, intergovernmental bodies, NGOs and partnerships at an online platform.

Georgia’s document notes that the Government has established a technical working group including experts from different ministries and from the National Statistics Office (NSO) to discuss the process of “nationalization” of the SDGs. The SDGs are being integrated in Georgia’s Annual Governmental Work Plan (AGWP) and other national, multi-sectorial strategies and action plans, it adds. Among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Georgia says it has prioritized 13 Goals and 79 global targets (out of 169) for the next five to seven years. It intends to set-up thematic working groups on Human Rights, Social Inclusion, Economic Growth and Environment Protection, in order to adapt global indicators to national priorities and to define complementary national indicators. The document also notes that Georgia’s NSO (GeoStat) has been working with ministries to collect relevant data and analyze weaknesses of disaggregated statistics, and it has identified 120 indicators as providing baseline data.

Georgia plans to hold thematic meetings with the private sector to help them understand how they can leverage the SDGs. The document reports that meetings took place in five regions of the country, to raise awareness of local governments, the private sector and civil sector on the SDGs.

In its executive summary, Montenegro notes that: a new National Strategy for Sustainable Development (NSSD) has been developed to align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The draft NSSD was adopted by the Government on 28 December 2015, and the final version should be adopted by June 2016.

The summary reports that 41% of the global indicators proposed by the UN Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) can be monitored in Montenegro by 2018. It highlights areas in which the country will need support, including on: strengthening capacities of the Statistical Office of Montenegro (MONSTAT) and other statistical data developers to effectively monitor sustainable development indicators; and mobilizing external sources for financing sustainable development in the country, strenghtening national partnerships and diversifying public and private sources of financing.

In addition to Georgia and Montenegro, 20 other UN Member States will present VNRs at the HLPF, convening in New York, US, from 11-20 July 2016. [Inputs to 2016 VNRs] [Georgia Input] [Montenegro Input] [IISD RS Story on DESA Platform] [IISD RS Story on LAC Inputs] [IISD RS Story on WEOG Inputs] [IISD RS Story on VNR Guidelines]