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  • What are good examples for fostering partnerships, including public-private, that can lead to implementation and development results at the global, national and local levels?
  • How can multi-stakeholder partnerships be effectively established and taken into account to facilitate the implementation of development priorities?
  • What elements will be needed to ensure accountability within partnerships for managing responsibilities, commitments and expectations for the implementation of the SDGs?
17 Feb 2015 - 17 Mar 2015

Comments (84)

Judith Blau
Sustainable development can only be achieved as countries realize fundamental human rights for their own populations and as rich countries help poor countries with development.
Ashwini Sathnur
Ashwini Sathnur

Sustainable development technological innovative solutions could be created by business, civil society organizations, NGOs and government agencies. These technological innovations are then forwarded to the government / NGOs. The government / NGOs , on receipt of these innovative solutions, produce the solutions' related information in an information gathering system / application which could be on desktop or mobile. The collection of data is carried out at regular intervals of time. At the end of each regular interval of time, national contextual data is captured and forwarded to the UN organizations i.e transferring the national data onto an international platform level. This is an international monitoring level. Data from one nation is captured into a monitoring information international technology tool. Then the data from the second nation is entered into the tool. This goes on till all the nations' data is collected into the tool. Finally monitoring and evaluation is carried out on the basis of technological innovations received . This is a scientific measurement which furnishes the depth of technology, technological progress of a nation, economic progress of a nation and also the competitiveness of a nation at the international level.

Judith Blau

Use Donor Requirements for SMART Performance Indicators to Drive Global Statistical Comparability

Major development donors increasingly require "SMART" (Specific-Measurable-Achievable-Relevant-Time bound)performance indicators (PIs) as a pre-requisite for project acceptability and funding. SMART PIs are the basis for subsequent monitoring and control of the progress of project implementation.

In the context of aligning individual projects with SDGs, donors should ensure that SMART indicators are chosen at
the project level to include at least one measurable/indicator that directly feeds into the data repository from  which SDG-relevant statistics are generated. Donors should insist on this requirement as a prerequisite for funding.

The data repository should facilitate the upload, storage and visibility of project level data. The accumulated project level data inputs may then represent either the source of truth, or a valuable cross check on official statistics.

Donors should also require project level target data (i.e. time bound forecasts)  to be entered - based on the SMART principle- into the data repository at project inception. Actual data for comparison should follow at regular intervals as projects progress. Transparency at the micro level facilitates accountability and accuracy at both the micro and macro level.

It will indeed be difficult to agree on (or even envisage) global targets that can be aligned for data gathering
down to the micro-level of individual projects. However, the greater the international alignment created, the better.

A set of "best practice" targets, measures and data definitions that are available for use in the central repository and from which donors and project managers can choose as the basis for obligatory SMART performance indicators is the starting point for achieving global standardization. As an interim step to uniform global
standards, clusters that recognise heterogeneous starting points may be appropriate, as long as we do not compromise the vision for global targets and measurables.

The cloud based information technology is available (and cheap!) to achieve the required degree of data
coherence and transparency. Private sector IT giants should be convinced to assist in developing standard open source platforms for data and to provide the required user access, data security and reporting tool solutions.

The political will at various levels to align with best practice requirements may not be achievable. However the
donor community may be the best "motivators" under the motto "the person who pays the musician decides which tune is played".

 

What is good for the Donor is Good for the Recipient Too

Donor requirements that are clearly aligned with and roll into global indicators also lower the burden of reporting for aid recipients and project coordinators in a multi donor environment. Smart and savvy recipients of aid and project administrators dealing with potential donors will also insist that those donors use the central repository as the basis for reporting on performance measurement. Interfaces from local IT systems for project reporting into a global repository is a realistic possibility in an open source world.  It is not realistic or appropriate to expect aid recipients and project managers to report to multiple donors in different formats and with different data.  Reporting practices should with time converge at a level of quality that satisfies sophisticated donors and encourages accountability while minimising the administrative burden of reporting.

 

 

Judith Blau

The monitoring and review process would be effective if it’s in the national government’s agenda, to ensure consistence, standardization and enforcement of a nationally/regionally agreed framework.  Support to the national governments to set up/strengthen the monitoring units to an internationally acceptable level will be crucial. The regional/global focus remains important as some of the risks are due to external factors i.e security thus requiring collective/coordinated efforts across all the levels and decision making is only possible through an effective system.  

Another aspect which has hindered progress in this area and requires to be sorted out is on data management and sharing. Most data remain for individual organization use/state and is never shared resulting into duplication. A system to ensure data sharing and quality control is required

The involvement of the private sector as mentioned for technology support is important, in that any of the monitoring unit should be able to interact with all the required levels-local, national and global level allowing a framework that can manage documentation of good practices at the particular level through a peer review mechanism and disseminated.

The setting up of national units would allow consideration of specificities; however global generic indicators /targets are very important to ensure commitment i.e. in resources, what commitment should be expected from each state, legislative frameworks, monitoring and review  timelines/frameworks at national/local levels, and other technical issues.

The utilization of the generated information from the monitoring and review framework is an incentive by itself. This calls for a framework that is dynamic, inclusive of all sectors/thematic areas  and connects all sectors(joined up system).

Thank you.

Dosse SOSSOUGA
Dosse SOSSOUGA

For the monitoring and review,

First, we have the population to appreciate the change we want post 2015.

Government will appreciate civil society efforts and rapport with observations to them.

The focal point and the OHCHR  can also appreciate them. The same for regional expertise if any.

The largest civil society must appreciate rapports(activities, financial) after international organization mandate remarcs.

The largest civil society present the rapport to ECOSOC for the Secretary General

Judith Blau
   
  • Reveiw that follows the rule of law.  Efficacy and review which is transparent.
  • Investing in infrustructure and human resource.  Actors are incentivised by belief in what they are attempting to achieve; this process is facilitated by legitimacy.
Judith Blau

Excellencies

Thank you for allowing my group BIRD to participate to the collective online review.

Let us be agreed on the fact, which is Post 2015 SDGs are not business as usual and as UNSECGEN looking for bold action and ultimately successes at the end of the Road to dignity, BIRD group believe it is important to capitalize on youth within a framework of new disciplines that can be based on education, sport, fundraising, micro- credit as well as other classic financing flows. As, it is purposeful demonstrated in the preliminary of the review, there are guidelines, stages and level of the implementation that UN stakeholders found relevant because of the good sense. BIRD group believe it make sense also to measure asymmetric relationships within level, whatever the centralize and/or the decentralized of processes. Either today, in the global era,organisations are all at the same time local, national, regional or international in the open market economy. Also! It seemed on the viewpoint of BIRD group, some levels of the institutions are predominantly developed and this can be detrimental for the subunit resilience and the overall architecture. BIRD is certain ECOSOC or UNGA or UNSDN have the power and the means to address the imbalances, so that during the monitoring processes, SDGs can work for all without discrimination. It is a search for the quality assurance claim by the Road to dignity.

Judith Blau
though this translation is necessary, the MDGs were not achieved at same level. How then can we join in the SDGs. There should be more discussing to those developing and developed countries.
Judith Blau

Friends,

These points look at the indicators and what is observed throuhg the indicators to reach the targets, but also the quality assurance that can outcome from the SDG indicators and monitoring: question is what is the priority good monitors or monitor goods.

BIRD viewpoint is the SDGs is a good skewer of indicators (not too little and not too many) with 169 goals. Maybe it is these goals which are inportant to achieve and that can rely on strategies, planning and activities made by all stakeholders from top to bottom of the Human resource pyramids (UN to grass roots organization and households and individiduals).

This process of changes will be supported by the New sustainable development organization (UNSECGEN, SDSN knowledge platform, UNGA high level segment, ECOSOC, UNEP, UNDP, UNDESA...others in place of former Brundtland Commission of Sustainable Development, and includes the Youths. 

In designing these goals, and voting them in 2015, I want to pay attention in the review on organization that are not able to fit (vulnerable, indigenous groups...) for the frameworks, but still able to communicate on the status of their organization sustainability.

There may be organizations with no network for monitoring (particularly, if there is a poor muliculturalism background in the monitoring entities), which can be perfectly sustainable, while other with a monitor, but less able to be sustainable (and sustained). This led me to the control and the environmental justice, solidarity, which are bold to achieve the road to dignity. For example, about the diversities and homeless peoples, some polluteurs, which can have the tools -monitors - to control their wastes or nusiances, but they are not willing, to use them, or their is a global incentives to go against the monitoring. There is also a need for more innovation (particularly accross borders and sharing experince of good practices). Opposite, peoples who I believe from expereince are quite sustainable (in the sense of harmony with nature, for example, some indigenous groups, which monitoring is unknown, but traditional knoweldges or sacred value and harmony with nature are in the genes, and these groups are not accounted, or even taken as examplarity models or leaders.

A last point is about, monitoring not being based on metrics (math formula, because I feel sometimes Descartes analysis is so strong in our culture, that we are forgetting non quantitative monitoring or metrics. BIRD believes, monintoring and indicators, should also give values to not quantitative assessment, but also qualitatitve assesment, until there are more models to cope with complex world and protect the biodiversity.  Thank.

Judith Blau

Dear All,

Thank you moderator and contributors on this thread. I note that this is the only thread that has mentioned the UN Synthesis Report. I note further that Global Dialogue continue along Pre Synthesis Report release lines instead of Post Synthesis Report release lines. There is much more to be gained through persuading all moderators and contributors to make contributions along Post Synthesis Report release lines.

The focus of this thread is how to establish and nurture Country Lead Monitoring, Evaluation and Assessment Systems fit for the 21st Century. It is pertinent to note that ambitious development approaches require equally aspiring measures of success approaches to demonstrate impact.

Without the ability to demonstrate CHANGE, more funders will be reluctant to invest in market systems that development systems like SDG / MDG 2 and related systems within Primary Revolutions such as Agriculture Revolution, Government Revolution, Data Revolution, Attitudinal and Behavioural Change Revolution, Applied Research Revolution, other Primary Revolutions; Nutrition Security Revolution, Food Security Revolution, Health Revolution, Education Revolution, Financial Inclusion Revolution etc require.

In these challenging measurements, the Big Issue is not to institute a complicated and highly structured Monitoring and Review  System, rather to be effective, measurement thinking and practices have to embrace flexibility and be responsive to the nature of the Policy, Program, Project Interventions and the market it is attempting to influence.

It is also about ensuring that lessons learnt are actually learnt through effectively bridging gap between lessons learnt and lessons forgetting.

If the Moderator accept to rearrange the questions in ways that better focus the contributions, this dialogue could make significant contribution to Global Sustainable Development Monitoring and Review Systems  in ways that help achieve increasing convergence between Final Push to achieve MDG by 2015 and Post 2015 Development Agenda Vision Intention and Reality.

Judith Blau

Over the years, developmental activities and sound policy management are being pursued as goals of equal importance, in all nations  by the United Nation organisation . Consequently, compliance with UN regulations  and proactive  corporate  policy on shaping billions of individual lives as well as government agencies, Economic reform and tax, Anti-Corruption,  Trade, Infrastructure investment, Development and Employment, Health, Safety and Environmental, Insurgency, are key factors that characterise social decision making.

What is at stake for the UN is the managing the transition from the MDGs (2000-2015) to SDGs (2015-2030) that involvesensuring economic growth at any cost and inclusive growth that narrows the gap between the poor and the rich at same time in SDGs.

What will facilitate effective transition is ‘Peace’. Peace is at the centre of every Aim and Objective lay down by the UN. This is the first thing to be put in place. If this can be achieved in all nations to a minimal level, then, all other things can then take effect. Where there is peace, there will be progress. Insurgency should be eliminated at all cost. This will reduce poverty and economic of every nation will also improve.

Policies can be formulated, regulations can be made and promulgated to both local and international in order to ensure smooth running  and perfection of managing transition into SDGs. Assessment and Analysis on MDGs can be carried out. By doing this, UN will be able to   know the rate of the MDGs  achieved so far.  From there, Improvement can still be made and perfection can still be achieved. There can be short term and long term policies for managing the transition into SDGs.

I will also advise or recommend here that adequate preparation or provision of high standard should be made in managing the transition to SDGs. Once this is put in place, every other thing must definitely take shape.

 

 

 

Dosse SOSSOUGA
Dosse SOSSOUGA

Oui la paix est à la base de tout développement. Mais qui sont ceux qui doivent assumer cette responsabilité ? Si l'éducation à la paix a intégrée tous les hommes, est-ce qu'on aurait les conflits? S' il n'y a pas, par exemple, la corruption, l'exploitation de l'homme par l'homme, le racisme, la discrimination raciale, la xénophobie, l'absence de la démocratie, l'accrochage au pouvoir et autres, est-ce qu'on aura des conflits ?

Je propose plutôt qu'on attaque ces causes pour faire fleurir la paix. Même s'il y a la paix, les réformes s'imposent pour s'adapter aux nouvelles donnes de la politique inclusive et participative, ne laissant personne de côté,  les OMD n'avaient pas prise en compte ces aspects.

Judith Blau

Friends,

I want to question tonight the relevance of the review and monintoring in the lens ofPost 2015 SDG1, 2, 3, which is replacing MDG1 : hunger and poverty reduction halven by half from 1990 base line, and also Post 2015 SDG4, that will probably replace MDG2 (in Sept. 2015, if the UNGA is going to vote these SDGs. MDG2 was about education, plus 50% enrollment of children less than 5 in the primary education

BIRD viewpoint is that both MDG1, and 2 were successfull in achieveing the targets of 50%. With MDG1 undernourishment reduction was a success and if the MDG1 was also successfull, there are still 900 millions peoples going hungry to bed, and mainly 660 millions in Asia in average (Ref. UNSECGEN and UNECOSOC)

Concening MDG2, enrollement was a success (+ 40% over the estimated expected, ref. ECOSOC, 90% of school children less than 5 were enrolled in priamry education, which is a victory, but the effectiveness of the primary teaching is insufficient, if children are not learning while being enrolled (according to ECOSOC, in average 200 millions of children failed in the primary education or where lacking at school.

Therefore thus in the review and monitoring, BIRD group propoasal on SDG2 is to reinforce and redcue the vulnerability of the weakess link of primary education, which is the teacher of the classroom or the headmaster.

Motivation: the law on enrollement has played well in achieving the goals, but the masters are in charge of the pedagogy and the learning (the governemental laws cannot teach, only trained teachers can teach good quality education. Even if the school is equiped with innovative technologies like computer, e-tablets, and so on, if teachers are not trained to use innovative technologies to make the learning, the investment will be lossed. So, better edcuation is linked to better teacher. Indicators and monitoring should give these insight on teaching and pedagogy in the school system.

 

On the MDG1 (Hunger and poverty redcution) and what is going to replace with SDG1, 2, 3. What are the direction taken by the indicators and what insight should them give into the food processes and poverty reduction.

BIRD viewpoints in the process and monitoring are about 4 stages within 2 policies and 2 tactics, and these stages should be visible in the 3 SDG goals and targets:

Policies and tactics:

High policy: reduce the food waste and implement a zero food poverty and food waste- It is unthinkable than in the world of food massproduction and distribution that 30% of food produce are waste (while 1/8 of the world population is starving). The highest policy of gap reduction between production and waste should be reduced

Low policy : implementing the Zero waste everywhere from the farming industry, to the food manufacturer, the stores and shops and the food operaters and users (consumers). So, that zero hungry people in 2030 and with their dignity.

Tactical levels:

High tactics: a set of measures

- controlling the foods flows in the region (local, national or international), this implies controlling, peoples systems and organisations with resources flowing accross the organization borders (country, region). A good European model, that could apply to all is the Politic Agicole Commune (PAC), under the leadership of France president General De Gaulle, which was a trade- off and pay-off from the EU border constructions and the respect of agricultural farming zone in the new Euroepan Union. So, that after makign Europe, rich food zone do not loose their assets, and poor farming zones can benefit from the excahnges and giving their borders to the Union.

- another element is about, the building of food food production and consumption spaces, which are clearly separating the food production, food imports, food preparation, food consumptions. There is a need for food preparation principles, which are the same in the food factory or a a kitchen or in an open space like outdoor cooking or open Kitchen. This need to trained food worker better, and use business continuity and due diliegence. Today, a good number of peoples are kills by the toxic fumes coming from kitchens. So, the use of science, systemic and feng shui principle can help in reducing harms to peoples, and at the same time improve the  food prodcution and allocation, so the zero waste can achieve with more effective model, and it does not need to be so taxing in term of time, resource, and speed if well thought

LOW TACTIC, about dignity and recycling

For example, it pays to have organizations like cooperative to collect consumer good in order to to create descent jobs and give people a paid job , so they can buy food. Beside, the zero waste can work with not for profiut organization like charities (Theresa sister, and the multinational from the religious inspiration is part of the project of zero food waste, but  there is a need to increase the organization leverage.

Government can also,implement a set of regulations  either to force the food stores to give the food waste to such associotiaon promoting the nutritious food and the zero waste. However there is an ethical aspect, because some peoples can work and earn money to buy their foods, while other are jobless and dependent on safety net, which is may good on the short-term, but on the longterm, there is a risk to create a dual class society. So, it would be better that the food stores are entirely part of the food supply chain by discouinting their foods in the store, it becomes affordable and low earnign workers can buy the food, or the training of store managers to control their supply chain better and manage tjhe stocks in complex environment. So, that there is a zero food waste in the stores (and that humaniqty does not produce food to throw 30% the carbages, while people can starve. The science of food, innovation and new thinking also, new forms or agriculture, and promoting the rural areas as a source of development can help to reduce the huge amount of food waste in the world, thus making healthy cities and societies and ensuring equality, wellbeing, and sustainable development.

If you can commit these ideas on SDG1, 2, 3 and SDG4 so one can have a clear understanding where the processes are going for peoples, systems and organizations. Georges BIRD

Judith Blau

Thanks for reaching out to all those who can find their way to this e-discussion. On the question at hand --good data and the ability to establish sound baselines --with such one can then measure whether development initiatives contributed to sustainable outcomes. Pay for success contracts are an example.

Cheers

Judith Blau

 

Bonjour

 

MrPatrick Paul Walsh

Très heureuse de pouvoir participer a toutes ces discussions  ainsi ,   Permettez moi de poser cette question qui m’interpelle et me fait réfléchir, Quelle lecture pour post OMD 2015, comment on a évalué la réussite ou l’échec des OMD dans des pays qui ont besoin d’aide et d’accompagnement (comme les pays pauvres, les  pays Africains) comment mettre des mécanismes qui vont aidés les pays sous développer a réaliser cette nouvelle approche des  ODD qui seront au cœur de l’agenda post 2015, comment cette approche universelle des OMD va basculer vers les ODD ?
• Les OMD objectifs de référence, résultat de quinze années de lutte contre :

1. Réduire l’extrême pauvreté et la faim
2. Assurer l’éducation primaire pour tous
3. Promouvoir l’égalité des sexes et l’autonomisation des femmes
4. Réduire la mortalité infantile
1. Améliorer la santé maternelle
2. Combattre le VIH/sida, le paludisme et d’autres maladies
3. Préserver l’environnement
4. Mettre en place un partenariat mondial pour le développement
5. Améliorer la santé maternelle
6. Combattre le VIH/sida, le paludisme et d’autres maladies
7. Préserver l’environnement
8. Mettre en place un partenariat mondial pour le développement

    Huit objectifs qu’il fallait à réaliser, avec l’engagement de tous  les pays et avec le soutien et l’accompagnent des agences Onusiennes et autres organismes internationaux. Si 2015 est une année de recommandations, c’est une année qui nous interpelle   sur le comment aller ensemble grands et petits pays   vers un monde meilleur, l’éradication de la pauvreté, où les conditions de vie économiques et sociales seront meilleures.

Ou sommes-nous dans cette course de conceptualisation et de processus des ODD ?
Les ODD une approche ambitieuse qui a besoin de l’effort de la solidarité de tous.

Quelle place on a donné a l’autonomie, l’égalité, l’équité femmes hommes, et surtout intégrer  l’ EMPOWERMENT, dans cette optique universelle comment doté les pays et les groupes sociaux d’outils et de mécanismes ou des dispositions, pour la mise en œuvre des ODD pour agir sur les conditions sociales, économiques, politiques ou écologiques , pour une équité durable voici le nouveau concept des ODD.

Comment   va se faire cet exercice ?  Un exercice ou la cassie majorité des parties prenantes étaient absents des groupes de travail ?

 

 

Quels sont  les principes de cette transition OMD /ODD, les bonnes pratiques, les réussites des uns et des autres en matière de développement, mais vous connaissez   tous mieux que  moi ce qui se passe actuellement des pays   de la région MENA , les conflits géopolitiques ; , comment après une certaines déshabilité sur le plan politique, sociale, économique ces pays  pouvoir aller vers cette transition qui a besoin d’un terrain neutre et stable, mon seul soucis est comment les aider , les encadrer , les accompagner , surtout les pays qui sont en guerre , ou la violence a tout détruit les infrastructures …etc.  Les acquis et les réalisations des OMD, oui vous avez tous  raison en ce qui concerne les différents stakeholders pour les OMD qui ont donné des résultats mais combiens de pays ont réussi  à franchir le cap historique des OMD, le problème  n’est pas de mettre en place des programme et type  d’entreprenariat ,   mais comment écouter l’autre, comment l’aider ; réfléchir ensembles sur les  possibilités, et les outils de travail a adopté pour la mise en œuvre des ODD/ aidé tout les pays a construire leur partenariat , aller vers un co-leadership pourquoi pas , comment utiliser est valoriser l’existant au niveau local,  l’inventaire des ressources qui peut aider dans la mise en œuvre des ODD , comment négocier , et surtout aller vers les bon projets de développement que toute la région Mena a  besoin, renforcement des capacités dans tout les domaines  , donner le pouvoir de décision et de participation aux jeunes , aux femmes ,  a tous les acteurs sociaux les associer pour réussir cette transition.

Suivi et examen: Solutions de développement durable Réseau Bonne initiative, une thématique importante pour ouvrir un  débat universel sur une certaine approche de la mise en œuvres  des ODD ?

L’examen a pour but de fournir une évaluation, un suivi, des résolutions et surtout mesurez le degré de l’efficacité de ces programme OMD /ODD.

     Le  pouvoir, l’impacte de la communication repose sur une stratégie de visibilité. Pour réussir   une  politique basée sur une approche sociétale, est qui peut  boosté un  changement de mentalité, il faut prendre en considération,  l’imaginaire social et culturel d’un pays et essayer de travailler avec tous les operateurs , intervenants sociaux , acteurs   pour modeler et changer les mentalités dans le but d’élaborer un programme ou une vision d’ensemble  visant a promouvoir l’autonomie et l’intégration de la femme , lutter contre la violence faites aux femmes et aux jeunes filles , promouvoir l’égalité et l’équité sociale et politique et économiques des femmes et des hommes  en s’appuyant sur tout les outils et les mécanismes ainsi que les dispositions sur le plan politique , juridique, et culturel et économique et que toutes la société , dans sa globalité et toutes les parties prenantes  s’approprie un  message d’action  et de pouvoir le transmettre aux citoyens. Les impliquer dans les décisions et discussions a tout les niveaux, la communication institutionnelle, l'information diffusée doit  bénéficier d’ une grande crédibilité. La culture, du respect de l’autre malgré ses différences de la citoyenneté sont des  facteurs de changement, et d’ouverture, et d’acceptation de l’autre, je me pose la question suivante comment peut –on  aidé tout ces pays à travailler sur leur patrimoine culturel et éducatif d'interaction sociale, et de socialisation, en terme  de  systèmes de croyance, comment aider ces société à façonner leur attitudes et leur  comportements  les modeler selon leur habitus social et allez vers  une nouvelles identité sociale.

  La question de Genre, d’empowerment occupe une place importante, vision universelle pour l’autonomisation des femmes. Comment élaborer cette politique intégré ; une politique de changement, quels sont les outils élaborer par les ODD , recommandations de RIO+20 , et d’autres organismes ONU (Agences Onusiennes) ?

  L’éducation, un vecteur important pour l’autonomisation des femmes et l’élimination des inégalités entre les sexes. Un grand défis dans le cadre des ODD pour l’élimination des  stéréotypes sexistes dans les écoles , au seins de la société , comme aider toutes ces femmes  a franchir le cap de la peur sociale et s’approprier leur espace  pour  leur autonomie , indépendance socioprofessionnelles et surtout économique, Les normes et les coutumes sociales conditionnent, le comportement des femmes  et   définissent leur  rôles, comment aidé toute ces sociétés a changer  de vision et d’approche, sur les questions de Genre , comment Genderiser les politiques , les programmes , de développement ; tout ces pays ont besoins de plus d’accompagnement , de renforcement de capacités , transfert de savoir, les bonnes pratiques, et la Bonne gouvernance, la culture  et  la  Bonne  communication sont des  instruments fondamentaux et nécessaires  pour garantir le changement des mentalités et des sociétés.  

Comment réussir cet examen, ce suivi ?

Les  principaux critères d’évaluation de l’efficacité de ces objectifs OMD/Post OMD/ ODD  à savoir l’atteinte des objectifs de développement, les thématiques  transversales (le Genre. les inégalités. la discrimination, la pauvreté ;  la violence a l’égard des femmes et des filles, les  conflits, le fanatisme religieux, ….etc.), la durabilité des résultats; la pertinence des interventions et actions voici les critères d’un bon suivi  technique et une   évaluation axée  sur les résultats.

Je pose la question suivante comment doit –on relevé ce grand défi les ODD , leur mise en œuvre et leur efficacité ?????????

Dosse SOSSOUGA
Dosse SOSSOUGA

Bien, vous avez posé beaucoup de questions. Les OMD ont 8 objectifs à atteindre de 2000 à 2015 par chaque pays. Comme c'est le PNUD qui accompagne du développement des pays, les rapports des pays ont relevé ceci"The MDGs were vital in rallying the world to join the fight against poverty, and I am proud of the role the UN development system is playing in supporting countries in their implementation" and" We can build on success, such as the process which led to the more than 400 national MDG Reports which the UN development system has supported countries to prepare. These have contributed to in-country development dialogue and ownership, and to global knowledge sharing"" a dit l'administratrice du PNUD. Les ODD sont encore très complexes avec 17 objectifs bien claires et très ambitieux ( de 2016- 2030) pour le bien de toute l'humanité. Si vous vous fixez des objectifs, si vous faites les réformes qui s'imposent pour la réalisation de ces objectifs, si vous avez les moyens pour réaliser ces objectifs, je trouve normale que le bilan peut être positif si on n'a pas d'entrave sur le chemin.

Ranjani K.Murthy
Ranjani K.Murthy

 As of now the targets are extremely ambitious. For example Goal 5 includes a target of elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls by 2015. It is necessary to frame targets so that they are achievable.  

Secondly It would be good to develop clear global and country/sub region specific indicators for each target.  Physical or sexual violence against women may be a common indicator but, female genital mutilation may be relevant for some countries to measure gender inequality, but not for some.  Framing 3 indicators for each target globally, and leaving two to countries would be a good method to follow and also ensure ownership. At national level it is crucial to also capture diversity for women headed households', dalit and tribal women's  or monitoring women's access to care vs male headed households. 

Third, it is important to ensure that the SDG+ indicators are integrated into national targets and sectoral ministries results framework  

Fourth, is the issue of data availability UN globally and nationally needs to strengthen data availability across indicators without which the exercise is meaningless.  SUBSTANTIAL CAPACITY HAS TO BE BUILT TOWARDS THIS 

Fifth,  apart from global and national monitoring, it may be useful to monitor SDGs across poorest provinces or districts or Blocks or where marginalised communities predominate. This could be the task of decentralised local governments (elected bodies) and they could be given with funds to take corrective actions.

Sixth, citizen groups, trade unions, women's federations etc may be supported by UN to give shadow reports nationally, provincially or district wise.  Shadow reports could also be  from the lens of marginalised- women, blacks, dalits, tribals, minorities, differently-abled, sexual and gender minorities  - so that one could assess who is benefitting and what needs to be done.  Participatory and equity focused methods could be used to supplement views.   

Ranjani

[email protected]

 

 

 

 


 


 

 

Dosse SOSSOUGA
Dosse SOSSOUGA

SVP , les objectifs ambitieux sont pour 2016-2030. Il est prévu des indicateurs sur l'égalité genre, sur les violences physiques, sexuelle par féquence, par âge, par situation mariétale, par ville, par zone rural, par type de violence et par sévérité de la violence et seront intégré au niveau des ministères pour application.

Les gouvernements locaux décentralisés sont mieux pour l'application et le suivi du respect des droits de l'homme.

Le partenariat ONU-société civile est vital pour les ODD

Judith Blau

Just to further on the Ministry of Natural Resources of Rwanda -- good data can provide a built-in monitoring system and provide accountability. Establish a soild baseline and one can demonstrate whether a outcome either contributed to or undermined a development objective. If there is no data available perhaps the best use of development funds is for capacity building of NSOs as well as the capcity to apply big data.

 

Cheers

Judith Blau

 

SDG 3.8: “Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.”

 

UHC is defined by the WHO as ensuring that all people obtain the health services they need without suffering financial hardship when paying for them. More specifically, there should be no trade-off between having access to basic health services and being able to afford other necessities, such as education, food and decent housing.

 

Thus, a country can be said to have successfully reached the UHC objective if three necessary conditions are met :

-       the universality condition ;

-       the access to basic health services condition ;

-       the « no trade-off » condition.

 

What type of structure can achieve the most efficient threefold monitoring?

 

First, sound statistical analysis will be required to provide the policymakers with qualitative data on who is to be covered (that is, mere census data) and who is actually covered. Economies of scale, neutrality, transparency and the relative scarcity of qualified human capital in some countries incline towards a unique, national and public statistical institution to tackle this part of the monitoring task. Should the geographic situation of the country require it, regional bureaus could relay this central office. Throughout the statistical part of the monitoring process, national instances could seek guidance from the United Nations Statistics Division, who is already used to working with governmental institutions, especially in developing countries.

 

            Secondly, a national definition of “basic health services” must be elaborated. This needs not be the same across countries, even though a minimum level of services ought not to be questionable. The WHO could provide the countries with a list of those basic services, plus an additional list to be assessed nationally according to, for instance, levels of development and sanitary specificities (e.g. the vaccine against malaria). Once national lists have been consolidated and UHC allegedly implemented, a special governmental agency should be entrusted with the monitoring. The same agency could be in charge of scientific expertise on drugs pricing and availability, and be the official partner for discussions with the private pharmaceutical sector. This type of institution, led by a mixed steering committee of scientists and senior civil servants, already proves to be successful in several developing and developed countries, such as the Haute Autorité de Santé in France. Furthermore, whenever relevant, countries could mutualize this part of the monitoring process regionally, in order to build on common expertise, achieve economies of scale and constitute an identifiable interlocutor for international institutions and drugs companies. For instance, a joint regional Health Authority could manage this task for the countries of the Gulf of Guinea, who share similar sanitary landscapes.

 

Finally, the “no trade-off condition” turns out to be the most difficult to check, insofar as it evolves over time, and differs across countries and regions. The costs of education, housing and food show great divergences across socio-geographic situations. The consequence in terms of the monitoring of the implementation of UHC is that the structure in charge must be flexible enough to account for these disparities. The situation we do not want is, for instance, an agency that only assesses the implementation of UHC based on the cost of urban life, whereas half the national population is in fact rural and faces different expenses altogether. A compulsory step is thus to sketch a map of the different zones according to the cost of life (thanks to the national statistical agency), and then to carry the monitoring analysis accordingly. The special governmental, possibly regional agency can be entrusted with this latter task.

 

All in all, the difficulty to monitor the UHC SDG stems from the fact that it is not a not a one-size-fits-all concept. Hence, national, regional and international scales must be articulated to carry out proper assessment studies.

 

Judith Blau

Data is the key of the all the process of evaluation and monitoring , so implementing agencies, institution, working in monitoring data can play a major role to following in efficiente way the trends of SDG goals. But , actually , we need to collecte the appropriate data , it is not an easy work because we have commun international data but in the same time each countrie has its own specificities and harmonizing all the data to have a conherent system is really a main goal . Then , we can do comparative analysis and measure the evolution of each determinant, to know the state of evolution and how we can do adjustment.

in the same time a participatory governance system  is needed between all the stakeholders for the monitoring  process, that is not developped in some developing countries. Accountability is the key !

Saripalli Suryanarayana
Saripalli Suryanarayana

I am now in USA.Data is very important,for formulating policies,it is also important to know the impementation of schemes.How ever data needs to be seggregated while being up-loaded to two or three segments,so that the data breaches,and computer hackers do not get all of the 6.8 billion people profiles.If that happens the defence systems will be in geopardacy.And wars will be fought by machines,while men die silently.

Data seggregation,protection,and minimal use is important.Do not use,social security numbers,Pan -or income tax-bank accounts,driving licences,finger prints every where,then using such to open lockers,and make every day dacoity is encouraged by IMF,W.B,U.N,and the goverments foolishly.

Keep the safety of citizens,and seggregate data.If some one do not understand data breaches,read Wall street journal[last week daily paper]to know hw many breaches are happening at tax,at Health insurence,at banks,at Target stores etc.

Judith Blau

continued from yesterday). It is trulya fascinating experience to page through the various readership contributions in this UN ECOSOC teamworks probe:

Managing the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the sustainable development goals: What it will take”.

I have read some very good examples of integrated policy making, I have read on the working endeavours to capture the voice and participation of the youth in the new sustainable development goals, I have read some deep and profound insights on the ways the personal ideology of leadership and governments affects policy making and progress in various countries, I have read on the effects of what corruption or discrimination can do, I have read on some very good successes achieved with attaining the Millenium Development Goals for the poor and deprived. I have read some very good working campaigns, slogans and ways to inspire people to unite and contribute. etc. etc.
A rich world of knowledge and insights, collective will and hope, but surely - also still very much - an uncertain and needing world with some true and some very serious concerns, and - actually- don't know-how's..
I suggest, and if you find time today or later this weekend- Go to UN teamwork pages- and read for yourself.


Now I would like to proceed with some very generic observations on what it will take to manage the transition from the MDG to the SDG's and on the issue of Partnerships and Monitoring & Review.

The questions probed in the forum are:

Partnerships for the implementation of the SDGs and the post-2015 agenda

 

 

What are good examples for fostering partnerships, including public-private, that can lead to implementation and development results at the global, national and local levels?How can multi-stakeholder partnerships be effectively established and taken into account to facilitate the implementation of development priorities?What elements will be needed to ensure accountability within partnerships for managing responsibilities, commitments and expectations for the implementation of the SDGs?Monitoring and review

 

 

What kind of monitoring and review in the multi-tiered and multi-stakeholder responsibility structure will be required for the SDGs and the post-2015 development agenda? What would be the key features of an effective monitoring and review framework?How will action on the different goals at the global, regional or national levels be better tracked, taking into consideration national and regional specificities? What incentives would be needed to ensure that a broad range of actors engage in monitoring and review of results?

Let me first remind ourselves of where we are- in time, and in our history:

2015 can be a year for history. It can be the year that we put the world on the path to end extreme poverty; the year we place sustainability in the heart of our future; and the year that we agree that every person should be able to lead a life of dignity and opportunity” Mary Robinson, 2015

“The stars are aligned for the world to take historic action to transform lives and protect the planet” – Ban Ki Moon

This year is a critical one for the planet and for humanity, with a series of defining moments that will have a transformative impact for generations to come

May East- a befriended UN sustainable development practitioner of me- write in the Scotsman.

We have a real chance to make 2015 the year we did our best for the planet and for humanity
Go to her article

A beautiful and optimistic article- and which, by the way, also highlights that Scotland may be ahead of the game ( a winner!) in reaching sustainable development...

Now that is good- but perhaps not good enough.

In an earlier occasions and conversation - I have shared - that if we can (for example) solve India- then we can solve the world.

Implying:-

If India, and we (the world, UN SDSN, SDG) can find the ways and means to support India to fully become India which is healthy, balanced and sustainably thriving- in and between all other nations- then we may have achieved what we aspire to achieve for the full world- under the sustainable development goals and programs- now unleashed.

And that is not an easy job.

Not an easy job if we consider the many cultural and leadership nuances, the vast amount of economic and personal interests and perspectives playing in and on this continent, and the vast amount of human and ecological (sustainable development) challenges there are- in this nation.
Go to a recent article on India's development plans

As I have worked last year with India on some of their key (performance) challenges in their energy sector (oil & gas)- I know first hand how energy hungry India is today, and how this energy hunger may affect much what is at stake - in developing a sustainable economy, in developing a sustainable society and in developing a country in balance with nature- inside India and outside India.
I

also know first hand the potential shadow-sides and uncertainties of business-as-usual in todays global (energy, oil, gas, coal ) business practice.
Politically, financially, economically, socially and - for sure- in relation to sustainability.

So- we do have a true and serious game-changing challenge at our fingertips: To dampen our problems and grow our solutions.

Now- the good news is - that most if not all of the solutions to advance our leadership, our governance, our working collaboration, our established business/governance practices- to vastly improve the results of the sustainable development" are known today.

The challenge indeed is to build, and translate this know-how in the right zippered partnerships between business, finance and society (governments) - at all relevant levels- locally, nationally, regionally and internationally- with the "right mind-sets and right working frames"- such that we can unlock, deliver and scale this vast potential that we presently have.

To do actually so much better.

To scale and accelerate the much better practices of building sustainably.

Image removed.

Now- any program without oversight, monitoring and review is rudderless.
Monitoring and review allows us to analyse, feedback, attune the large range of working programs the SDG's aims to realize.

It's just good program management: to measure progress and impact, to identify gaps or corrective action needs- and most of all- to see where success is made, and can be celebrated.

To measure is to know - where we are, on our journey- and what navigational adjustments we may need.

The great advantage today is that we have a global working population who are more and more connected with the internet.

The great advantage today is also that we can work with Big Data- and use this to our intelligence and advantage.

To conclude this series-

Let me give 3 typical examples of how we may advance some of our thinking on re-organising ourselves for success:

First of all, I have made the observation that I would applaud if we could come to a (small) UN Agency for Energy & Sustainability.
An agency who would and could assume the data intelligence gathering and integration role (oversight and monitoring) between IEA, EIA, IRENA, OPEC, IEF, WEC, NDRC, IAEI, WorldCoal.

Secondly, I would welcome if we could create a new organisation, a new co-alition and partnership between the Energy sector () and UN (under Global Compact):
What could happen if we could create Global Centre(s) of Excellence (on e.g. Energy & Sustainability) staffed by (international) experts who can fully support and assist with the (framing) of (scaled) roll-out of best practices, local (business) game-changers and realisations of energy architectures befit to the 21st century: So-called integrated expert/dream-team(s) on Energy, Energy Transition & Sustainability.

Thirdly an opportunity I see is to use the talent and availability of students of the world:
There are approximately 150 million students, spread over 16,000 universities in the say 200 countries of this world.
What could happen if we organize and outreach to these students and make them part in our quest of managing (monitoring / review) of the sustainable development goals?
To create a Dynamic State of the World Barometer (Based on the SDG's) - from and by Students.
The diverse pool of students (and academia) could be a very powerful and a third-party resource in the collection, aggregation, monitoring and review, analysis, research, etc. of the sustainable development achievements on location.

Martand Shardul
Martand Shardul

I take opportunity to thank Dr Paul, UN team works team, UNSDSN, DESA and UNDP teams for organizing this forum. I can recall, just before the Rio Summit, UN Foundation had organized a similar forum for Energy and it was a great success (I had put my views regarding the recommendations from the Energy forum on energyaccessdiscussion.blogspot.com). 

Based on my current engagements, I wish to share my inputs regarding monitoring of the SDG 7: Energy (proposed).

It is very well said, you cannot manage what you cannot measure and you cannot measure what you haven’t defined. Of course we need to monitor to measure progress.

Baseline

Prior to monitoring, it is essential that we agree upon the baseline. The key question in this context is:

a)     Should we refer to the IEA database or to the SE4ALL progress report to establish the baseline? Or will the countries establish their individual baseline for the energy SDG?

Indicator

To monitor, we need indicators. In the past, binary indicators have often been prioritized at national/sub-national levels. In the resource poor areas, such indicators are helpful. However, to reflect upon real progress multi-tier frameworks are required.    

The World Bank will soon be launching the Global Tracking Framework (GTF 2015) for Sustainable Energy for ALL initiative of the UN. GTF comprises the conceptual framework, indicators, and some recent results. I am sure to measure progress, GTF would be a big help (if agreed upon globally which I am very certain about). Capacity building of institutions and adequate allocation of resources (including finance) is necessary to ensure global rollout of GTF.

Partnership

The UN Secretary General has announced the governments, business and the civil society as three pillars attainment of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) goals. These pillars shall also work well for the proposed Energy SDG. 

Hence, for monitoring of progress on the proposed Energy SDG: governments must work with the civil society, and the private sector at national, regional and global levels.  Building upon mutual strengths, all three pillars must jointly monitor, review and report the progress.

At the same time, beyond measuring progress it is also essential to understand programs and activities that drive the progress. Hence, the three pillars must also jointly work towards program/commitment development and implementation.

Engagement of CSO at various stages will facilitate focus on specificities at various levels. 

Further, interactive platforms for data acquisition will be helpful in tracking progress. However, it is necessary that we focus on credibility of data that is recorded to monitor and report progress. Mere surveys do not always provide true picture due to varied reasons.  

 

Judith Blau

If it's hard to imagine for you what it takes to lead the UN and the world from the MDG into the SDG, you may find it equally hard to imagine 'what it takes' and 'how to' actually manage and govern a country of 1.4 billion people.

For that is what is actually happing in China, today. A country of 1.4 billion people is led in economic development by presumably the most powerful and skilful administration on this planet.

Last week was China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC) and the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

A consultative conference with and within the top of the political party, a congregation and representation of some 3000 elite from the 80 million+ membership in the party.

Highlight of the conference was the government work report:

Of accomplishments and achievements made - but more importantly- also on the outlook, goals and annual work program(s) ahead.

It was PM Li Keqiang who , in a 2-hour presentation, shared the highlights of his government work program.

Go to article- and see also the presentation below.

Now and that is interesting.

Very interesting to read and understand for people associated with the UN and UN Sustainable Development Goals, as 1 in 5 citizens on this planet is and will (in essence) be governed by this plan.

So, in other words, the working program of the Government of China- is in a sense the de facto Sustainable Development activities of that region.




2015 NPC & CPPCC annual meeting- The New Normal from Energy for One World
Now- before I am going to give some very brief and generic reflections on this government working program- with my Global Energy & Sustainability and Sustainable Development "hat on"- as it is important to acknowledge and pay tribute to the standing of Chinese Leadership within their community, in their nation and in the world.

Ever since President's Xi rise to power- his leadership and leadership style, including his Visions of (a) Chinese dream has stuck a chord within the countries population and soul, and has gained an overwhelming support and adoration.

Move Over Mao: Beloved ‘Papa Xi’ Awes China
(From NY Times)

The sons and daughters of China follow you forward hand in hand,” goes one soft-rock paean to Mr. Xi that has been downloaded thousands of times. “Great general secretary, beloved President Xi, the Chinese nation is sure to rejuvenate because we have you.”

In interviews, many ordinary citizens said they welcomed the splash of charismatic leadership, especially after the dreary, plodding manner of Mr. Hu, whose keynote slogan, “Scientific Outlook on Development,” lacked the emotional punch of Mr. Xi’s “Chinese Dream.”

So- you understand.

We are dealing here with a true global and nation leader, and which deserves our full respect.

A man standing on top of our world.

But let me share - here- some of my (very) brief observations and insights on China's government work program, and in relation to the UN global needs on Energy & Sustainability (among the nations):

I have observed that the Chinese government work program (the English summary presented) does not mention (yet) the following words:

Low-carbon economy, Climate change, CO2, Sustainability, Financial Stability (global market), Energy Transition Management, Sustainable Development, Energy for All.

I observe the strong focus on economic growth and development in the work program, including a strong new international outreach.

If we compare the proposed Global Sustainable Development Goals with the working program of the Chinese Government- than we may conclude that - in general- the parties (the World, UN and Chinese Government) would or could benefit if we were or are able to create the various "bridges, translations and working programs " between the Chinese Government Work Program and the (UN Global) Sustainable Development Goals.

I find it yet difficult to read the actions or commitments of China on the UN SDG Goals Nr. 7 till 17- and would very much welcome (to participate in) an open and informal conversation with the Chinese Government on these goals. To better understand.

Image removed.

Now- on Energy & Sustainability- I have the following more generic observations.

Without any judgements, I observe that only in the last week the following news and reports on China's Energy & Sustainability working programs were reported in the international media and press:

If only half of this is true- we may know and appreciate that we need some shared interest and attention here:-

NYTimes: China Blocks Web Access to ‘Under the Dome’ Documentary on Pollution http://t.co/EL0vuNX0ul

— Adriaan Kamp (@Kamp_EFOW) March 7, 2015

 

 

No China Coal Peak in Sight: Carbon Capture Will be Necessary to Tame Emissions in this Century http://t.co/RJSlprCcAH

— Adriaan Kamp (@Kamp_EFOW) February 26, 2015

 

 

Chinese Smog could be beaten in 10 years according to Party Official http://t.co/2R5M7psoFp

— Adriaan Kamp (@Kamp_EFOW) March 7, 2015

 

 

India and others so far aren't fooled by China's "string of pearls" http://t.co/BH5xkhl1B8

— Project Syndicate (@ProSyn) March 7, 2015

 

The South China Sea ‘V-I-P’ Solution http://t.co/eM9NXMqEYm pic.twitter.com/jL9BpQkbTW

— AdriaanKamp (@Kamp_EFOW) March 8, 2015

 

ASEAN’s Energy Situation and Growing Effort on CDM http://t.co/vBAhmLnYj7 via @SlideShare

— Adriaan Kamp (@Kamp_EFOW) February 23, 2015




As I believe that China's development, in essence, determines my and my childrens' and the world's opportunity for a healthy and sustainable development.- I have a working interest in what concerns China.

Full-hearting-ly knowing that any development has and may have it's shadow-sides- life is simply not perfect- it deserves a shared and deepening conversation - and various eyes, ears and perspectives- to discern what needs our common and shared attention.

Today and tomorrow.

As we migrate and transit from MDG to (more) Universal SDG's - our human civilisation journey may take us actually to a next dream or realization:

Not an American Dream, Not a China Dream, and Not Made in India dream.

But an Universal (and shared) World Dream- between the most powerful people and nations, but to the benefit of all

(continued tomorrow)

Ashwini Sathnur
Ashwini Sathnur

Answer to Question 1 :-

Since inclusive development revolves around the concept of innovative ICT solutions, the outcome of the post-2015 agenda would ideally comprise of technological / non-technological solutions. This outcome, to be scientifically measured at the international level, has to be collected in regular intervals at the national level. And from the national level, the data has to be transferred to the international level [UN]. Hence the role of the local governments must include solutions' / data collection and the data transfer to the international level.

Answer to Question 2 :-

Both at the national / regional and international level, civil individuals who possess the potential and the capability to handle legal issues must be employed. This is to achieve a smooth / error-free data collection / data analysis / data transfer mechanisms. And they must also be capable to mitigate injustice. Thereby ensuring justice to common persons/ civil society  organizations.

Answer to Question 3 :-

Data revolution is the provision/ collection/ analysis/ transfer/ flows of data. This data would be scientific / technological / non-technological innovation which is a contribution of a nation to the international monitoring system - where comparability of various nations is carried out. And also deriving the competitiveness of a nation at an international level.

Answer to Question 4 :-

To ensure monitoring plans to be independent of governments' political cycles, the international level monitoring system / body would be ideal.

 

 

 

 

 

Judith Blau

 

I like your observation on question 4.

Our abilities to subtly , but decisively,  create an open and transparent world- whereby every citizen, every human being, can be properly heard and accounted for. - is worth our efforts in gold

Judith Blau

We are two young female students at Sciences Po Paris, and we are interested especially in the UNDP Youth Strategy for 2014 - 2017. Our main point of interest is the inclusion of young women and other disadvantaged youth, and how it might be possible to monitor the progress of this inclusion. 

 

In the process of thinking of possible ways of measurement, and of making sure that the different steps and levels of inclusion are reached, we got to think more about how to create incentives for countries to actually take steps towards this inclusion. How can we push implementation of the UN's goals, and how can we make sure that the indicators developed that allow us to monitor progress are respected?

We thought there is a possibility to creat an incentive-based reward system. So there are several questions that arise that we would like to share with you: 

- Might it be possible to create a sort of point system, where points are appointed (proportionally to a country's capacities) for reaching a new indicator? 

- Whom can we reward for the implementation of measures towards the UN's goals? A state? And industry? A sector? Citizens? 

- With what can we reward them? Economic rewards? Subsidies (and if yes, with what money)? Political rewards (like - a say in the security council, hypothetically?)?Symbolic rewards (like a certificate or prize of a sort)? 

We think this might help with the implementation of the UN's goals, and will facilitate the monitoring of the progress. What are your opinions about this? Would it be feasible? 

Judith Blau

Interesting point of view. Ranking, honouring and celebrating the stars.

Needs some smart thoughts, and needs to be simple and fool-proof , and not to end-up with some  unintended consequences.

But the principle(s) of incentives can be quite interesting- for all: states., companies, industry, citizens and sector

AK

AK

Judith Blau
What do we mean by Data Revolution? Is it about increased access to technology, facilitating data flows and information sharing across sectors (governmental but also public-private-civil society), ensuring reliable data is used for monitoring purposes? In that context, how to make sure that sensitive data is stored securely?

As Professor Jeffrey Sachs says in his classes, setting global goals is a way to establish priority areas that demand collective attention, and show that is possible to achieve them. Moreover, this global effort should also focus on how different governments can achieve these goals, showing pathways and enabling cooperation and knowledge sharing. And to engage as much stakeholders as possible in this endeavor, one big challenge will be to translate all these complex targets and indicators into a simpler framework. Among the differences between the MDGs and the SDGs, is the fact that we currently live in a more interconnected world, and we also have better tools for collecting and processing data, as well as for sharing it and reach a higher audience.

Therefore, I believe that the UN system, in partnership with governments and other stakeholders, should provide governments with an interactive platform where they can share their progress in a standardized way. The platform can be initially developed by the UN, in partnership with stakeholders and governments, and utilize both data from governments and other sources. Ideally, each government should set up a team to run their national platform in partnership with the UN and civil society. The UN may also have focal points for each national platform, or to work with a set of platforms. I believe the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) can support this initiative by engaging its existing networks.

The monitoring platform can be a website, where everyone could track the progress on all targets and indicators, and at the same time, access shorter and simpler versions of them, follow-up national thematic campaigns, and so forth. If this framework is successful, it can be expanded to state and city levels as well. With an integrated monitoring and evaluation system, the UN can compile data from all participating countries and turn them into quarterly or semiannual summaries. In addition to high quality data, it will be important to have a strong communications effort to promote the SDGs and the progress of countries. The SDGs should inspire people to take action, so any platform created for them should enable interaction with other stakeholders, and also promote initiatives from civil society, businesses, and NGOs that support achieving the goals.


A second feature of this framework can thus be the promotion of innovative initiatives on local, national, and regional levels. For instance, the Amazon SDSN is already building the “Amazon Knowledge and Sustainable Solutions Platform”. According to them, “the goal is to have an open access platform using a GIS tool that allows information sharing on solutions located in a map stored in the cloud. Input of solution cases will go through a set of criteria, in line with SDSN guidelines. This initiative will result in an open access platform for sustainable development solutions for the Amazon.” They believe that “such platform can have a multiplier effect in disseminating solutions for sustainable development in the region with significant scaling up potential.” (See more at: https://sdsndotfasamazonasdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/sdsn-amazo…)


More than showcasing best practices, the regional network also aims to establish a communications channel with policymakers, fostering dialogue and promoting evidence-based sustainable solutions. “The goal is to address issues and priorities identified by policymakers and bring tested solutions and project proposals to their attention (…) and multiply solutions on a large scale, with the support of appropriate public policies and civil society engagement.” The SDGs will be a great challenge for international cooperation, but we already have tools to enable knowledge sharing and effective monitoring for the process. This is not only a State endeavor, but rather goals that should mobilize the whole society to achieve sustainable development worldwide.

Cassia Moraes
Columbia University

Master of Public Administration in Development Practice Candidate, 2015
Judith Blau

Dear Cassia Moraes and collegues,

I believe the First step will be to strengthening of human rights. All citizens have right and they need to know about that and where they can find this information (easy way - easy to understand). Adaptation is part of this process, because  just recognizing that we have rights we can charge and a demand responsable changes. Maybe, on television and radio it would be possible to propagate this rights, and with a connection by smartphones and celphones (with correct application and location by geographical coordenate), we could transform ordinary people in agent against disaster. We are working on this project at State University of Campinas (in Campinas Metropolitan Region) together with Civil Defense. Of course, this idea demand much more deepening.

Judith Blau

Dear Cassia,

 

Very good! 

Fully agreed and may thanks for sharing.

Make me think of the possibility also to capture, register, match and link the "programs-to-go" in this open data platform. Not only do we track progress or "work done", but we also have a good sense and feeling of the (total) commitments and actions needed or go-ing forward, and their estimated/appraised impact.

Your example of the Amazon open knowledge and Sustainable Solutions Platform is excellent! How about if we can replicate this intiative over the various granularities (Global, Regional, National, Cities, etc,)- and connect with the "SD open data, progress and commitment"platform.

How if we can build "centres of excellence"- where practitioners from Government, Business, Civil Society and Academia can work together (virtual or face-to-face) , come or conference together -if so needed- and work on concrete and specific (game-changing) programs and projects.

AK

 

Judith Blau

Dear Amis des Etrangers au Togo,

Wherever my eyes go- compassion is good for all people.

Data helps us to better understand the situation we are in, what trends we are in- and help us to better see what is important and/or needs our urgent attention.

It help to see the impact of our common endeavours, and can inspire people and communities to do or strive better.

Data without wisdom and human compassion, however, is - to my mind- soulless and chanceless.

But I do understand, and that perhaps in the areas you see or are thinking of- that there is a gross lack of data, and hence good (opportunity for) decision making.

Is that right?

 Does this answer your observation ? Does this help us in our mutual understanding?

 

Dosse SOSSOUGA
Dosse SOSSOUGA

Les données sont obligatoires: Exemple, la compassion ou action humanitaire pour les enfants orphelins au Togo peut ne pas concerner le même nombre au Togo et au Sénégal, au brésil et en france. Si nous avons des données statistiques des enfants orphelins dans chaque pays, des actions seront bien orientées pour ne laisser personnes de côté.

Dosse SOSSOUGA
Dosse SOSSOUGA

Les données sont obligatoires: Exemple, la compassion ou action humanitaire pour les enfants orphelins au Togo peut ne pas concerner le même nombre au Togo et au Sénégal, au brésil et en france. Si nous avons des données statistiques des enfants orphelins dans chaque pays, des actions seront bien orientées pour ne laisser personnes de côté.

Judith Blau

Dear May,

KNowing all that, and see-ing all that, - our role and initiative is to make "good".  To work energized, attractive and inspired, maintain hope, find the subtle ways and means- to do good:

Looking with eagle eyes to the situation we are in.

to use facts, data and human dialogue- to better understand, in order to better act.

There has never been a better time to be compassionate and committed to Sustainable development.

I am in- and I hope - you too!

   

Judith Blau

For all the questions - in general terms

It means that the economic, social and environmental consequences are long-lasting and that the costs of rehabilitation are high as a percentage of gross national product (GNP). To reduce the potential effects of disasters, measures must be taken at  the preventative levels.

A question: What are the basic principles (values) and specific actions that are required at the national, regional and international levels to support development in developed and developing states in the area of natural and environmental disasters? What already exists and is being measured? How?

I know that maybe the majority of you could answer, but it is important to make this question in terms of political level (parties) with recognition of society (the participation of society in this questioning - we (society) would like to know what would be the political answer (governance) about disasters measures?) Normally, we (society) don´t have the same principles (values) and the political parties don´t see this question as an important issue. 

Judith Blau

For all the questions - in general terms

It means that the economic, social and environmental consequences are long-lasting and that the costs of rehabilitation are high as a percentage of gross national product (GNP). To reduce the potential effects of disasters, measures must be taken at  the preventative levels.

A question: What are the basic principles (values) and specific actions that are required at the national, regional and international levels to support development in developed and developing states in the area of natural and environmental disasters? What already exists and is being measured? How?

I know that maybe the majority of you could answer, but it is important to make this question in terms of political level (parties) with recognition of society (the participation of society in this questioning - we (society) would like to know what would be the political answer (governance) about disasters measures?) Normally, we (society) don´t have the same principles (values) and the political parties don´t see this question as an important issue. 

Dosse SOSSOUGA
Dosse SOSSOUGA

Prévenir les catastrophes c'est d'abord s'attaquer aux causes des ces catastrophes qui sont pour la plupart le changement climatique: Tout comme les pays développés, les pays en développement ont participté aux conséquences néfastes du climat avec des catastrophes que nous observons: soit c'est la production de gaz à effet de serre pour la destruction de la couche d'ozone, soit c'est la déforestation. La conférence de LIMA en 2014 est une mesure urgente pour corriger le mal. Les objectifs du développement durable ont intégré la lutte contre le changement climatique pour diminuer les conséquences de ces phénomènes sur l'humantité. la taxation des industries, les activités de reboisement et de reforestation des fôrets sont des dispositions à encourager. Mais la volonté politique, la conscientisation et la mobilisation de la population seront une obligation pour la réussite de cet objectif.

Dosse SOSSOUGA
Dosse SOSSOUGA

Prévenir les catastrophes c'est d'abord s'attaquer aux causes des ces catastrophes qui sont pour la plupart le changement climatique: Tout comme les pays développés, les pays en développement ont participté aux conséquences néfastes du climat avec des catastrophes que nous observons: soit c'est la production de gaz à effet de serre pour la destruction de la couche d'ozone, soit c'est la déforestation. La conférence de LIMA en 2014 est une mesure urgente pour corriger le mal. Les objectifs du développement durable ont intégré la lutte contre le changement climatique pour diminuer les conséquences de ces phénomènes sur l'humantité. la taxation des industries, les activités de reboisement et de reforestation des fôrets sont des dispositions à encourager. Mais la volonté politique, la conscientisation et la mobilisation de la population seront une obligation pour la réussite de cet objectif.

Dosse SOSSOUGA
Dosse SOSSOUGA

Prévenir les catastrophes c'est d'abord s'attaquer aux causes des ces catastrophes qui sont pour la plupart le changement climatique: Tout comme les pays développés, les pays en développement ont participté aux conséquences néfastes du climat avec des catastrophes que nous observons: soit c'est la production de gaz à effet de serre pour la destruction de la couche d'ozone, soit c'est la déforestation. La conférence de LIMA en 2014 est une mesure urgente pour corriger le mal. Les objectifs du développement durable ont intégré la lutte contre le changement climatique pour diminuer les conséquences de ces phénomènes sur l'humantité. la taxation des industries, les activités de reboisement et de reforestation des fôrets sont des dispositions à encourager. Mais la volonté politique, la conscientisation et la mobilisation de la population seront une obligation pour la réussite de cet objectif.

Judith Blau

What role should local governments play in the monitoring process?

We have come to the end of voluntary action on sustainability and while international and national mandates must be set in place in order to ensure that cities follow, local governments must take on the role of not only monitoring and enforcing, but also innovating. The sheer number of expansive metropolises, many of them in the same country (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, etc.), means that relying solely on state, federal or international governing bodies would be cumbersome and inefficient. While each urban environment is unique in its age, location, and population size, meaning that methods to achieve SDGs city to city may be different, processes that seek to monitor and enforce policies can be streamlined.

 

1. Each city should include in its charter a permanent Department of Sustainability, with its own commissioner and staff. These individuals should not only spearhead projects, but also act as a resource for others who may need support. Institutionalizing such an office will insulate projects and decrease their vulnerability during changing political cycles. 

 

2. Any single initiative geared towards reaching the SDGs should appear on the agendas of as many local departments as possible. This will not only ensure that the workload is shared between city officials, but also that accomplishing such goals will be the responsibility of many. There should be regular communication between departments, which will build a sense of community and deter any feelings of isolation.

 

3. City governments should be responsible for creating community-wide initiatives that strive to educate citizens. Curtailing society-wide consumption, whether that is in regards to any number of things (electricity, food, consumer goods), will require a paradigm shift and one that is not likely to be possible without the involvement of households. Garnering citizen support through understanding and involvement should be a key strategy for local governmental action.

 

4. Measurable goals should be set and a yearly report should be released internally and externally, outlining progress as well as exposing strategies that have proven to be less than optimal. This information should be distributed to other cities, with an emphasis on the sharing between cities of similar size and/or geographical location. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel in each location if it can be avoided. This information should also be shared on the state and national levels, then accumulated in one report that would be distributed on the international scale. Digitizing this process through a database would make it quick and efficient.

 

For the first time in recorded history, the majority of humans live in urban environments. This means that now, more than ever, the city governments are of the utmost importance. More nimble that behemoth governing bodies, cities should hold much of the responsibility for working towards the SDGs. Their progress should be shared regularly to the state and national levels, wherein cumulative data can be gathered easily and discussed on an international scale.

 

 

Katherine Aplin

MS Student in Sustainability Management, Columbia University

Judith Blau

2) How will action on the different goals at the global, regional or national levels be better tracked, taking into consideration national and regional specificities? What incentives would be needed to ensure that a broad range of actors engage in monitoring and review of results?

Engaging schools and school systems in the goals, with their implementation and evaluation, would be a valuable approach. When young people "catch fire" on an issue to help others, care for the earth, etc., they tend to take energetic and creative action. If even some of the upcoming SDG's can make their way into curricula, texts, and enrichment materials, students can wield a powerful influence, beginning with their families and friends.

Judith Blau

Yes, Human Rights can be a discipline at schools, and it can involve all the subjects climate change, health, security, water and sanitation, governance and govern. It is necessary to change education at all levels, especially the base (children) and the mentality of the future worker (young people). 

Judith Blau

As a truly global effort, an ideal monitoring and review framework for the post-2015 SDG’s needs to be comprehensive, detail-oriented, and highly adaptive. It needs to not only be able to initially identify effective agencies to act at as SDG monitors, and monitoring parameters that accurately reflect sustainable development, but to also have  feedback mechanisms in place to interpret results and change monitoring practices as needed. Naturally, the framework will require a highly connected network of local, national, and international agencies, with clear divisions of monitoring labor but also a structured process for considering the interactions between SDG programs. Care must also be taken to adapt individual programs to local and regional cultures and political environments in order to maintain the effectiveness and permanence of SDG monitoring.

The decision in selecting agencies to monitor the post-2015 SDGs should be made on a case-by-case basis. On the highest level, monitoring agencies should be technically competent, but should also be capable of generating and maintaining trust between themselves and the populations they serve, regardless of whether their specific goal directly affects humans or not. This trust is necessary for the collection of accurate social data, especially in situations that require stakeholder interviews and feedback. Consideration of trust issues will inform the analysis of local and regional political conditions, and will guide decisions on which agency to appoint as primary monitor and interlocutor between impacted stakeholders and the larger international framework.

To build trust, any monitoring agency needs to obtain free, prior, and informed consent of all stakeholders. People need to fully buy in to the method of data collection if it is to be both accurate and effective. This will involve extensive ground-truthing of the capacity and willingness of stakeholders to participate. Any monitoring and review program must also be aware of and respond to the culture of its participating stakeholders. Adapting to local and regional cultures will allow results to be properly interpreted, and will inform decisions how to most effectively receive feedback. This adaptation must take place across different regions, but across different stakeholder groups. In short, a thorough understanding of political and cultural relationships must be at the base of any monitoring and review program. 

Regardless of the specific parameters that are tracked and what methods of data collection are employed, an SDG monitoring framework should judge specific programs and initiatives by their permanence,  likelihood of creating leakage (moving unwanted behavior into other jurisdictions), and additionality, or the effect of the program that is independent of others. These higher level parameters will require monitoring beyond both spatial (in the case of leakage and additionality) and temporal (in the case of permanence) boundaries, and will add a level of nuance that takes into account national and regional specificities. An example application of these parameters can be found in the monitoring programs for sustainable forestry initiatives. The permanence of forestry projects is measured by the political relationship between funding and implementing agencies, and whether the project is required by government legislation; leakage is measured by the level of deforestation in neighbouring regions, or the effects of a project on timber prices; additionality is measured by comparing project impacts against baseline forest conditions that are determined by environmental and economic trends, as well as  existing forestry policies and programs.

These suggestions are very general in nature, but should be considered in order to create a global benchmark against which the global SDG monitoring process can be measured. The successful interpretation of data is equally, if not more important than its collection, and the collective actualization of the SDGs can only be properly interpreted if each goal is monitored with the same core principles in mind. The more the SDGs can be monitored in way that acknowledges the importance of global interactions, cultural specificity, and long term progress, the more confidence we can have in predicting and achieving their worldwide success.

Judith Blau
In mass media, only “How ambitious the environmental target number is” is focused. While time passes, there, most people come to forget it. Here, another important aspect, monitoring and review, is ignored. In order to evaluate a policy target in an accurate way, people need to focus both on setting process and monitoring process. Setting clear targets involving stakeholders and third-party oversight are essential in my idea. Before coming to SIPA, Columbia University, I worked for Policy Evaluation and Public Relations Division, Ministry of Economy, Japan. While PDCA cycle is required legally, in my experience, it does not work. Main reasons are following three. First, target is usually set voluntarily by each department without third party consulting. If a staff is required both to set and achieve its target, he has a strong incentive to make it easy target. Second, most targets are unclear and ambiguous. Because of political purpose, the governmental wants what people can understand as they want. In view of monitoring and review, however, this kind of unclear target is useless as there difficulty to judge whether that target is achieved or not. Third, a department which is in charge of monitoring and reviewing is not independent from monitored departments. At least in Japan, each ministry has each evaluation division and each evaluation of each ministry is not coordinated in the overall Japanese government. Under the same minister’s authority, evaluation division cannot issue negative comments to other divisions. I believe international targets are not so different from this Japanese case. Therefore, I would like to propose three recommendations. When each country sets its own target, first, the discussion needs to involve any kinds of stakeholders in form of advisory commission. By engaging both supporters and opponents and repeating heated discussions, the government can set ambitious but feasible target. Second, targets must be clear and unambiguous. One way UNDP can help is to develop the overall international target draft and assign quota to each country mechanically. Of course, each country can reject because of its sovereign. However, each country would explain why it cannot receive that quota because of domestic and international pressures. If a country starts discussion from this assigned quota, it would makes its domestic discussion more productive. Third, monitoring and reviewing should be done by third-party. UNDP is also a candidate. If UNDP has difficulty, it can outsource to private consulting firms which UNDP certificates. Additionally, involving local people is also important, now that information tools are cheap. For example, by developing smartphone application to collect environmental information directly from local people, UNDP may make monitoring more effective.
Judith Blau

Monitoring consumer protection: A cross-cutting means of implementation

Consumers International (CI) is concerned that the proposed SDGs take a very narrow approach to consumer protection, a tool which can support the delivery of many goals and targets.

Consumer protection can help to drive sustainable consumption patterns by ensuring that people everywhere are treated fairly in the marketplace, with access to safe, healthy & fair products & services. This is particularly important for poor and vulnerable people who are often exploited. Improved, coherent and verifiable information to consumers on product and service design, development, use and re-use can also help to inform sustainable choices and lifestyles.

World Bank figures on household consumption as a percentage of GDP (global average 60% - http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.PETC.ZS) highlight the influence which consumers have on the economy, nationally and globally. But this influence, and the positive impact which it can have for sustainability, is still under-represented in post-2015 negotiations.

For examples of how ensuring and monitoring consumer protection can support the delivery of each of the proposed SDGs, see http://www.consumersinternational.org/media/1488820/consumer-protection-&-sdgs_draft-1906-2-nl-3-.pdf.

Proposed SDG indicators to ensure consumer protection

CI considers it essential to include the following global indicator under the MoI Goal:

  • Number of countries implementing the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection (UNGCP).

This will measure global efforts, country-by-country, to ensure consumer protection. It requires no elaboration as the UNGCP contain agreed definitions & approaches, & have acted as a blueprint for the development of consumer protection for c. 30 years. The UNGCP are currently undergoing a revision with the aim of tabling a resolution at the UN General Assembly in September 2015 to make them more relevant to today’s challenges. Encouragingly, the current draft text includes reference to the role of consumer protection in supporting the implementation of the SDGs. Mutual reference to the UNGCP in the SDGs framework would support both agendas.

Possible complementary national indicators include:

  • Implementation of a national-level Consumer Protection Act (CPA)
  • Implementation of a national policy on, or strategic plan for, consumer protection
  • Assessment of the content of the consumer act & policy/plan.
  • Consumer organisations’ involvement in the development of [consumer protection/other] laws & policies
  • Enactment of constitutional/legislative measures for consumer protection
  • Percentage of government funding dedicated to consumer education
  • Proportion of population aware of national consumer protection measures
  • Existence of consumer protection bodies, resources & powers
  • Reviews of effectiveness of CPA/strategic plan for consumer protection undertaken every x years
  • Revisions made to a CPA/strategic plan for consumer protection every x years.

These may be tailored to relevant national priorities, e.g. access to food, energy, water; consumer redress; data protection; regulation of consumer credit. As such, they may be housed under the MoI or issue-specific Goals.

Judith Blau

Thank you Kim and agree on the need for a reliable system . On the issue of data base, I would like to refer to lessons drawn from the implementation of the “Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters”.

The development of National data bases varied, not all countries in Africa had a disaster loss data base- desinventar (www.desinventar.net). The data base by itself was crucial in supporting the states to measure the progress in reaching the framework expected outcome of “The substantial reduction of disaster losses in lives and in the social, economic and environmental assets of communities and countries”.

The HFA, priority for Action no. 2, focus is on monitoring (Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning:  that included Support the development and improvement of relevant databases and the promotion of full and open exchange and dissemination of data for assessment, monitoring and early warning purposes, as appropriate, at international, regional, national and local levels.

In Africa only 9 countries have a disaster loss data base, quality of the information generated is of concern in some of the countries. Therefore, global approaches to support countries establish the data bases if data comparability is still to hold will be necessary. Efforts for a devoted system right from the local level to the National/Region /Global one when developing the public data bases will be paramount, to ensure quality, credibility and use of the generated information. Then a team to review the same periodically,well trained to ensure consistence, should be in place at National/Regional/Global level to assess and ensure quality/usage of the information.

The proposal by Jan Goossenaerts to involve institutions of learning, taking into consideration education as a key component of development is welcome. The higher institutions of learning and in particular faculties that are directly related to elements stated in the SDGs should in collaboration with the state ministries support in ensuring quality of the data. However, key is to ensure a review of the reports generated by states (from the data bases) for appropriate and timely actions to be implemented. Its only through this review that it will enable improvement of the process, learning should be in place all through untill a time when information generated is reliable and well understood by the public.

The involvement of the media to ensure dissemination, including too the schools would be of an added value in reaching majority in the community. Thank you.

 

Judith Blau

Estimados colegas:

 

Desde 2004 monitoreamos los indicadores de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio en Brasil. Esta es una iniciativa del Servicio Social de la Industria (Sesi PR), una organización privada que representa los intereses de la industria del estado del Paraná (sur de Brasil). El proyecto tuvo éxito porque fueron considerados algunos ingredientes fundamentales: el compromiso con una institución "ancla" (en el caso SESI PR - que proporcionó el personal y la infraestructura); colaboración con otras instituciones (especialmente para la definición de indicadores que podrían ser utilizadas y el acceso a la información) y la difusión del uso de la herramienta (esencial para garantizar la funcionalidad del proyecto – informaciones que no son conocidas y no utilizan para definir proyectos / políticas, son inútiles).

En este sentido, alentamos la construcción de una red internacional para el desarrollo de un instrumento similar para promover el monitoreo de los objetivos de desarrollo sustentable.

Les invitamos a conocer la herramienta para los ODM: www.portalodm.com.br

 

Un cordial saludo,

Movimento Nós Podemos Paraná

Judith Blau

Hi Everyone, 

 

Great discussion so far. I just wanted to add in some points from the persepctive of ATD Fourth World. We are an international anti-poverty organization, following the post-2015 proces. Hope this helps!

As the international community moves forward on the Post-2015 Agenda with the overall aim of eradicating extreme poverty it is essential that the monitoring and review framework captures progress toward this overall goal.  Commitments at all levels to dignity, cooperation, and inclusion are undermined by a lack of consensus on how and when the SDGs should be reviewed and evaluated.

 

The Post-2015 Agenda has taken up the charge to ensure that no one is left behind by the SDGs, and this commitment requires impact evaluations that give special attention to the poorest and most vulnerable groups.  Toward this end, a monitoring and review framework that is multi-tiered and engages a range of stakeholders will require careful coordination and implementation—initiating new and strengthening existing mechanisms.   

 

Monitoring must be transparent and inclusive of the voices and experiences of those most affected by policy implementation.  Utilizing citizen-generated data and participatory data collection methods will be critical in ensuring that the SDGs are being implemented effectively at subnational and national levels. 

 

In order for this kind of monitoring to feed into the process, the international community should consider data that goes beyond official statistics. Collecting data on both qualitative and quantitative targets is the only way to begin measuring the true impact of the SDGs on multiple dimensions of poverty at all levels.  Furthermore, perceptions-based data can complement monitoring on targets that are harder to quantify (i.e. participation and discrimination).

 

Further, data collected on the progress of the SDGs must be disaggregated by income and no target should be considered met unless met by the lowest quintile, in an effort to leave no one behind. 

 

In this regard, technical statistical capacity building needs to take place at sub-national, national, regional, and international levels for a monitoring and review framework that is timely and responsive to changing needs. 

 

To further enhance monitoring capacity, the review mechanism should have a formal space for stakeholder reports[1]. This report would empower civil society to make recommendations based directly on citizen feedback. And, it could serve to fill gaps that cannot be closed by standard statistical systems.

 

 

The review mechanism should benefit from a global level peer review process. This process should focus on identifying key best practices, common challenges, and should follow up on its recommendations every 4 years.

 

Despite the rigorous peer review mechanism that is transparent and inclusive, implementation should be carried out in the spirit of progressive realization to the maximum of available resources. Countries with fewer capacities should not be expected to deliver in the same timeframes as countries with more capacity.

 

These recommendations strive to build a review mechanism that will actually aid countries in implementation. Through a structured process that takes in a variety of perspectives, some of the most common challenges can be addressed in a targeted and scientific manner. As long as countries are willing (and adequately incentivized) to respond to the recommendations they receive, the international community will jointly move towards sustainable development.

 

 


[1] The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet. United Nations 2014 (par 149)

Judith Blau

Hi Everyone, 

 

Great discussion so far. I just wanted to add in some points from the persepctive of ATD Fourth World. We are an international anti-poverty organization, following the post-2015 proces. Hope this helps!

As the international community moves forward on the Post-2015 Agenda with the overall aim of eradicating extreme poverty it is essential that the monitoring and review framework captures progress toward this overall goal.  Commitments at all levels to dignity, cooperation, and inclusion are undermined by a lack of consensus on how and when the SDGs should be reviewed and evaluated.

 

The Post-2015 Agenda has taken up the charge to ensure that no one is left behind by the SDGs, and this commitment requires impact evaluations that give special attention to the poorest and most vulnerable groups.  Toward this end, a monitoring and review framework that is multi-tiered and engages a range of stakeholders will require careful coordination and implementation—initiating new and strengthening existing mechanisms.   

 

Monitoring must be transparent and inclusive of the voices and experiences of those most affected by policy implementation.  Utilizing citizen-generated data and participatory data collection methods will be critical in ensuring that the SDGs are being implemented effectively at subnational and national levels. 

 

In order for this kind of monitoring to feed into the process, the international community should consider data that goes beyond official statistics. Collecting data on both qualitative and quantitative targets is the only way to begin measuring the true impact of the SDGs on multiple dimensions of poverty at all levels.  Furthermore, perceptions-based data can complement monitoring on targets that are harder to quantify (i.e. participation and discrimination).

 

Further, data collected on the progress of the SDGs must be disaggregated by income and no target should be considered met unless met by the lowest quintile, in an effort to leave no one behind. 

 

In this regard, technical statistical capacity building needs to take place at sub-national, national, regional, and international levels for a monitoring and review framework that is timely and responsive to changing needs. 

 

To further enhance monitoring capacity, the review mechanism should have a formal space for stakeholder reports[1]. This report would empower civil society to make recommendations based directly on citizen feedback. And, it could serve to fill gaps that cannot be closed by standard statistical systems.

 

 

The review mechanism should benefit from a global level peer review process. This process should focus on identifying key best practices, common challenges, and should follow up on its recommendations every 4 years.

 

Despite the rigorous peer review mechanism that is transparent and inclusive, implementation should be carried out in the spirit of progressive realization to the maximum of available resources. Countries with fewer capacities should not be expected to deliver in the same timeframes as countries with more capacity.

 

These recommendations strive to build a review mechanism that will actually aid countries in implementation. Through a structured process that takes in a variety of perspectives, some of the most common challenges can be addressed in a targeted and scientific manner. As long as countries are willing (and adequately incentivized) to respond to the recommendations they receive, the international community will jointly move towards sustainable development.

 

 


[1] The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet. United Nations 2014 (par 149)

Judith Blau

Hard questions indeed but, in any case, equity considerations should be paramount in monitoring social inclusion in the SDGs. That would require a systematic and concerted effort (strategically, conceptually, methodologically, instrumentally) to track actions of the different goals by looking at their distribution though a number of equity stratifiers/social categories (in terms of current status, as well as trends/changes over time, and benchmarking). Actions on targets/indicators for SDG3 (health), for instance, should be systematically monitored by assessing changes in standard metrics of gap and gradient inequality, both absolute and relative --say, maternal mortality by wealth quintiles, education attainment categories, sex, urban/rural, ethnicity, and the like.  Actions on SDGs should remove inequalities and barriers to social inclusion.  A monitoring system should reflect this intent.

Judith Blau

I would like to add to those that have called for engagement of citizens in Post 2015 monitoring and accountability. As World Vision, we believe in the need to;

1. Engage citizens, including children

Ensuring delivery of the post-2015 development framework requires locally-led and transparent mechanisms for monitoring progress and ensuring accountability, so that citizens - including children - are able to hold their governments accountable for equitable progress at national and local levels (http://www.wvi.org/StopatNothing). If citizens are not directly included, it is unlikely that we will succeed in translating the global promise of the goals into tangible change at the local level.

The direct engagement of citizens in this process is critical to its authenticity and relevance to local conditions.  It also has the potential to promote the local ownership that drives monitoring and accountability. Involving communities in gathering and sharing data about their needs and circumstances and in planning, monitoring and reviewing services is a key means to empower people to participate in the development process. It is a critical element in ensuring that governments make good on their commitments and that targets are met.

 

To support such community engagement, the development of accountability frameworks for post 2015 must promote mechanisms for participatory monitoring, including clear and pre-defined ways for children and young people to meaningfully participate. This must be accompanied by access to easy-to-understand and timely information, as well as sub-national capacity building programmes that empower local communities to participate in the planning, implementing and monitoring of development programmes.

2. Count citizen generated data

A critical ingredient of successful and sustainable development is being able to generate timely and reliable data that can identify need at the local level, track services and improve delivery on indicators. In fragile contexts, where information may be poor or non-existent, involving communities in collecting data and monitoring initiatives can fill gaps that may exist in official statistics as a result of insufficient capacity or lack of political will.

Importantly, data gathered locally can give local decision-makers the evidence they need to lobby provincial and national governments for more resources for their districts. In this way, community-driven information can help local decision-makers create a vital bridge to national governments and international development efforts, thus feeding an accountability continuum that links even the most remote communities to the global development framework.

Data from citizen monitoring should also feed into the official national Post 2015 reporting. The data revolution should go beyond gaps in data, to the creation of spaces for dialogue with citizens, CSOs and other critical stakeholders, encouraging civic engagement and evidence-based dialogue that is linked to mechanisms for structural planning and decision making (http://www.beyond2015.org/news/letter-accountability-child-focused-agencies).

Social accountability mechanisms, such as World Vision’s supported Citizen Voice and Action (http://citizenvoiceandaction.org), has much to offer, enabling citizens, including often marginalised groups, to participate in monitoring services and with government to generate their own rich data that can create real-time feedback loops to connect local communities to the next global framework

Judith Blau

What kind of monitoring and review in the multi-tiered and multi-stakeholder responsibility structure will be required for the SDGs and the post-2015 development agenda? What would be the key features of an effective monitoring and review framework?

I would like to add to those that have called for engagement of citizens. As World Vision, we believe there is need to;

1. Engage citizens, including children

Ensuring delivery of the post-2015 development framework requires locally-led and transparent mechanisms for monitoring progress and ensuring accountability, so that citizens - including children - are able to hold their governments accountable for equitable progress at national and local levels (http://www.wvi.org/StopatNothing). If citizens are not directly included, it is unlikely that we will succeed in translating the global promise of the goals into tangible change at the local level.

The direct engagement of citizens in this process is critical to its authenticity and relevance to local conditions.  It also has the potential to promote the local ownership that drives monitoring and accountability. Involving communities in gathering and sharing data about their needs and circumstances and in planning, monitoring and reviewing services is a key means to empower people to participate in the development process. It is a critical element in ensuring that governments make good on their commitments and that targets are met.

 

To support such community engagement, the development of accountability frameworks for post 2015 must promote mechanisms for participatory monitoring, including clear and pre-defined ways for children and young people to meaningfully participate. This must be accompanied by access to easy-to-understand and timely information, as well as sub-national capacity building programmes that empower local communities to participate in the planning, implementing and monitoring of development programmes.

2. Count citizen generated data 

A critical ingredient of successful and sustainable development is being able to generate timely and reliable data that can identify need at the local level, track services and improve delivery on indicators. In fragile contexts, where information may be poor or non-existent, involving communities in collecting data and monitoring initiatives can fill gaps that may exist in official statistics as a result of insufficient capacity or lack of political will.

Importantly, data gathered locally can give local decision-makers the evidence they need to lobby provincial and national governments for more resources for their districts. In this way, community-driven information can help local decision-makers create a vital bridge to national governments and international development efforts, thus feeding an accountability continuum that links even the most remote communities to the global development framework.

Data from citizen monitoring should also feed into the official national Post 2015 reporting. The data revolution should go beyond gaps in data, to the creation of spaces for dialogue with citizens, CSOs and other critical stakeholders, encouraging civic engagement and evidence-based dialogue that is linked to mechanisms for structural planning and decision making (http://www.beyond2015.org/news/letter-accountability-child-focused-agencies).

Social accountability mechanisms, such as World Vision’s supported Citizen Voice and Action (http://citizenvoiceandaction.org), has much to offer, enabling citizens, including often marginalised groups, to participate in monitoring services and with government to generate their own rich data that can create real-time feedback loops to connect local communities to the next global framework

Judith Blau

Risks in Metrics of Sustainable Development in Big Data era

Dun Lu 

Regarding data accessibility, we are obviously lucky to live in Big Data Era. As Auguste Comte once said, much as the physical world operates according to gravity and other absolute laws, so does society. In our pursuit of larger and larger samples to generate a more reliable analysis result, the spirit of positivism has driven forward our world from Enlightenment Era till now Big Data Era. Reliable metrics are and always will play an important role in helping us better analyze, present and track the progress of sustainable development. With convenient data access, we will also encounter risks in sustainable development metrics in sample representativeness, algorithm, and result analysis.

Metrics with big data still rely on representativeness in samples.

Representativeness is the precondition for sustainable development metrics to be discussed and compared among different regions and countries. Even in Big Data Era, quantity never directly guarantees the representativeness in sampling procedure. Surely with more sample observation, the difference of analysis result based on samples might be closer to result based on population if samples are proportional to distribution of entire population. While it’s almost certain that data source in Big Data relies on physical and technical support, which can be different and distort the representativeness, opposite to our original thinking.

Algorithm behind metrics in Big Data Era needs reliable creativity more than ever.

Global communication upon sustainable development and propaganda towards general public require the metrics presentable and actionable. With huge numbers of raw data, how to organize them into presentable and actionable metrics and indicators requires higher level of algorithm. Simplification of complex data analysis will easily bring distortion and misinterpretation to different extent. Even well known as DJIA and S&P 500 has simplification and also sort of distortion to present US economy. A reliable creative algorithm is important to ensure the result to present the real essence as the names imply rather than mislead the readers too much.

Metrics based on Big Data analysis calls for cautious intuitive judgment.

A good decision-making based on Big Data still needs critical reasoning with cautiousness when we digest the metrics with Big Data support. Stock prices are the same for all while some win and some lose. A cautious intuitive judgment is crucial for us to avoid misinterpretation when we compare the metrics between different countries and set baseline for global development level. General impression with Big Data can make us easily ignore the underlying micro-conditions. In articles for non-professionals, the word “average” appears much much more often than “standard deviation”. Caution when interpreting statistical report is always never too much to avoid a utilitarian judgment in a democratic society. When we examine metrics of sustainable development across regions, always take caution upon unquantified aspects before make prediction and judgment. Today as we embrace Big Data Era and Digital Revolution, we still call for intuition since intuition complement the insufficiency in the statistical assumption. In global governance and communication, the metrics gathered from different regions are always not so easy to get clear understanding especially for metrics social aspects, since countries have different problems and establish their own metrics based on their conditions. Cautious analysis of quantitative result and intuitive judgment based on individual features are therefore important for government to avoid misinterpretation and enact better public policy.

Judith Blau

Risks in Metrics of Sustainable Development in Big Data era

Dun Lu

Regarding data accessibility, we are obviously lucky to live in Big Data Era. As Auguste Comte once said, much as the physical world operates according to gravity and other absolute laws, so does society. In our pursuit of larger and larger samples to generate a more reliable analysis result, the spirit of positivism has driven forward our world from Enlightenment Era till now Big Data Era. Reliable metrics are and always will play an important role in helping us better analyze, present and track the progress of sustainable development. With convenient data access, we will also encounter risks in sustainable development metrics in sample representativeness, algorithm, and result analysis.

Metrics with big data still rely on representativeness in samples.

Representativeness is the precondition for sustainable development metrics to be discussed and compared among different regions and countries. Even in Big Data Era, quantity never directly guarantees the representativeness in sampling procedure. Surely with more sample observation, the difference of analysis result based on samples might be closer to result based on population if samples are proportional to distribution of entire population. While it’s almost certain that data source in Big Data relies on physical and technical support, which can be different and distort the representativeness, opposite to our original thinking.

Algorithm behind metrics in Big Data Era needs reliable creativity more than ever.

Global communication upon sustainable development and propaganda towards general public require the metrics presentable and actionable. With huge numbers of raw data, how to organize them into presentable and actionable metrics and indicators requires higher level of algorithm. Simplification of complex data analysis will easily bring distortion and misinterpretation to different extent. Even well known as DJIA and S&P 500 has simplification and also sort of distortion to present US economy. A reliable creative algorithm is important to ensure the result to present the real essence as the names imply rather than mislead the readers too much.

Metrics based on Big Data analysis calls for cautious intuitive judgment.

A good decision-making based on Big Data still needs critical reasoning with cautiousness when we digest the metrics with Big Data support. Stock prices are the same for all while some win and some lose. A cautious intuitive judgment is crucial for us to avoid misinterpretation when we compare the metrics between different countries and set baseline for global development level. General impression with Big Data can make us easily ignore the underlying micro-conditions. In articles for non-professionals, the word “average” appears much much more often than “standard deviation”. Caution when interpreting statistical report is always never too much to avoid a utilitarian judgment in a democratic society. When we examine metrics of sustainable development across regions, always take caution upon unquantified aspects before make prediction and judgment. Today as we embrace Big Data Era and Digital Revolution, we still call for intuition since intuition complement the insufficiency in the statistical assumption. In global governance and communication, the metrics gathered from different regions are always not so easy to get clear understanding especially for metrics social aspects, since countries have different problems and establish their own metrics based on their conditions. Cautious analysis of quantitative result and intuitive judgment based on individual features are therefore important for government to avoid misinterpretation and enact better public policy.