Background
The 2030 Agenda and Voluntary National Reviews
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda), adopted by United Nations Member States in 2015, is an integrated plan of action for people, planet, prosperity and peace, and for a stronger global partnership. The 2030 ِAgenda does not only focus on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); it goes beyond them to establish a set of targets and indicators to monitor progress on the implementation of each of those Goals. Countries around the world have made a commitment that their Governments would “have the primary responsibility for follow-up and review, at the national, regional and global levels in relation to the progress made in implementing the Goals and targets” (paragraph 47 of the 2030 Agenda), within a voluntary, effective, participatory, transparent and integrated framework.
The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) plays a central role in overseeing follow-up and review activities at the global level. The forum is held annually in New York in July under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, and every four years under the auspices of the General Assembly. A number of reports are issued to follow up on the progress of implementing the 2030 Agenda at the global level, including the Sustainable Development Goals report and the report of the Secretary-General on progress made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The United Nations publishes the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) every four years, to address the science-policy aspects of sustainable development.
In the Arab region, the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development (AFSD) is the main regional mechanism for supporting the implementation, follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda. ESCWA organizes the forum annually in cooperation with the League of Arab States and United Nations agencies working in the Arab region, and publishes the Arab Sustainable Development Report every four years in cooperation with United Nations organizations working in the Arab region.
At the heart of this framework are the voluntary national reviews (VNRs). The VNR is a tool used to monitor progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and to report on the achievement of the SDGs and their respective targets and indicators. In paragraph 74, the 2030 Agenda called for VNRs to be guided by, inter alia, a participatory and evidence-based approach, a focus on people, gender sensitivity, respect for human rights and a focus on the poorest, most vulnerable and neglected groups.
The VNR can be a tool to catalyse and accelerate the work of both Governments and civil society in implementing the 2030 Agenda. It is an opportunity to correct action and policies, and to align national priorities with the SDGs.
A VNR is not merely a report submitted to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). It is an ongoing and extensive process, which often includes activating coordination mechanisms between various institutional structures to launch a national dialogue on development priorities and bring about positive change in development planning and budgeting. In some countries, preparing the VNR has strengthened the participatory approach between the Government and various stakeholders. Some countries have even replicated the experience of the VNR at the subnational level by localizing the SDGs in governorates or municipalities and issuing reports known as voluntary local reviews.
By 2023, a total of 330 VNRs had been submitted to the HLPF, 35 of which had been prepared by 21 Arab countries.