VNRs

Leveraging SDG 17 to strengthen and improve the VNR process

Agenda:

Two lively panel debates will invite panelists to share the perspectives of governments, UN agencies, civil society and others with regard to the implementation of key SDG 17 commitments in different regional and national contexts. Panelists will explore the extent to which a full operationalization of these SDG 17 key commitments would greatly enhance the ability of civil society and other stakeholders to engage more effectively with national VNR processes, and ultimately to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs by 2030.

Objectives of Side Event:

This side event will focus on examining how the operationalization of SDG 17’s key commitments on capacity building, multi-stakeholder partnerships, technology transfer and financing for development could significantly increase CSO effectiveness in engaging with VNR follow up and review processes in the context of Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

During this side event Forus will also launch its new report entitled “Leveraging SDG 17 & CSO Capacity Development to accelerate SDG implementation.”

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Si3kqt_bSgal1Q4CTIAziQ

More info:

The annual review of SDG 17 by the UN HLPF highlights the importance placed by the international community on the 2030 Agenda’s aim to “Strengthen the Means of Implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.” 

The concept of ‘Means of implementation’ describes the interdependent mix of financial resources, technology development and transfer, capacity‐building, inclusive and equitable globalization and trade, regional integration, as well as the creation of a national enabling environment required to implement the new sustainable development agenda, particularly in developing countries.   

SDG 17 has 17 targets to be achieved by 2030, broken down into five categories: finance, technology, capacity building, trade and systemic issues (including policy coherence for sustainable development , multi-stakeholder partnerships etc). 

Civil society organisations around the world believe that unless SDG 17’s key commitments are fully operationalised, there is a very real danger of the significant underachievement of the SDGs by 2030, particularly given the devastating impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic in recent years. 

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. 

[VNR Lab] 2021 National Experience of the Voluntary National Review (VNR) Process: Tunisia

This lab will focus on the Voluntary National Review (VNR) preparation process in Tunisia, highlighting the methodology and principles of the country’s VNR report, preparation process and follow-up actions. The VNR lab could also reflect on the impact on COVID-19 on the VNR preparations and SDG implementation.

Concept Note: sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/28245VNR_Lab16_Concept_Note.pdf

Registration: forms.office.com/r/a5WMZPqiXb

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com. 

[VNR Lab] Path to Equal: New Measurement Framework on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Only nine years remain to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and greater efforts are needed to diagnose the root causes of structural gender inequality, identify game-changers and spur further commitments. New gender indices produced by UN Women and UNDP provide powerful tools for this pursuit. Together, they illustrate a country’s status in achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment. The dimensions and indicators selected for the indices are universally relevant and complement the policy efforts of the 2030 Agenda. This lab will highlight some of the findings from this work and its relevance for the preparation of VNRs, particularly in their assessment of the different forms of discrimination that women and girls face and its impact on society and on accelerating progress in achieving the SDGs.

More information: unwomen.org/en/news/events/2021/07/event-path-to-equal-new-indices-on-gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment

Register here: unwomen.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QHhVS8-CQ_aRdhEzNOGXxw

Concept Note: sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/281672021_VNR_Lab_14_Concept_Note.pdf

Speakers:

  • Ms. Céline Jacquin, Head of the Department of Evaluation of Geographic Information and the Environment, National Institute of Statistics and Geography, Mexico
  • Mr. William Komu, Chief Economist, SDGs Coordination Directorate, The National Treasury and Planning, Kenya
  • Ms. Jeyran Rahmatullayeva, Head of the Apparatus of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, Azerbaijan
  • Ms. Ginette Azcona, Lead, Data and Statistics, Global Reports, Research & Data Section, UN Women

Moderated by H. E. Ms. Hoda Al-Helaissi, Member of Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. 

[VNR Lab] National experience of the Voluntary National Review (VNR) process: Japan

This lab will focus on the Voluntary National Review (VNR) preparation process in Japan, highlighting the methodology and principles of the country’s VNR report, preparation process and follow-up actions. The VNR lab could also reflect on the impact on COVID-19 on the VNR preparations and SDG implementation.

Concept Note, Program and Speakers: Link

Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/bKgy4pYS0S

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org.

Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy

The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy will be held on 5 and 6 July 2021.

Register here: unctad.org/meeting/intergovernmental-group-experts-consumer-protection-law-and-policy-fifth-session

The session will open at 10 am on Monday, 5 July, in room XIX of the Palais des Nations. The extent of physical and/or virtual participation will depend on the prevailing conditions at the time.

Background and purpose of the meeting

In line with the agreed conclusions adopted by the Eighth United Nations Conference to Review All Aspects of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices (TD/RBP/CONF.9/9), held on 19–23 October 2020, the deliberations at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts will focus on the following topics:

  • a) Report on the implementation of the United Nations guidelines for consumer protection by member States and relevant stakeholders;
  • b) Latest developments in legal and institutional frameworks: UNCTAD world consumer protection map;
  • c) Report of the working groups on consumer product safety: modalities for the prevention of cross-border distribution of unsafe consumer products and on consumer protection in electronic commerce;
  • d) Report of the working group on modalities of UNCTAD voluntary peer reviews of competition and consumer protection law and policy;
  • e) Consumer protection needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers in connection with public utilities;
  • f) Consumer law, policy and regulatory actions in response to and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • g) Voluntary peer review on consumer protection law and policy: Chile;
  • h) Review of capacity-building on and technical assistance in consumer protection law and policy;
  • i) Provisional agenda for the sixth session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy;
  • j) Adoption of the report of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy

This meeting is open to all member States of UNCTAD. Other organizations, including specialized agencies, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations in the general category may participate as observers.

Online registration, at Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy, fifth session, is mandatory for all those wishing to attend the meeting and is required for inclusion in the list of participants. Early registration (before 25 June 2021) is advisable so that timely approval may be received for the issuance of a ground pass to the Palais des Nations.

Registration requires uploading an official letter of nomination to represent an organization at this meeting. For government representatives, a note verbale or an email from the permanent mission concerned in Geneva will suffice. Further enquiries regarding registration should be sent to the UNCTAD secretariat, Intergovernmental Support Service, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10; email: meetings@unctad.org.

Substantive and other inquiries should be addressed to the UNCTAD secretariat, Competition and Consumer Policies Branch; fax: +41 22 917 0044; email: jacqueline.bouvier@unctad.org.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. 

Open Virtual Meeting of the IAEG-SDGs

Dear Colleagues,

The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) is pleased to announce an open virtual meeting of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on the Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDGs). The meeting is open to all countries, international and regional agencies and entities, and other stakeholders.

Please visit the event page for more information and kindly register—which includes the opportunity to submit questions for the Q&A session with IAEG-SDG members. Please feel free to share this information with interested colleagues.

Regards,
UNSD

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org.

High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2021

The high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The meeting of the HLPF in 2021 will be held from Tuesday, 6 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Tuesday, 13 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021 as part of the high-level segment of the Council.

The theme will be “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.

When information on registration and participation becomes available, it will be available here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2021#registration

The HLPF in 2021 will discuss Sustainable Development Goals 1 on no poverty, 2 on zero hunger, 3 on good health and well-being, 8 on decent work and economic growth, 10 on reduced inequalities, 12 on responsible consumption and production, 13 on climate action, 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, and 17 on partnerships in depth. The Forum will also consider the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the 2021 HLPF, participants will be able to explore various aspects of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the various measures and types of international cooperation that can control the pandemic and its impacts and put the world back on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030, within the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.

Countries will also carry out voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the 2021 HLPF. For more details, please click here.

The HLPF will adopt a Ministerial Declaration as the outcome of its session. The President of ECOSOC will also prepare a summary to capture the key messages of the discussions. For more details, please click here.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO  Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. 

Youth-led Action Research (YAR) on the Impact of COVID-19 on Marginalised Youth in 9 Countries in the Asia Pacific

The Asia Pacific region is home to more than 700 million young people. About 85 million come from marginalized backgrounds, living in extreme poverty, having little to no access to education, employment, health care, and social protection, and facing barriers to meaningful opportunities to engage in decision-making processes that affect their lives. Disconnected from their peers and pushed to the margins, youth took a serious hit due to the profound impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to face significant disruptions and changes on multiple fronts- at home, in their community, and in the economy. They will continue to feel the weight of this crisis for a long time.

The Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE) recognizes the immense value of youth as equal partners in promoting transformative youth and adult work and strong lifelong learning systems and creating a better world. ASPBAE is well-positioned to serve as a source of support for youth and as a platform through which their voices and needs can be conveyed and amplified, even and especially during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthening the voice and agency of youth in education policies and processes has been a priority of ASPBAE and is a huge part of its work and advocacies.

It is against this backdrop that ASPBAE invites you to its virtual side event:

Youth-led Action Research (YAR) on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Marginalised Youth in 9 Countries in the Asia Pacific

Register here!

This side event will bring together youth and youth organizations, national and local governments officials, international organizations, civil society organizations, parents’ and teachers’ associations to deepen understanding of the new and challenging realities that marginalized youth are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the different aspects of their lives. The event specifically aims to:

✱ Share stories and recommendations of marginalized youth on how to place education, decent work, and social protection at the centre of the agenda towards recovery and resilience

✱ Discuss measures that governments, decision-makers, and other relevant stakeholders can take to finance and prioritize the recommendations of youth

✱ Appraise the VNRs of 12 countries in the region through an adult learning and education (ALE) lens looking into the integration of youth and adult learning and education in the implementation of the SDGs

✱ Discuss the financing of education based on the recommendations from the youth-led action research

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights, please visit childrightsny.org.

Massive Online Open Course: Stakeholder Engagement for 2030 Agenda Implementation

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): Strengthening stakeholder engagement for the implementation and review of the 2030 Agenda

A partnership between the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) of UNDESA and UNITAR, this Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) aims at reaching out to a high number of governmental officials and other stakeholders such as UN staff, local governments, civil society and others who expressed an interest in taking this course.

The learning objectives of the course are:
1. To describe the rationale behind the need for Governments to engage with major groups and other stakeholders in formulating and reviewing SDG policies;
2. To learn how to map key national stakeholders with a special focus on those who are the furthest behind;
3. To assess the relevance of different models of engagement practiced by other countries as part of VNRs in their respective countries;
4. To identify practical ways to engage with key national stakeholders, including vulnerable groups, in the context of preparations for VNRs;
5. To develop long-term strategies for ensuring continuous stakeholder engagement as part of regular national review processes for the SDGs.

The MOOC is structured in three modules:
• Module 1. Understanding the need for stakeholder engagement in the 2030 Agenda at the national level
• Module 2. Learning about approaches and tools for strengthening stakeholder engagement for the SDGs
• Module 3. Designing successful strategies for stakeholder engagement in national implementation and review processes for Agenda 2030

Register now here: https://bit.ly/MOOCSE2020b

a2030@unitar.org

Kind regards,
Division for Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org

 

[HLPF virtual lab] Aligning reporting processes: VNRs & international human rights mechanisms

Aligning reporting processes: Voluntary National Reviews and international human rights mechanisms
2020 HLPF VNR LAB
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations in New York are pleased to invite you to a showcase of best practices in aligning VNR reports with reporting to and engagement with the international human rights mechanisms. Speakers will demonstrate how such strategic alignment can lead to concrete benefits such as improved quality of reporting, reduced reporting burdens, increased participatory nature of reporting, and accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The event will take place on Monday, 13 July, at 8am EDT (New York time) / 2pm CEST (Geneva) / 7pm (GMT +7, Bangkok)
SPEAKERS
  • Amb. Alexander Marschik (chairperson of the event), Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations in New York
  • Francella Strickland, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, International Relations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Samoa
  • Amb. Alejandra Solano Cabalceta, Director General of Foreign Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Costa Rica
  • Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, Ukraine
  • Judith Ekaete Umoh, Secretary, African Disability Forum, Executive Director, FACICP Disability Plus, Nigeria
RESPONDENT
  • Mahamane Cisse-Gouro, Director, Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
#StandUp4HumanRights
*Followed by an interactive discussion in English

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