Are we ready for the SDGs? The challenges and potentials....

1. Are We Fit for the SDGs?
UN Women in Post-2015 World
Monjurul Kabir,
Head of Asia-Pacific Section, Programme Division
UN Women HQ, New York

2. - The draft outcome document – Transforming Our World: 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development - was adopted by consensus
in the evening of Sunday, 02 August 2015.
- The 29 page document is an outcome of 2 years of transparent and
relatively democratic negotiations except the final 48 hours of intense,
at times, dramatic negotiations.
- As to the formal approval, the current GA would take a decision to refer
the document to the 70th session (September Summit).
- No formal reservations were recorded officially but Member States
could provide explanations of position to become part of the official
records of the current session, or they could circulate letters stating
their positions.
CONTEXT

3. - Ambitious-main meat of the 2016-2030 agenda: 17 Goals, 169 Targets.
- Universal - meaning all countries are to take actions including the rich and
powerful.
- Distinct - this distinguishes SDGs from the MDGs of 2000-2015 which was
based on an explicitly donor-recipient model of aid from the rich countries
to the poor.
- Comprehensive -Goals are covering social and environmental issues
ranging from inequality, poverty, climate change, infrastructures, energy,
industrialization, consumption and production, health, education,
ecosystem, biodiversity, and oceans.
- The focus-the agenda addresses the rising inequalities within and among
countries and enormous disparities of opportunities, wealth, and, power.
- And the goals are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Goal 5
[GE] and Goal 8 [economic growth, employment, decent work].
SDGs – Unique Features

4. Follow-up & Review: Voluntary
E-Voluntary and Country led;
- Regional Group Discussions: UPR Model, APRM Model etc.
Each region would decide which platform and approach to
use.
- At the global level, the HLPF would culminate the review
architecture. It would build on national and regional reviews.
- Global trends and policy issues would be identified for goals
and/or groups of targets, along the thematic lines.
- A set of Global Indicators: Complemented by indicators at the
Regional and National Level: UN Statistical Commission will
agree by March 2016.

5. Follow-up & Review: Voluntary
entSystematic Follow-up and Review of Implementation: takes
various shapes:
- A. Mechanisms to review implementation by Member States
[National level] –no model emerged yet in national response.
- B. Mechanisms to ensure the accountability of the UN system
and its various entities – one Executive Board ? one UN with
stronger accountability, and bringing Funds and Programmes
under greater scrutiny;
- C. Mechanisms to keep track of overall progress and trends
toward achieving the SDGs: Global Report, Progress
Reports;

6. SDG Costing and Sources?
- There are differing views and assumptions.
- Ambassador Macharia Kamau, PR of the Republic of Kenya
estimated USD 3.5 to 5 trillion dollars a year.
- Some Northern Institutions estimated over 5 trillion dollars a
year.
- Two key sources: 1. Private Money [SDG Goal 17] as well as
various other processes Sustainable Energy for All Initiatives,
Global Financing Facility; 2. Domestic money straight from
developing country coffers as no new international money is
being committed.
- Of course, all 193 members states are expected to contribute
resources to domestic agenda.

7. Challenges for UN and UN Women
-
• RM: Completion for scarce resources will be intense;
• UN Coordination mandate will be tested;
• Voluntary nature of review and implementation mechanism
might further enhance national specificity argument;
• Regional and Sub-regional differentiations might weaken the
means of implementation including follow-up;
• UNW: Relations with Economic Commissions and other bodies
at the Regional Level are varied.
• UNW: Ensuring robust linkages with programmes and
operational response to the SDG agenda.

8. Opportunities for UN
• Global and National Ownership of the SDGs- political will;
• UN Reforms: New SG’s leadership;
• SD is based on the three pillars of economic, environment and
social conditions, integrated statistics will be needed;
• Unprecedented level of public-private partnership[private
sector, CSO];
• Data Revolution: Big and small [Goal 17.18]
• Need for strong national statistical institutions & systems
• Innovation, Science & Technology [Goal 17.6],
• Multiplicity of actors and partnership – [Goal 17];
• New UNDAFs: 30 new UNDAFs in nxt 9-12 months
-

9. Opportunities for UN Women
• Poverty Eradication (SDG 1): Exclusion
• Health (SDG 3): Going beyond our response to HIV and Ebola
• Education (SDG 4): curricula
• Gender Equality & Empowerment of Women & Girls (SDG 5)
• Water and Sanitation (SDG 6)
• Sustainable Cities & Settlements (SDG 11): sustainable
transport [Safe city-safe transport]
• Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG 12)
• QCPR Report 2015: Economic Development; Natural
Resource Management; Sustainable Development Policies;

10. Opportunities for UN – UN Women
- Developing new methodologies and data to cover new
development challenges, such as measuring inequality,
climate change, governance, security [WPS], VAW: Attitudes,
Laws, Institutions [monitoring of implementation];
- Disaggregated data by gender, age, geography, special social
groups, etc.
- Integrating statistical information more efficiently with
geospatial information provides considerable analytical
benefits. It could be a tool to the identification of vulnerability.
- Integrating statistical information more efficiently
with geospatial information

11. Opportunities for UN Women
- Women and Girls everywhere have much to gain from the
SDGs. But to make this a reality, we have to keep pressure on
governments to follow through on their commitments. UN
Women’s Political Advocacy Role;
- Addressing inequalities and exclusion: UNW Policy Advocacy
and Programming Role;
- Implementation of Goal 5: Achieve Gender Equality and
Empower all Women and Girls;
- Integration of other goals [i.e., social, environmental,
business and economic sectors] in line with SN-AWP priorities;
-

12. Opportunities for UN women
- The substance of the emerging flagship programmes can be a
substantive operational response of the organization;
- Flagship modality is one of the means through which UN
Women is becoming fit-for-purpose.
- Offices are also asked more generally to focus on larger and
more scale-able initiatives – positioning around SDGs;
- Positioning towards emerging national SDG strategies and
responses i.e., linking goal 16 to the WPS work
- Different types of Non-core resources including Private
sector

13. Opportunities for UN Women
- Traditional data sources, such as household
surveys and administrative records, especially civil
registration, will have to be strengthened and
expanded.
- New data sources – big data – will have to be
explored for their suitability to monitor sustainable
development – Are we ready?
- Open data initiatives need to be pursued to
provide easier and more comprehensive access to
existing information.
- Working smart and leading by knowledge.

14. SG’s Synthesis Report – The Road to Dignity by 2030
“If we are to succeed, the new agenda must become part of the
contract between people, including civil society and responsible
business, and their governments – national and local. Parliaments
must be strengthened to deepen democracy and carry out their
constitutional mandates of oversight. All companies must pay their
taxes, respect labour standards, human rights, and the
environment. Empowered civil society actors, through action and
advocacy, must rally to the cause, and contribute to a sustainable,
equitable, and prosperous future.”

15. Thank you