22 June 2016: Madagascar and Togo have submitted preliminary inputs ahead of their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) at the 2016 session of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). In the executive summary of Madagascar’s forthcoming presentation, and the preliminary version of Togo’s full report, the governments note challenges in terms of their respective capacity building and resource mobilization for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation.
Madagascar and Togo are among 22 UN Member States who will present voluntary national reviews this year at the HLPF. Their contributions are available on the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) platform for inputs to the 2016 HLPF.
Madagascar reports that it Prime Minister launched an SDGs institutional framework in July 2015. The Prime Minister instructed the establishment of a Steering and Monitoring Committee, as well as a Technical Committee. The Steering and Monitoring Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister, and the Technical Committee (TC) is chaired by the Minister of Economy and Planning. These structures are composed of various stakeholders (ministries, private sector, civil society organizations (CSOs), academia, technical and financial partners), and supported by the UN System, including the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
According to the summary, the Government organized a first national SDG consultation from 24-26 August 2015 in Antananarivo, with the aim to: assess how the SDGs are reflected in the country’s national development plan; discuss SDG indicators and monitoring and evaluation; and present a roadmap for SDG implementation in Madagascar. A second national consultation, organized by the Ministry of Economy and Planning with the support of UNDP, took place from 6-8 June 2016, and included a training on SDGs prioritization tools and their use in development strategies and policies. The training targeted government departments, private sector representatives, CSOs, academia, youth representatives, NGOs, development agencies, and technical and financial partners.
In addition, regional and local consultations took place in the first semester of 2016 in four regions (Menabe, Itasy, Amoron’i Mania and Diana) out of the 22 regions of the country. According to the summary, these consultations helped to raise awareness among development actors on SDG issues and their implications at the regional and local levels, and to gather views on priorities related to SDGs and their targets. Other thematic and sectoral consultations are planned in the coming months.
On monitoring and evaluation, the summary reports that the Ministry of Economy and Planning and the National Institute of Statistics have updated the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics with the support from the UN system and the World Bank. This strategy seeks to provide a monitoring framework for development outcomes, and for SDG targets at the national, sectorial and regional levels. The Government plans to include SDG monitoring and evaluation as part of its National Monitoring and Evaluation System and of its budgeting process. It also intends to prioritize indicators that are measurable and affordable for the country, the summary says.
On means of implementation, the summary indicates that the Government has initiated reforms for the management of public finance, supported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other technical and financial partners, and is preparing a medium-term strategy for domestic resources mobilization. It also notes the country’s commitment to continue efforts to mobilize resources, and take steps to discourage custom frauds and improve public expenditure management.
In the preliminary version of its full report, Togo announces that its Government has launched a process to develop its national development plan (2018-2022), which will replace the national strategy for accelerated growth and the promotion of employment (2013-2017), and will integrate the SDGs. In this context, indicators have been defined, and Goals, targets and indicators are prioritized, the report says.
The report notes that the Government has conducted several initiatives for the integration of the SDGs in national planning instruments, such as: awareness raising on the 2030 Agenda and SDG integration in planning documents, targeting Parliamentarians and other actors; the organization of a training for national and sub-regional stakeholders on tools and methodologies for integrating SDGs and their targets in planning processes; and the launch of a national comprehensive community development program to meet communities’ social needs.
On next steps, the report states that the Government intends to: validate and adopt its national development plan; submit this plan to donors for funding and seek other funding sources, including from the private sector and the diaspora; develop guidelines for integrating SDGs into planning processes; provide capacity building on integrating SDGs into planning; and establish a monitoring and evaluation system for SDG implementation.
Out of the 22 countries who will present voluntary national reviews this year, 17 have submitted summaries or other preliminary documents: Colombia, Germany, Georgia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Madagascar, Mexico, Montenegro, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Togo, Turkey, Uganda and Venezuela. The HLPF will take place from 11-20 July 2016, with the VNR presentations scheduled for 19-20 July. [Input Platform] [Madagascar Input (in French)] [Togo Input (in French)] [IISD RS Story on Egypt, Estonia, Republic of Korea and Samoa Inputs] [IISD RS Story on African Inputs] [IISD RS Story on EEG Inputs] [IISD RS Story on WEOG Inputs] [IISD RS Story on LAC Inputs] [IISD RS Story on HLPF Preparations and Programme]