6 March 2016: A total of 21 UN Member States have volunteered to participate in the first national reviews of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as of 29 February 2016. The review will take place during the 2016 session of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF). The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has issued a proposed set of common reporting guidelines for use in the voluntary reviews.

According to the HLPF website, the governments participating in the national reviews in 2016 are: China, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Madagascar, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Togo, Turkey, Uganda and Venezuela.

The proposed voluntary common reporting guidelines were outlined in the UN Secretary-General’s January 2016 report on follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, titled ‘Critical milestones towards coherent, efficient and inclusive follow-up and review at the global level’ (A/70/684). DESA notes that the proposed guideslines are flexible, are meant to serve as a framework to make reporting more uniform and comparable, and can evolve over time.

According to the proposed reporting guidelines, the structure of the reviews could consist of: i) opening statement by a high-ranking Government official to highlight key messages; ii) synthesis of the process and findings; iii) introduction, including setting the context and objectives of the review; iv) methodology and process used; v) policy and enabling environment, such as efforts made to include stakeholders, critical initiatives taken by countries to adapt Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets to their national circumstances, how policies are being designed and implemented to reflect the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development, information on progress and the status of all SDGs, and critical difficulties encountered in reaching them; vi) means of implementation; vii) next steps planned to enhance implementation of the 2030 Agenda; and viii) conclusion presenting a summary of the analysis, findings and policy implications.

The guidelines also suggest that countries include a statistical annex with data, using the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators to be proposed by the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC), and priority indicators identified at the regional and national levels.

DESA has also issued a Questions-and-Answers document about the review. On scope of national reviews, it notes that countries could: choose to focus on strategies and policies that are being put in place to facilitate implementation of the 2030 Agenda; share progress and accomplishments related to activities supporting the Agenda; and outline whether a baseline for the SDGs has been defined.

On reporting, the document suggests that each country being reviewed could present a focused report that would serve as a background to national presentations at the Forum. On data, it clarifies that statistics and indicators are not expected to be a main focus of national reviews, but countries may want to illustrate key elements of the reviews with figures showing trends, as appropriate, and include an annex with data, using national indicators and/or the global SDG indicators proposed by the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC).

On time allocated for the voluntary presentations at the HLPF, the document states that consultations are underway to identify the most effective ways for presenting national reports at the Forum. On participation, it reports that the HLPF will support participation of Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in line with UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/67/290 on the ‘Format and organizational aspects’ of the HLPF but specific modalities for their engagement in national reporting are to be decided by national governments.

On the follow-up of the voluntary national review process, the document notes that recommendations resulting from the national presentations could perhaps be included in a summary of the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as suggested in the UN Secretary-General report on follow-up and review (A/70/684), and could then be used by countries having presented at the HLPF as a source of information, guidance or support for the mobilization of resources, “including capacity building.”

In the 2030 Agenda adopted in September 2015, Member States agreed that the HLPF “will have a central role in overseeing a network of follow-up and review processes” of the Agenda at the global level, and that the HLPF, under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), shall carry out regular reviews that should: be voluntary, while encouraging reporting; include developed and developing countries as well as relevant UN entities and other stakeholders; be State-led, involving ministerial and other relevant high-level participants; and provide a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders.

In an interview on 6 March, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson highlighted the volunteering countries’ commitment to sharing information about “what they are doing” in implementing the SDGs, expressing optimism about the Goals’ translation at the national level in this first year of implementation. Eliasson also highlighted strong and transparent and inclusive institutions as key factors for ensuring successful SDG implementation. [HLPF 2016 Website] [Proposal for Voluntary Common Reporting Guidelines] [Q&A on 2016 National Reviews] [IISD RS Story on UN Secretary-General Report] [IISD RS Story on National Reviews at the HLPF] [IISD RS Story on Follow-up and Review Consultations] [UN Deputy Secretary-General Interview]