Together 2030 launched a new paper with concrete recommendations on how to improve the current VNR guidelines. The paper, a collective effort by the members of the Initiative, was made possible through a partnership with World Vision.
Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) are a critical element of the follow-up and review mechanisms for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs. To support the reporting process, the United Nations Secretary General has been requested to provide a set of voluntary common reporting guidelines for VNRs, which were published in January
2016. After two rounds of VNRs presentations at the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF), a reflection and review of the proposed guidelines is needed in order to provide better guidance to volunteer Member States. VNRs are a strategic tool for information sharing and peer learning, for policy review and route correction. It is critical that the guidelines for follow-up and review in the VNRs are adapted to facilitate these processes.
Key Recommendations to the VNR Guidelines and process at the national and global level include:
- The lack of a more common structure to the reports undermines the capacity of comparison and review of shared challenges and good practices, common Guidelines should be commonly followed.
- The Guidelines should protect and support the indivisibility and integrated nature of the SDGs and break a current trend of limited or selective SDG reporting in VNRs.
- Countries should provide concrete examples on the country’s efforts towards integration and how they contribute to the three dimensions of Sustainable Development.
- VNR guidelines should request Member States to report on how their policies and programmes are being adapted to reach the furthest behind first.
- Governments should be requested to inform how they publicized their plans and which processes were established to prepare the VNR report. They should also report on how they are creating clear, open, coherent, transparent and regular spaces for the participation of stakeholders in the planning, implementation and accountability of the 2030 Agenda at all levels.
- An accountability cycle should be continually in place until 2030, providing regular and predictable spaces for interaction, review and participation for civil society and stakeholders, be the result of inclusive national discussions and part of a multi-layered review system.
Check the full report here.