1 April 2016: The UN’s Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IEAG-SDGs) initiated the next steps towards implementing the global SDG indicators agreed by the UN Statistical Commission. The IAEG-SDGs, holding its third meeting, addressed the classification of indicators according to data availability and existing methodologies, in order to identify statistical capacity building needs over the next 15 years. In the coming weeks the Group will establish bodies on data disaggregation, statistical data and metadata exchange, geospatial information, and interlinkages.

IAEG-SDGs 3 took place from 30 March-1 April 2016, in Mexico City, hosted by the Government of Mexico. The meeting followed the 47th Session of the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC 47), in New York, US, from 8-11 March 2016, which agreed with a proposal of 231 global indicators for the SDGs “as a practical starting point.”

According to a summary of the meeting from the UN Department of Social Affairs (DESA), officials from DESA, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico (INEGI), and Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed the Group. Lenni Montiel, DESA, noted the importance of data disaggregation in the global indicator framework, to ensure that no person or group is left behind. He welcomed the creation of a working group on data disaggregation, which will be a subgroup of the IAEG-SDGs. Julio A. Santaella, INEGI President, called for strengthening the leading role of National Statistical Offices (NSOs) and for incorporating geospatial information into the national, regional and global SDG indicator frameworks. He encouraged the formation of partnerships with other stakeholders, to explore how new data sources can be developed and incorporated into the statistical work on indicators.

According to the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC Executive Secretary, reaffirmed the commitment of the five UN regional commissions to support countries in establishing regional positions and to facilitate global consensus on the design and perfection of the SDGs indicators. Bárcena highlighted the need to: integrate the SDGs into national development planning and fiscal frameworks; address the SDGs’ means of implementation in difficult economic contexts, including the fight against tax evasion; leverage science, technology and innovation (STI); enhance the regional architecture for the follow-up of the 2030 Agenda, through the Regional Fora on Sustainable Development; and strengthen statistical capacities to increase the usage of traditional and non-traditional data.

DESA reports that the Group discussed the classification of indicators according to the current availability of data and internationally agreed methodologies for their compilation, in order to guide the efforts of the global statistical community on production of the indicators and capacity building. The IAEG-SDG also discussed mechanisms for future methodological reviews of global SDG indicators, to allow transmission of data on SDG indicators from the national to the global level.

According to meeting documents, as a next step, the IAEG-SDGs will set up the sub-group on data disaggregation, as well as three working groups on statistical data and metadata exchange, geospatial information, and interlinkages. While the data disaggregation subgroup is open only to IAEG members, the three working groups are open to other countries, international organizations and stakeholders by invitation, based on level of expertise and area of work. The deadline for expressing interest in joining the four groups is 15 April.

On finalizing the tier system, IAEG-SDGs members and observers are expected to provide comments on the current proposal for the tier system by 25 April for Tier 1 indicators (those for which an established methodology exists and data are already widely available) and Tier 2 indicators (those for which a methodology has been established, but data are not easily available). The Secretariat will request agencies to provide tools and reporting mechanisms and will provide responses by 2 May. These will be revised by the IAEG-SDGs, together with additional info on Tier 3 indicators (those for which an internationally agreed methodology has not yet been developed) by 31 May, aiming to finalize the initial tier system by 29 July. The IAEG-SDGs aims to review and finalize plans proposed by international agencies to develop methodologies for indicators in Tier III by 15 September 2016.

The Group also agreed: to collect “scenarios” on data flows from national to international level, by 30 April; develop a plan for reviews of the indicator framework, to be presented to UNSC 48 in March 2017; and once the process of adoption of the global indicator framework by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA) is completed, to take into account the specific proposals for refinement based on decision 1(e) of the Statistical Commission.

The next IAEG-SDGs meeting will take place in the fall of 2016. [ECLAC Press Release] [DESA Press Release] [Work Plan and Next Steps] [Meeting Agenda, Documents, Video] IISD RS Coverage of UNSC 47] [IISD RS Sources]