24 April 2015: The UN has issued a report on the processes and institutions that will be needed to support the transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in preparation for the UN Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) 2015 Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) on this theme.

The report of the UN Secretary-General on “what it will take” indicates that policy integration must be “the new operational standard,” in consideration of countries’ growing interdependence in food, energy, finance, health and environmental services, which has both opened up development opportunities, and amplified global systemic risks.

The report emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships for delivering on the SDGs, and recommends that UN Member States should: review existing mechanisms for coordinating multi-stakeholder partners; agree on a framework for follow-up and review of multi-stakeholder partnerships; pursue dialogue in both ECOSOC and the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF); and further develop South-South and triangular cooperation, including cooperation with regional and sub-regional organizations.

With regard to the UN system, the report notes that the ‘Delivering As One’ initiative is continuing, and that support to countries can be provided through policy analysis, experience sharing and capacity building. It highlights the role of the regional commissions in: enabling countries that face similar development challenges to share lessons learned; helping countries to translate global goals into policies, guidelines, recommendations and standards that can be implemented at the national level; mobilizing partnerships; and promoting South‐South and inter-regional cooperation.

On follow-up and review, the report notes that discussions among Member States have emphasized the need for a voluntary, State-led, participatory, evidence-based and multi-tiered process to track progress on the SDGs. The report suggests these principles could be applied at the national level, thus informing regional and global-level reviews. It recommends that, at all levels, follow-up and review discussions should be public, participatory, broadly accessible and based on data, scientific findings and evidence-based evaluations.

The 2015 AMR will be convened as part of the ECOSOC High-level Segment, on 9-10 July, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, in conjunction with the third meeting of the HLPF. [Publication: Managing the Transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals: What it Will Take] [2015 AMR Webpage]