by Cooperation Canada | Mar 28, 2023 | News, SDGs
The SDG Summit planned in September 2023 will be the second SDG Summit since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015. It will mark the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and raise the alarm on the slow progress toward the 17 goals. Ahead of the Summit, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development will give countries, including Canada, the opportunity to report on domestic actions to implement the SDGs. More details on progress and process are presented below.
Slow Progress on the 2030 Agenda
Multiple factors – the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, and climate change/disasters – all contributed to slowing down or reversing progress that we had made prior to the start of the SDG Decade of Action. This refers to the period between 2020 and 2030 during which progress toward achieving the Goals is accelerated and planning/policymaking is turned into urgent and transformative action. In addition to the 17 goals, 169 targets and over 230 indicators, the SDGs set out three universal values that underpin the transformative ambitions, namely:
- Human-Rights Based Approach
- Leave No One Behind
- Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
Voluntary National Review
A crucial element of the SDG framework is the Voluntary National Review (VNR) that reports on country-level progress toward achieving the Goals. VNRs are meant to encourage countries to learn from each other’s experiences and best practices and to promote greater accountability and transparency in implementation. After submitting its first VNR in 2018 for the period 2015-2018, Canada is preparing its second review, under the leadership of the SDG Unit of Employment and Social Development Canada. The 2023 report will incorporate input from stakeholders sharing their views on Canada’s progress toward achieving the SDGs and challenges that need to be addressed. It will cover all the Goals, with a particular focus on:
- SDG 1: No Poverty
- SDG 4: Quality Education
- SDG 5: Gender Equality
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Together/Ensemble Conference (June)
Together|Ensemble is Canada’s national conference devoted to tracking progress on the SDGs from a domestic angle, including ongoing work across the country, opportunities for impact, and potential partnerships. The conference represents an all-of-society approach to addressing Canada’s toughest sustainable development challenges, bringing together the private sector, academia, government, and civil society. More details will be released shortly.
UN High Level Political Forum (July 10-19)
Canada, along with 39 other countries and the European Union, will officially present its VNR at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), the United Nations’ central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs. The HLPF provides an opportunity for governments, civil society, and other stakeholders to share their experiences and best practices in achieving the SDGs. Cooperation Canada, along with other CSOs, hopes to be engaged in the Forum’s preparations and side events, to illustrate the whole-of-society approach at the heart of the SDG agenda.
SDG Summit (September 5-23)
The 2023 SDG Summit will convene during the United Nations General Assembly and has been dubbed the “centrepiece moment of 2023” by the UN Secretary-General. Whereas the HLPF will be an opportunity to discuss the details of country-level SDG implementation, the SDG Summit presents a space for a more comprehensive review of the state of the SDGs, as well as high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to 2030. The outcome of the Summit will be a negotiated political declaration. While more information is forthcoming, Cooperation Canada will work toward using this as a moment to showcase civil society leadership in the SDGs and demonstrate value that the sector brings.
The 2030 agenda and SDGs rank high on the political agenda in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has long been a vocal supporter and sits as co-chair of the SDG Advocates along with PM Mia Mottley of Barbados. As we forge ahead in the second half of the 15-year mandate of the 2030 Agenda, Canada’s role will be more important than ever to raise the bar for SDG leadership and significantly accelerate progress.
Resources:
by Cooperation Canada | Feb 24, 2023 | News, SDGs
On February 22, 2023, the launch event was held virtually for the seventh edition of the Progressing National SDGs Implementation Report, which aims to provide useful insights and assessment of the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) presented at the HLPF in 2022. The report is the work of 13 organizations from around the world, including Cooperation Canada. The event was attended by over 300 participants from dozens of countries.
In the first part, Oli Henman and Nicolas Sautejeau, who led the research and the drafting of the report from Action for Sustainable Development, kicked off the event by presenting key findings and recommendations of the report. It was then followed up with presentations on the thematic policy briefs:
Following these interventions, time was allocated to fielding questions from the audience. The data and findings presented a snapshot of the trends, obstacles and opportunities that lie ahead on the road to achieving the 2030 Agenda.
The second part of the webinar featured a panel discussion with key experts and practitioners, moderated by Deirdre de Burca. It allowed the audience to hear from a diversity of perspectives from stakeholders in the public sector, civil society, and the UN. The panelists were:
- Richard Osei-Bofah, National Development Planning Commission, Ghana
- Zia Ur-Rehman, Awaz / Pakistan Development Alliance
- Thomas Alfstad, Economic Analysis and Policy Division, UNDESA.
Additional resources:
by coopcanada2020 | Feb 23, 2022 | Joint Publications, News, Publications, SDGs
The Progressing National SDGs Implementation report provides an independent analysis of reporting by United Nations Member States to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Supported by a coalition of civil society organizations from around the world and prepared by Cooperation Canada, the report examines the current status of 2030 Agenda implementation, unpacks trends in reporting and identifies good practice.
This report, the sixth edition of Progressing National SDGs Implementation, aims to provide useful insights and recommendations to inform these discussions and help guide improved implementation and reporting. The review of the 42 VNR reports submitted to the HLPF in 2021, as well as the analysis of 17 VNR-related civil society reports, show both positive and concerning trends. The report covers all aspects of 2030 Agenda implementation through an examination of governance arrangements, institutional mechanisms and stakeholder engagement, policies, means of implementation, and reporting. Key findings, good practice case studies, emerging best practices and recommendations are presented throughout this edition.
Errata:
-Civil society validity check on p. 32 – information attributed to Norway should be instead attributed to Denmark, based on a spotlight report prepared by the Danish 92 Group and Global Focus.
-Civil society validity check on p. 38 – in the report we read “Barwaqo Hussein, LNOB representative”, but the correct title should be “Bawarqo Hussein, representative of the Danish LNOB-coalition.”
by Cooperation Canada | Mar 30, 2021 | Cooperation Canada Publications, Joint Publications, Publications, SDGs
The Progressing National SDGs Implementation report provides an independent analysis of reporting by United Nations Member States to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Supported by a coalition of civil society organizations from around the world and prepared by Cooperation Canada, the report examines the current status of 2030 Agenda implementation, unpacks trends in reporting and identifies good practice.
The fifth edition of the report (2020) showcases positive trends with respect to reporting on partnerships, including the role played by civil society, and policy coherence. However, it also underlines the continued silence by Member States in Voluntary National Review reports on closing of the civic space, as well as the lack of reference to national accountability mechanisms. Moreover, this year’s report discusses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
The interactive, global launch webinar (March 31st, 2021) outlined key findings from the report, offered reflections from representatives from governments, the United Nations, and global and national civil society organizations on the findings and reporting experiences. Moreover, participants provided insights on opportunities for engagement by civil society and other stakeholders at the HLFP and in VNR processes in 2021.
Links:
Key messages
Report and Annexes
Policy briefs
- VNR Report presentation video
by Cooperation Canada | Feb 19, 2020 | Cooperation Canada Publications, Joint Publications, Publications, SDGs
“Progressing National SDGs Implementation” is the
fourth in a regular series of reports commissioned by civil society. The report provides an independent analysis of the 47 English, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic Voluntary National Review (VNR) reports submitted in 2019 to the UN’s High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
Prepared by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation, the report identifies ten key pillars that we believe are essential to the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also recognizes emerging good practice and sets out a range of conclusions and recommendations with respect to how countries can both improve their implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and use the HLPF as an opportunity for mutual peer learning, knowledge exchange and support. Importantly, the review also provides a comparative assessment of how VNR reporting is evolving over time through a comparison of analysis of the VNRs in 2016, 2017 and 2018 with findings for 2019.
This year’s report showcases positive trends with respect to reporting on leaving no one behind and stakeholder engagement. However, it also underlines the continued silence by Member States in Voluntary National Review reports on closing of the civic space and discusses how this impacts the ability of all stakeholders to engage and implement the sustainable development goals.
by Cooperation Canada | Jan 30, 2019 | Cooperation Canada Publications, Joint Publications, Publications, SDGs
Third Edition of Progressing National SDGs Implementation
“
Progressing National SDG Implementation” is the third in a regular series of reports commissioned by civil society. It documents and analyses the 46 English, French, Spanish and Arabic Voluntary National Review (VNR) reports submitted in 2018 to the UN’s High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
The report identifies ten key pillars that we believe are essential to the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also recognizes emerging good practice and sets out a range of conclusions and recommendations with respect to how countries can both improve their implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and use the HLPF as an opportunity for mutual peer learning, knowledge exchange and support. Importantly, the review also provides a comparative assessment of how VNR reporting is evolving over time through a comparison of analysis of the VNRs in 2016 and 2017 with findings for 2018.
