Accountability and the post-2015 development agenda – No 2

As reported by the Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) in their update, the Regional Economic Commissions held consultations in August and September on a post-2015 accountability framework. These consultations will provide input into the Secretary-General’s Synthesis Report, which is expected later this year.

Synthesis Report of the Regional Commission Consultations

The Synthesis Report of the Regional Commission Consultations “Towards an effective monitoring and accountability framework for the post-2015 development agenda: perspectives from the regions” builds on the regional consultations held in August and September:

• Asia-Pacific region: Bangkok, Thailand, 5-6 August


• Africa region: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 21-23 August


• Latin American and Caribbean region: Santiago, Chile, 28-29 August


• European region: Geneva, Switzerland, 15-16 September


• Arab region: Tunis, Tunisia, 15 -16 September

It sets out the following eight main messages that emerged from the Regional Consultations:

1. The monitoring and accountability framework should be an integral part of the post- 2015 development agenda and not an “after-thought” …However, there is a need to distinguish the meaning of accountability at different levels.

2. The backbone of an accountability framework should be at the national level …Hence, the focus should be to strengthen capacity for implementation, monitoring and evaluation at the national level, including through greater involvement and engagement of civil society and the private sector from the planning to the monitoring phases of the SDGs. Review tools and mechanisms for accountability should be state-led, and based on official statistics, although the potential relevance of other sources of information should also be acknowledged.

a. The private sector should not just be viewed as a resource provider but also as a contributor to strengthening accountability frameworks by creating institutional systems and appropriate incentive mechanisms to review and encourage sustainable production and resource efficiency.

b. With respect to civil society, there should be more systematic and institutionalized mechanisms to involve them from the planning to the monitoring and evaluation phases of this process. The Aarhus Convention with its focus on access to information, participation and access to justice is a good example of such a participatory process. These mechanisms should ensure that particularly vulnerable and marginalized groups including youth, indigenous peoples and people with disabilities, were reached and involved.

c. There was a need to strengthen countries’ capabilities at the national level for the generation, processing, analysis and dissemination of information in a transparent and enabling manner.

d. Enhancing capabilities for collection of disaggregated data at the national and sub-national levels was emphasized.

3. The SDGs are not legally binding commitments and, as such, should maintain their positive, inspirational and aspirational nature. National ownership and creating and promoting a collaborative environment towards SDG achievement and implementation are critical to their success. SDGs should be used as incentives for people and countries to come together and make a joint effort towards their achievement.

4. The regional dimension could play a critical role since countries within regions share common experiences and challenges …The need for a collaborative spirit instead of a competitive one to infuse the achievement of the SDGs was stressed and the regional dimension could build trust among countries by encouraging them to share information, knowledge and experiences, strengthen their respective capabilities and define coherent regional policies and approaches. Indeed, collaborative transparency to assess and evaluate performance may be a better way of framing accountability at the regional and international levels.

5. The UN Regional Commissions were called upon to support the development of effective regional monitoring frameworks while linking national and global efforts, as well as to provide a platform for collective multi-stakeholder review of regional progress on the post-2015 development agenda, based on national assessments of progress.

6. For the purposes of follow-up and accountability, the regional consultations affirmed that it is important to build on existing mechanisms and successful experiences. The intergovernmental architecture available in each region was acknowledged as a means to own and support the implementation of the post- 2015 agenda and its review mechanism, eg:

a. In the Asia-Pacific region, there was broad agreement that regional level monitoring could offer a peer review mechanism for assessment and cross-fertilization. The Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) has the potential to evolve into a platform for monitoring and accountability while complementing national and sub-regional efforts and supporting regular assessment. It was also recommended that the partnership among existing regional and sub-regional mechanisms such as the ESCAP Committee on Statistics, ASEAN and its Corporate Social Responsibility Network, Inter-State Commission on Sustainable Development (ICSD), Pacific Island Forum (PIF), ESCAP Statistics Committee, the Asian Development Bank and other institutions, as well as the conduct of sub-regional consultations could be strengthened to provide coherent platforms for countries to adopt agreed standards and make concerted efforts for improvements.
(For Chair’s Summary for the Asia-Pacific Regional see here. For further information on Consultation see here.)

b. In the Africa region, it is suggested that consideration be given to adapting the African Peer Review Mechanisms’ (APRM) Eminent Persons’ Group, which receives reports from peer-reviewed countries for vetting, analysis and onward transmittal to the APRM Heads of State and Government Committee and through this Committee to the Africa Union. It is at this level that all national and sub-regional reports are collated, processed and analysed to derive a regional pattern in order to arrive at a realistic and informed assessment of the overall performance of the continent in fulfilling the commitments made by stakeholders. The Economic Commission for Africa has been actively providing technical support to this mechanism. (For the Outcome Document from the Africa Regional Consultation see here. For press release see here.)

c. In the Latin American and Caribbean region, the intergovernmental architecture available in the region – such as the subsidiary bodies of ECLAC and other intergovernmental fora – was acknowledged as a means to support the implementation of the agenda and as an appropriate review mechanism. The region also acknowledged that accountability should hold all stakeholders responsible for effectively and efficiently achieving development outcomes and delivering on commitments. In this context, a more systematic involvement of civil society and the private sector from the planning to the monitoring stages of the post-2015 development agenda was highlighted. (For information on the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Consultation click here.)

d. The Arab region welcomed the Arab Forum on Sustainable Development (AFSD) as a main and critical regional platform for supporting the implementation and monitoring of the post-2015 development agenda. The potential of the Arab Sustainable Development Report as a key informative, analytical and policy tool was recognized in this regard. Lessons learned from the implementation of the MDGs should be taken into account in preparing such report. The region stressed that, for any accountability mechanism to be relevant and deliver effectively, the Arab regional development context needs to be taken into account as the region currently faces many challenges and impediments to development, such as conflict, occupation, political transition and deficits in social justice. (For information on the Arab Regional Consultation click here.)

e. In the ECE region, a solid set of institutions and mechanisms exists, with mandates and data capacity to review and monitor socio-economic and environmental developments as well as democratic governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The aim should be to integrate these existing mechanisms rather than create new structures. There are well-established reporting and accountability frameworks for UNECE legal instruments and reviews of national performance in different policy areas relevant for SDGs. Experience with the Environmental Performance Reviews shows that regular monitoring of recommendations to improve performance in different policy areas can lead to strong results. UNECE plays a key role in the measurement of sustainability, both concerning the development of methodologies and international standards and strengthening of national statistical capacities for monitoring. This work is performed in cooperation with partners like the regional UN system, other regional organizations and civil society. (For The Chair’s Summary see here. For further information click here.)

7. The role of UN country teams and specialized agencies in assisting member states in their reviews was underscored.

8. The ECOSOC and the High-level Political Forum, with inputs from the Regional Forums on Sustainable Development, are called upon to play an important role in ensuring the coherence of the overall accountability framework and bringing together the main findings and messages on the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda.

In concusion, the monitoring and accountability framework should be multi-layered but anchored in national and sub-national efforts. It should also be infused by a collaborative spirit. The regional dimension is an effective means to build trust and promote this spirit, thus providing a critical link between the global and national levels.

For full text of Synthesis Report see http://www.regionalcommissions.org/finalsynthreportoct14.pdf.
See also http://www.regionalcommissions.org/?p=915