30 April 2015: A Workshop on Building an Effective Review Mechanism for the Post-2015 Development Agenda was convened by the Permanent Missions of Egypt, Liechtenstein, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, the Republic of Korea and Switzerland to the UN, in cooperation with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The workshop for UN Member States sought to create an open discussion on options for the architecture for review and follow-up of the post-2015 development agenda, in particular the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in the context of the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF).

The workshop took place in New York, US, on 30 April 2015. It was the third in a series co-sponsored by the seven governments. In two workshops held in 2014, participants discussed institutional design principles for review mechanisms. This third workshop aimed to help negotiators prepare for the upcoming fifth session of the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, which will focus on follow-up and review. An IISD briefing note served as the basis for discussion.

During the half-day workshop, participants exchanged views and ideas about the roles of the national, regional and global levels in reviewing the post-2015 development agenda, and how they can work together. Participants also identified topics that will likely need to be resolved after the September 2015 adoption of the agenda.

Closing the meeting, May-Elin Stener, Permanent Mission of Norway, said participants had stressed that: reporting burdens should not be increased, and duplication should be avoided; existing mechanisms and platforms should be explored; information must be taken into the HLPF from each level to ensure meaningful monitoring; and progress toward the SDGs is in the interest of all Member States and all people.

Moderator Mark Halle, Executive Director of IISD-Europe, said the discussion had addressed “some of the most important material in the international system,” and that the SDG review mechanism is a key part of implementing and achieving the goals. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [Publication: Architecture for review and follow-up of the SDGs: Options for the High-Level Political Forum]