UNITAR Delivers Strengthening National Reviews and Monitoring & Evaluation Systems for the SDGs Seminar to the New York Diplomatic Community

18 July 2016, New York, USA - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research's (UNITAR) New York Office hosted the seminar “Strengthening National Reviews and Monitoring & Evaluation Systems for the SDGs” on 15 July 2016 at United Nations (UN) Headquarters in during the High-Level Political Forum. The seminar was attended by approximately 50 delegates from Permanent Missions to the UN. Mr. Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR, opened the session expressing that the 2030 Agenda is a challenge to re-think goal achieving methodology in light of the 5 p’s: People, Planet, Peace, Partnership, Prosperity. 

Ms. Marianne Beisheim, Senior Associate with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs presented on the usage of data and data reviews as means to better implement the SDGs. She further stated that the review process must be robust, voluntary, participatory, transparent and integrated and that they must be conducted at every level of Government to thus inspire system-wide accountability. These national reviews will have UN follow up to assess trends, best practices, gaps/barriers, and lessons learned. To successfully implement the SDGs reviews must be based on national level policies that are formed around national target indicators inspired or taken from the SDG indicators. This will help to avoid duplication and waste. A special focus from Ms. Beisheim was placed on the prevention of silos becoming a part of implementing the SDGs and also for inter-ministerial coordination to increase. To best implement the SDGs all men and women in society would be welcomed and involved in a right-based approach to SDG implementation and review. 

Mr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the World Bank Group’s Senior Vice President for the 2030 Development Agenda, addressed the need for more efficient data gathering systems at the national and local levels. Obstacles to this mass data gathering ability are lack of legal framework, lack of government or international support, and lack of rights for citizens to seek out and report needed data. This data is important because it allows all groups involved with the implementation of the SDGs to make macro and micro adjustments to the implementation process. This method of optimization relies on analysis of input to output, and output to impact. Mr Mohieldin concluded his segment by emphasizing the importance that partnerships and well used technology have on the successful implementation of the SDGs.

Ms. Francesca Perucci, Chief of the Statistical Services Branch at the United Nations Statistical Division, stressed the importance of investing in local data collection that accurately informs the national government, the international community, and leads to the achievement of the SDGs. Ms. Perucci also stressed the importance of remembering that leaving no one behind means we must advance the status of those the farthest behind. Following up on Ms. Perucci’s statements, Mr. Felipe Pachón, Technical Secretary for the Inter-Institutional Committee for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda described the data tracking system in Colombia and possible improvements that can be made to it and to other systems around the world. 

Mr. Marco Segone, the Chair of the United Nations Evaluation Group, closed out the second set of speakers with six points regarding data and the SDGs. First, Evaluation is necessary for data to have purpose. Second, Evaluation gives direction and tells us the relevance of data. Third, The SDGs are based on country documentation and this feeds international goal evaluation. Fourth, Policy makers must be involved in implementation and data collection. Fifth, the international community is moving toward SDG inclusion in policy making. Sixth, Evaluation and review systems are still being put together and there is plenty of room of innovation and improvement. 

The Q&A session revolved around transcending the gap from data collection to policy inclusion. The panellists offered simplification of data to fit into politicians’ time-constraints, appeal to politicians’ sense of self-benefit, and the pushing of information into the public sphere so that it is not controlled by those in power alone. 

Ms. Dorothy Lucks, the executive Director for SDF Global and the Co-Chair of EVALSDGs conducted a training session discussing systems-based thinking and how to best adopt and implement this thinking while seeking to achieve the SDGs.   

Photos: Panellists and participants of UNITAR Strengthening National Reviews and Monitoring & Evaluation Systems for the SDGs Seminar to the New York Diplomatic Community.