The Partners for Review Network (P4R) has launched a report on trends in voluntary national reporting on the 2030 Agenda, based on the 47 reports presented in 2020. The authors find that the VNR process is an “important engine” for countries to accelerate SDG progress, especially if strong follow-up processes are in place.

The report titled, ‘2020 Voluntary National Reviews – a snapshot of trends in SDG reporting,’ notes that countries conducting review processes were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with various impacts. Holding VNR virtually broadened participation in some ways, but limited it in others due to varying digital access for different stakeholders. The pandemic also disrupted statistical activities, which may have affected the evidence base of some countries’ VNRs.

In other findings about national reporting:

• SDG institutional structures and mechanisms have matured and advanced in several countries.
• Countries that report for the first time can now benefit from the body of experience that has been built up globally since 2016.
• Reporting typically increases from one reporting period to the next, with more content provided in the second or third reports. While some second or third reports highlight aspects of SDG implementation that were improved or lessons learned, the authors suggest that “greater continuity between the reports can enable ‘cyclical consideration’ and a structured analysis of progress.” 
• More individual stakeholder groups are reporting on SDG progress, and more countries are engaging stakeholders in VNR-related processes, i.e. the whole-of-society approach. However, many governments still engage stakeholders in “silos” and would benefit from multi-stakeholder (integrated) engagement. The best way for the VNR process to incorporate stakeholder input – e.g. spotlight/shadow reports, private sector reports, voluntary local reviews – is “still open to debate,” the authors write.
• Progress on SDG localization is advancing, as some countries reported making headway in mainstreaming the SDGs at local level. However, further investment is needed to establish local SDG monitoring frameworks, identify existing and new local indicators, and facilitate local data collection.
• Gaps in data and the lack of data availability are still considerable barriers. The report stresses that COVID-19 makes it all the more important to overcome these barriers in order to understand, manage, and mitigate the pandemic’s multiple impacts. As an example, the availability of disaggregated data is compromising compliance with the principle of LNOB, the authors argue.
• The 2020 VNRs indicate that progress has been limited in supplementing and broadening official statistics, and the report notes the need to apply alternative data and raise international support for statistical capacity building.

At a virtual event to launch the report on 30 November 2020, officials and experts shared views on positive trends and areas where national governments can improve their SDG reporting. One suggested that going forward, countries provide more analytical depth when comparing their first and second reports and identifying lessons learned. The quality of the activities reported also should be analyzed, rather than only recounting activities that took place. Finally, in the 2021 VNRs, countries should reflect on their efforts to “build back better” from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Participants also discussed ways for countries to translate the 17 SDGs to their national priorities, and the value of using surveys to focus on people’s priorities. Mapping and modelling tools were also highlighted, including doughnut economics, the Millennium Institute’s Integrated SDGs (iSDGs) model, and the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) rapid integrated assessment (RIA) tool. [Publication: 2020 Voluntary National Reviews – a snapshot of trends in SDG reporting] [P4R website] [SDG Knowledge Hub sources]