National mechanisms for monitoring progress and reporting on implementation for the achievement of SDGs

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development stressed that Governments have the primary responsibility for follow-up and review. In the 2030 Agenda, Member States committed to fully engage in conducting regular and inclusive reviews of progress at that national level. National reports will allow assessments of progress and identify challenges and will inform recommendations for follow up at the national, regional and global levels.

The 2030 Agenda also underscored that quality and reliable disaggregated data will be needed to help with the measurement of progress and to ensure that no one is left behind. Such data are key to decision making, as well as to monitoring and reporting on implementation for the achievement of SDGs.

The session will focus on reviewing ways and approaches to systematic and effective follow-up, monitoring and review of the Sustainable Development Goals at the national level, including the development and utilization of statistics and indicators for sustainable development.

It will aim to evaluate the existing work on monitoring and reporting at the national level, share experiences and lessons learned, identify gaps and challenges, and recommend ways and future actions in strengthening national institutions, mechanisms, and statistical capacities for effective monitoring, data collection and reporting on the implementation for the achievement of SDGs, and foster cooperation and partnerships to support capacity building in developing countries.

In this context, Member States agreed to intensify efforts to strengthen statistical capacities in developing countries. Such an agreement is also reflected clearly in target 17.18 which says “By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts”.

Possible questions for discussion:

What successful experience and best practices in your country could be shared in terms of effective monitoring of progress and reporting on implementation for the achievement of SDGs?
What are the difficulties, challenges and gaps that might prevent effective monitoring and reporting on progress of SDGs at the national level?
What concrete actions should be taken with regards to strengthening institutions and capacities of countries, in particular developing countries, for data collection, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of SDGs?

Chair:

H.E. Mr. Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN and Vice President of ECOSOC

Moderator:

Mr. Johannes Paul Jütting, Manager of the PARIS21 Secretariat within the OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate

Panellists:

Ms. Lisa Grace S. Bersales, National Statistician and Head of the Philippine Statistics Authority
Mr. Pali Lehohla, Statistician-General of South Africa
Mr. Georges-Simon Ulrich, Director General of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office

Lead discussants:

H.E. Mr. Milorad Scepanovic, Director-General from the General Directorate of Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro
Ms. Peseta Noumea Simi, Chief Executive Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Samoa