Reviewing SDG achievement at the governorate level (2025 Update)

Objective

To strengthen local commitment to the 2030 Agenda by aligning it with governorate priorities and establishing a roadmap for local development action.

Overview

The preparation of the 2021 VNR included monitoring SDG progress at the governorate level. Two approaches were adopted to measure progress:

• Creating a Development Achievement Index, which compared locally available SDG indicators with global indicators. The VNR report showed each governorate’s performance on 16 SDGs, revealing disparities and specific challenges and needs across governorates.
• Creating a local Development Perseverance Index comparing and ranking the performance of all 18 governorates.

To provide a clearer picture of the results, seven governorates were selected for in-depth analysis: Nineveh, Sulaymaniyah, Anbar, Baghdad, Karbala, Dhi Qar, and Basra. For each governorate, a detailed analysis of specific challenges and advantages was presented along with data sets and key development priorities.
Data collection relied on the 2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS).
In preparing the 2025 VNR, Iraq continued to assess SDG performance using both indices. These tools enabled a systematic assessment of achievement levels and performance gaps at the national and governorate levels. The 2025 VNR includes three levels of analysis:

• Progress at the international level.
• Progress at the national level (Iraq).
• Progress at the local level (Iraqi governorates).

These levels of analysis supported the adoption of international, national and local approaches to measuring gaps, diagnosing causes and challenges, and finding solutions through innovative policies that shape future pathways.

Implementation Phase

Guiding Principles