Welcome to the United Nations
Italy VNR 2022
Main messages
Italy supports the vision and guiding principles set out in the 2030 Agenda aimed at fostering peaceful, just and inclusive societies, which are free from fear and violence, and strongly reaffirms that there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development. Italy recalls the UN General Assembly Resolution on the aggression against Ukraine and deplores such a shattering blow against the 2030 Agenda, a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity to strengthen peace in larger freedom.
Italy’s second voluntary national review is the result of a year long collective process involving different levels of government and actors and it is aimed at further strengthening the implementation of the 2030 Agenda by analyzing progress achieved so far since the first VNR and by providing a common vision to move forward. This process is built on participatory mechanisms set in place at national and local level to implement the National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) and the Three Year Planning Document for International Cooperation.
Italy’s VNR includes three thematic deep dives on policy coherence for sustainable development (PCSD), on localizing the SDGs through the NSDS and on stakeholder engagement. It also includes voluntary local reviews prepared by local authorities cooperating with central institutions in the NSDS implementation as well as a position paper drafted by the National Forum for Sustainable Development in collaboration with the National Council for Development Cooperation.
The VNR, integrated with the territorial approach, reflects and valorises effective multilevel governance enacted by Regions, Autonomous Provinces and Metropolitan Cities in declining national sustainability objectives at local level. Supported by coordination mechanisms established between central and local authorities, such process is proving crucial to boost a coordinated and deeper integration of the SDGs in national and local planning processes.
The contribution of stakeholders, reflected in the position paper for the VNR, is key to further increase, also by strengthening links with local initiatives, the active role into the policy cycle of Non-state Actors, including youth and under-represented categories.
The severe impact of COVID 19 on the economic and social textures of Italy has halted progress in SDG implementation, widening inequalities and social exclusion, increasing poverty and weakening social capital in particular in terms of education and training. Long months of strict lockdowns affected the most vulnerable, in particular, younger generations, elderly and especially women that have been increasingly overburdened with care responsibilities.
Italy’s efforts to recover from COVID 19, supported by the European Union through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, are aimed at building a more sustainable and resilient future by aligning short and medium term recovery measures with long-term overarching sustainable development objectives. Effective governance mechanisms, both horizontal and vertical, supported by a whole-of-society approach ensure that policy responses for a sustainable recovery are crafted considering interlinkages and potential risks, including spillover and transboundary effects. It is in this context that Italy has decided to institutionalize policy coherence by including a National Action Plan (NAP) on PCSD as an Annex to the NSDS. Elements of the NAP, informed by thorough consultations linked to the NSDS implementation and revision processes, have benefited from the scientific support of OECD through the Structural Reform Support Programme of the European Commission.
A coherent framework of indicators is conducive to pursuing a unitary approach to the 2030 Agenda implementation. Italy can count on a system of “Equitable and well-being indicators” that integrates the traditional economic indicators, as well as on the NSDS set of indicators and the annual SDG National Report compiled by ISTAT, all of which are undergoing a process of mutual fertilization.
International development cooperation is for Italy at the core of the implementation of the external dimension of the 2030 Agenda. The NSDS incorporates our Three Year Planning Document for International Cooperation. Symmetrically the latter fully reflects the principles and vision of the 2030 Agenda, of which it adopts logic, spirit and timeframe.
Italy worked successfully to uphold its development cooperation policy with a considerable growth of its budget share. Its approach is deeply rooted into 2030 Agenda main message of global and equitable development to strengthen peace in larger freedom.
