The Monitor began in 2013 as an informal way to update colleagues and close partners on what was happening throughout the SDG process and negotiations — and has since grown to cover what’s happening at the UN in the global sustainable development space more broadly – from SDG follow up and review, to progress on implementation, to the latest in the race for the next SG.

With the first global SDG review moment since the goals were adopted fast approaching (known as the “High-Level Political Forum, or “HLPF”) – please see, below, a brief primer on what to expect, including a sampling of early actions that a handful of governments have taken to gear up for SDG implementation. Just six months into the 2030 era, many are asking what we can expect to hear from governments. This HLPF will be important to show that people outside of New York are paying attention to this process and that they care. It will enable governments to begin to identify gaps in data and measurement challenges, and will hopefully help spur positive peer pressure among governments and other development actors to follow suit.

We also take a brief look below at the status of the indicators process, where the selection process for the next SG currently stands, and official side events around the HLPF. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

HLPF Primer

The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (or “HLPF”), runs from July 11-20, 2016 at UN Headquarters in New York, and is the annual global moment for the UN and development community to review and celebrate progress on the SDGs. While many note that it would ideally have a catchier and clearer name, such as the “Annual SDG Review Conference” – it is nonetheless a key moment for ministers and other development actors to check in on early progress, and share lessons as they embark on this somewhat daunting 15-year journey.

This year’s HLPF marks the first review toward SDG implementation since the goals were adopted. Just six months into 2016, governments are likely to be experimenting with putting the systems in place for delivering such an ambitious and integrated agenda. We expect this first HLPF to be a time to test out new ideas – a time for early adopters to share experiences on how their governments are gearing up for the SDGs –and setting an important example for years to come. By harnessing the power of positive recognition of progress and peer learning, the HLPF can help drive national and local implementation and cooperation efforts to achieve the SDGs.

While we know that the major transformations that the SDGs call for will not happen overnight, we are already seeing some signs of early progress from trailblazing countries. Here is a list of 11 early actions from a cross-section of countries that are gearing up for SDG implementation. (Please note this list is non-exhaustive and we would be pleased to add additional examples).

National Voluntary Reviews

A central part of the HLPF will be “National Voluntary Reviews”, where governments come forward to present reviews of their early SDG progress. 22 countries have volunteered to present their plan this year, which will provide a first window into how those governments plan to integrate the 2030 Agenda at the national level. These countries are: China, Colombia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Madagascar, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Togo, Turkey, Uganda and Venezuela. Many governments have already uploaded their inputs here.

As this is only the first year of implementation, countries will likely choose to focus on strategies and policies that are being put in place to facilitate implementation. Countries will share a written report, but it is not expected that statistics and indicators will be a main focus of reviews this year, though many will highlight efforts to map data gaps and measurement challenges. Governments are likely to share progress and actions supporting the 2030 Agenda, including institutional arrangements, aligning the SDGs with national plans and priorities, policies and programs that are or will be put in place, and whether a baseline for the SDGs has been defined.

Many member state colleagues have said that the National Voluntary Reviews are already working as a useful driver to bring together relevant actors and put the 2030 Agenda high on the domestic political agenda. There is potential for the HLPF to be a useful forcing mechanism to stimulate national implementation and adjust policies, including driving cross‑government discussions between Presidents’ and Prime Ministers’ Offices, line ministries, and parliaments.

Leaving No One Behind

The theme of this year’s HLPF is “Ensuring that no one is left behind”. This theme is meant to be the lens through which progress on all 17 goals is reviewed to help focus the discussion. The call to “leave no one behind” is among the most challenging to achieve, but also one of the most transformative aspects of this new agenda, as many note that the goals will only be realized if we are able to lift up the poorest and hardest to reach populations first. The MDGs saw the least progress in fragile states, regions in conflict, and marginalized populations – so this pledge is an effort to make sure those populations are not left behind this time around.

Participation

Ministers and Vice-Ministers are expected to attend the high-level segment, from July 18-20. While many delegations are still being finalized, we expect a mix of ministries to be represented including Foreign Affairs, Development Cooperation, Environment, Planning, and possibly Finance.  Every four years, there will be an additional HLPF at the Head of State & Government level, with the first one taking place in 2019. The 2019 HLPF will provide high-level political guidance on the Agenda and its implementation, identify progress and emerging challenges and mobilize further actions to accelerate implementation four years in. It will be timed to take place around UNGA to capitalize on government leaders’ presence in New York.

Proposed themes for future HLPF sessions include:

• 2017: Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world
  • SDGs: 1 (Poverty), 2 (Hunger and Food Security), 3 (Health), 5 (Gender Equality), 9 (Infrastructure, Industrialization), 14 (Oceans)
• 2018: Transformation toward sustainable and resilient societies
  • SDGs: 6 (Water and Sanitation), 7 (Energy), 11 (Cities), 12 (SCP), 15 (Biodiversity, Forests, Deforestation)
• 2019: Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality
  • SDGs: 4 (Education), 8 (Economic Growth), 10 (Inequality), 13 (Climate Change), 16 (Peace and Justice)

However, these themes are not yet agreed. Over the course of the negotiations on what future HLPF sessions should look like, some have expressed caution over the perceived “clustering” of the goals, concerned that if not done carefully, clustering could undermine the integrated nature of the agenda. Others have said that we should leave some room for flexibility to allow us to apply lessons learned from this year’s HLPF to future sessions. This is still under discussion.

Indicators Update

In early June 2016, the UN’s Economic and Social Council (“ECOSOC”) met to consider and adopt the report of the UN Statistical Commission’s meetings from March 2016, which included the Statistical Commission’s agreement on SDG indicators. While member states largely received the indicators positively, a few governments referenced respecting countries’ policies, priorities and different starting points – in order to emphasize the importance of national sovereignty. It is also important to recall that the Statistical Commission agreed to the indicators “as a practical starting point” and “subject to future technical refinement,” which is language that carries over into the ECOSOC adoption. So the door does remain open for further refinements to the indicators as needed.

In terms of next steps, there is a lack of clarity among member states about whether it is still necessary for ECOSOC to pass a resolution to more formally “adopt” the indicators, and when precisely the General Assembly will take up the indicators (since ECOSOC does not comprise the full UN membership, while the GA does). This will likely take place before the end of this GA session (mid-September).

It is also not yet clear how specific indicators will be refined beyond the period between now and the next UNSC meeting in 2017, but, the IAEG report to the UNSC reflects a broad understanding that the indicators will need to evolve over the 15 year life of the Agenda based on experiences, lessons, methodological and technological advances. However, we don’t yet know how deep or frequent that refinement may be, and the IAEG has also noted the importance of maintaining consistency over time for reliable measurement.

Next Secretary-General (SG) selection

The process to select the next SG has remained at the forefront of UN news in recent weeks. In early June, Susana Malcorra and Miroslav Lajcak participated in the second iteration of informal dialogues, which were organized by the PGA. Immediately following the dialogues, the PGA acknowledged that some observers were wary that the Security Council might undo the good work of the dialogues, but emphasized that he could not disagree more.

June President of the Security Council, Ambassador Francois Delattre of France, has set July 21 as the date when the first of many expected rounds of secret straw polls will be conducted in the Council to test candidates’ popularity among Security Council members. Ambassador Koro Bessho of Japan, the July Council President, will lead these straw polls. Though the process continues to move forward, there is a sense that there may not be a clear winner until at the earliest October, possibly due to August vacations and the UNGA High-level Summit in September.

At present, there are 11 declared candidates, which can be found on the PGA’s website. However, there is no deadline for entering the race, and there have been rumors that Kristalina Georgieva (Bulgaria) and Christiana Figueres (Costa Rica) may yet declare their candidacy.

A look ahead at special events of the HLPF

There are several events and sessions planned throughout the HLPF to engage the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders along with governments. All stakeholders are also invited to register multi-stakeholder partnerships and commitments in support of the SDGs.

• The official HLPF program is available here.
• The SDGs Learning, Training and Practice sessions on July 11-15 are aimed at capacity building, networking and experience-sharing among high-level speakers and experts on topics related to SDG implementation.
• The SDG Business Forum on July 19, co-hosted by UN-DESA, the International Chamber of Commerce and the Global Compact will convene leaders from business with government and other stakeholders to delve into the role business will play in delivering on the 2030 Agenda. More information is available here.
• The Partnership Exchange organized by UN-DESA on July 18 is a forum to enhance the global partnership for sustainable development and will be open to all HLPF participants. The theme is “Supporting the SDGs through multi-stakeholder partnerships – ensuring that no one is left behind”, and will provide a space for dialogue among multi-stakeholder partnerships and government officials, policy makers, UN entities and major groups, for showcasing the work of such partnerships in support of the SDGs.

Must Reads

Meraz Mostafa, a researcher with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, debriefs from the Poverty Environment Partnerships Conference in the Dhaka Tribune where he says: when it comes to the SDGs, there’s been enough planning, it’s time to act.

Susan Nicolai, Tanvi Bhatkal, Christopher Hoy and Thomas Adey at Overseas Development Institute have published research on Latin America and the Caribbean’s (LAC) likely progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda, noting that LAC is projected to make significant gains on reducing inequalities, ending extreme poverty and expanding energy access.

Daniela Ligiero writes In cities, the New Battlefield for Sustainable Development, Women and Girls Need Help, in the New Security Beat, where she highlights successes from the Women Deliver Conference, which was held in Copenhagen during May, and looks forward to the Habitat III Conference, which will be held in Quito in October.

Casey Dunning of the Centre for Global Development examines which SDGs we’re able to track now. She explains that 42% of the indicators already have an established methodology and regularly produced data, but that the remaining indicators still have major gaps in regard to data and established methodology.

Rolf Alter of the OECD argues that Regions will drive the success of the SDGs and provides disaggregated data which show variances within countries and which points to more focused locations that need work on specific goals and targets, such as employment and life expectancy.

Temitayo O. Peters of Namati, an NGO with offices in Sierra Leone, India, Mozambique, Myanmar and the US, echoes this sentiment and offers four ways regional bodies can help deliver SDG justice commitments, which include promoting multi-sector collaboration and providing a safe environment for peer evaluation.

This month’s print edition of The Economist explains that foreign aid is most effective in poor, well-governed countries, but notes that a large portion of aid is not given to these types of countries. Owen Barder of the Centre for global Development is quoted saying that aid is being used increasingly as a tool of foreign policy, which is problematic considering recent measures that show that foreign aid numbers have been consistently falling in recent years. Falling foreign aid numbers are not unique to development: at the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment in New York, DSG Jan Eliasson emphasized that there is no room for delays in funding commitments to build resilience in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Security Council Report has put together a report on “Appointing the UN SG” that examines the major developments that have occurred since October 2015 in both the General Assembly and the Security Council, related to the process of appointing the next SG. If you would like to sign up for the Security Council Report’s email updates, subscribe here.

NYU’s Center on International Cooperation’s report: Turning Ambition into Reality: Platforms and Partnerships for Delivering Agenda 2030, provides a perspective on the effectiveness and impact of existing partnerships, presenting case studies of 20 partnerships. It summarizes strengths and weaknesses for delivering on the 2030 Agenda’s 5 P’s: People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace, and Partnership.