Some suggestions on the zero text in regard to Follow Up

I did promise some thoughts on the Follow Up section of the zero draft. These are initial comments which I have put in bold I have used the text from the establishment of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development for 11bis but replaced Agenda 21 with the SDGs. This intersessional workign group on MOI which existed from 1993-2002 was a success and might be the best way of monitoring the MOI aspects of the SDGs and those elements in the FfD process that apply to them. Integrating the MOI discussing and in particular financing with the HLPF will eb critical to its success. If the finance process is happening somewhere else then the chances for implementation of the SDGs will diminish.

I have added a paragraph (para 5bis)  in on corporate reporting to bring it in line with the Secretary General Panel of Eminent Peoples recommendation on this. What is being proposed here is already being undertaken by the major exchanges in Brazil, China, India, Thailand and South Africa and promoted by the European Union and in particular Denmark, France and the UK. This is infact unfinished business from Rio+20. 

On the issue of Partnerships there is not enough time and brian space for member states or stakeholders to revist the Commission on Sustainable Development 11 decision on partnerships. I suggest that is done by ECOSOC and that a robust  set of criteria for partnerships is agreed (14 bis) . The approach from after WSSD showed that a 1000 flowere bloom was a very bad idea..as most died. In a paper i did for UNDESA I looked at those partnerships that succeed and cam up with a suggestion that there should only be 169 partnerships one per target. That the goals should be assigned to relevant UN agency or progarmme to oversee as 'Task Managers' this will enable a focused approach to the role of partnerships and a proper accountability structure. 

Finally on capacity building UNDP in the ten years after Rio 1992 ran a very successful programme called Capacity 21. I believe we need something similar to this to help implementation of the SDGs. I am suggesting this should be a joint programme of UNDP and UNDESA (15ter). 

III. Follow-up and Review

1. A robust, effective, inclusive and transparent follow-up and review framework, operating at the national, regional and global levels, will promote effective implementation of this Agenda and accountability to our citizens.

2. All member states will engage voluntarily in review processes, taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities. As national ownership is key to achieving sustainable development, outcomes from national-level processes will inform reviews at both regional and global levels.

3. Follow-up and review processes shall be guided by the following principles:

a.       They will address progress in implementing the goals and targets, including the means of implementation, in a manner which respects their integrated and inter-related nature.

b.      They will maintain a longer-term orientation, identify achievements and critical success factors, support countries in making informed policy choices and mobilize the necessary means of implementation and partnerships;

c.       They will be open and inclusive, supported by an enabling environment for the participation of all people and stakeholders.

d.      They will build on existing platforms and processes, evolve over time and minimize the reporting burden on national administrations.

e.       They will be rigorous and evidence-based, informed by data which is timely, reliable and dis aggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts. Support for developing

countries, particularly LDCs, to strengthen national data systems is critical.

National Level

4. Building on existing reporting and planning instruments, such as national sustainable development strategies, we encourage all member states to develop ambitious national responses to the SDGs and targets as soon as possible.

5. Each member state could, at least once every four years, conduct robust and inclusive reviews of progress, based on a publicly available government progress report and complemented by

contributions from ( delete: civil society, academia, local government) (insert Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders), the UN system, (delete private sector and other actors). National Parliaments can play an important role in review processes as well as other national institutions such as National Sustainable Development Councils and local authorities.

5 bis. We encourage the creation of national regulatory frameworks on Economic Environment Social and Governance (EESG) practices aiming at ensuring that companies listed on stock exchanges report or explain their EESG practices and policies by 2030. Technical support and capacity building would be needed to facilitate the establishment of national regulatory frameworks, especially when applied to larger companies with global reach and systemic impact, and the uptake of EESG reporting for micro small and medium enterprises, mindful of national circumstances.

Regional Level

6. Follow-up and review at the regional level can, as appropriate, provide useful opportunities for mutual learning, cooperation on trans-boundary issues and discussion on shared targets. Regional reviews, including peer reviews, insert with the active engagement of Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders, can draw on national-level reviews and contribute to follow-up and review at the global level, including at the High Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF).

7. We encourage all member states to identify the most suitable regional forum in which to engage, using existing regional mechanisms including UN regional commissions where possible. We encourage the HLPF, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to discuss, at its meeting in 2016, progress in establishing regional reviews of the Agenda.

Global Level

8. The HLPF will be the apex of a global network of review processes, working coherently with the

General Assembly, ECOSOC and other relevant actors, in accordance with existing mandates. It will facilitate sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, and promote system-wide coherence and coordination of sustainable development policies. Adequate linkages will be made with the follow-up and review of UN Conferences on LDCs, SIDS, LLDCs and countries in special situations.

9. We reaffirm that the HLPF, under the auspices of ECOSOC, shall carry out regular reviews of progress in line with Resolution 67/290. Reviews will be voluntary, while encouraging reporting, and include developed and developing countries as well as relevant UN entities. They shall be State-led, involving ministerial and other relevant high-level participants. They shall focus on assessment of progress, achievements and challenges faced by developed and developing countries, and provide a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders.

10. Thematic reviews of progress may also take place at the HLPF and in other inter-governmental forums, including the ECOSOC functional commissions and other relevant subsidiary bodies and mechanisms. These reviews will be aligned with the cycle and work of the HLPF, where possible.

11. Sufficient time should also be given at the HLPF, under the auspices of ECOSOC, to review progress on implementing the means of implementation of this Agenda [to be updated following the Third International Conference on Financing for Development].

11.bis insert Establish an ad hoc, open-ended working group, meeting for a week and composed of Governments to report to the HLPF to review the Means of Implementation of the SDGs taking into consideration the outcome from Financing for Development. This body would undertake the following tasks:

• To monitor and review the requirements, availability and adequacy of financial resources for the implementation of different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking into account the multi-year thematic programme of work of the HLPF, as well as projects, programmes, activities and sustainable development strategies prepared by Governments, in order to provide a suitable and common basis for action on the part of all Governments, bilateral funding agencies and States members of the governing bodies of the agencies and programmes of the United Nations system, as well as multilateral regional and subregional development banks and funds dealing with the issues of environment and development;
• To monitor and analyse various factors that influence the flow of financial and economic resources, such as debt relief, terms of trade, commodity prices, market access and private foreign investment, as well as to review mechanisms for innovative financing, taking into account activities at the national level;
• To develop, on the basis of the above, a policy framework for the mobilization of financial resources towards a balanced implementation of all aspects of the SDGs that would, inter alia, assist Governments, where appropriate, to implement their sustainable development strategies.

12. Follow-up and reviews at the HLPF would be informed by the Global Sustainable Development Report, the scope and methodology of which will be agreed as soon as possible. An annual SDG Progress Report will be prepared by the UN Inter Agency and Expert Group on SDG indicators, based on data from national statistical systems.

13. Meeting every four years under the auspices of the General Assembly, the 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. The next HLPF, under the auspices of the General Assembly, will take place in 2019, with the cycle of meetings thus reset, in order to maximize coherence with the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review process.

14. In line with Resolution 67/290, the HLPF will support meaningful participation in follow up and review processes by civil society, the major groups, the UN System, relevant multi-stakeholder partnerships, the private sector and other stakeholders.

14.bis insert We instruct ECOSOC to review the Commission on Sustainable Development 11 decision on Partnerships and take into consideration the Bali Guidelines on Partnerships and update the instructions for Partnerships in light of the lessons learnt over the past fifteen years.

15. We also welcome the on-going ECOSOC Dialogues on the Longer Term Positioning of the UN Development System and look forward to discussing these issues in the forthcoming Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review process, as the main vehicle to give guidance to the UN system’s country level work.

15. bis insert To help with implementation we request the Secretary General to assign the overseeing of the SDGs to the relevant UN Agency and Programme under a Task Manager approach (similar to Agenda 21)

15 ter insert To enable better implementation we call for the creation of Capacity 2030 (similar to UNDPs Capacity 21) which would support developing countries implementation of the SDGs and targets. UNDP and UNDESA to coordinate Capacity 2030.

16. We request the Secretary General to prepare guidelines for national reports and review processes. We also request the Secretary General to provide recommendations on the organizational arrangements for state-led reviews at the HLPF under the auspices of ECOSOC, including steps to improve complementarity, coherence and efficiency of follow-up and review processes at the global level in the area of sustainable development.