Indicators for sustainable development goals and targets – Update 1

As referred to in the previous posting, the first two days of the next session of the intergovernmental negotiations will focus on indicators for goals and targets. Given the importance of the indicators for monitoring progress in the implementation of the goals and targets, it is important to understand the process of their development. This is therefore the first of a series of updates on the indicators to be posted on the website.

Friends of the Chair Group Indicator Roadmap

The road map (below) for the development and implementation of the indicator and monitoring framework for the goals and targets of the post-2015 development agenda was included in the Report of the Friends of the Chair Group to the 46^th Session of the Statistical Commission (See E/CN.3/2015/2) The report, which was considered during the Commission meeting, included the following:

Development of an indicator and monitoring framework and reporting mechanisms for the post-2015 development agenda

The Statistical Commission, as the leading entity of the global statistical system and the intergovernmental focal point for the elaboration and review of the indicators used in the UN system, has provided guidance and leadership in monitoring progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Commission and its working mechanisms will guide and lead the response to the statistical needs for the post-2015 development agenda. For the MDGs the work on the indicators was carried out through the Inter-Agency Expert Group (IAEG), which consisted of representatives of international agencies, regional organizations and national statistical systems.

The “indicator framework” [1] will contain indicators for monitoring and reporting of global progress on the post-2015 development agenda. National and regional monitoring may utilize additional indicators. The goals and targets proposed by the Open Working Group for Sustainable Development Goals form the basis for this framework. It is suggested that an Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals (IAEG-SDGs) be established, including all stakeholders for the development and implementation of the post-2015 indicator framework.[2] Existing global monitoring groups, generally composed of representatives of national statistical systems and experts from international agencies working on specific indicators will contribute to its work. New global monitoring groups will also be formed to bring together national and international experts for the selection and definition of indicators to monitor progress in new and emerging areas covered by the new goals and targets.

In February 2015, an expert group meeting with participation of Member States and specialized agencies was organized by the Statistics Division (UNSD), with input from the Friends of the Chair Group, to discuss the various aspects of the development and design of the indicator framework. The recommendations of this meeting are referred to below.

The following principles for the design of the indicator framework are suggested in the report as a basis for discussions:

(a) Existing and agreed indicators sets and proposals for new sets of indicators from existing monitoring initiatives, international agreements, conceptual frameworks, thematic consultations or other efforts, and their conceptual basis,[3] as appropriate;

(b) Five conceptual issues: (i) universality; (ii) inclusiveness (including inequality and non-discrimination); (iii) scope of the development agenda; (iv) interlinkages and cross-cutting issues; and (v) means vs. ends and focus on meaningful outcomes should be considered;

(c) The conceptual basis for the indicator framework should be discussed and elaborated as appropriate.

The design of the indicator framework should take into account the very significant mismatch between the capabilities of national statistical systems in particular in developing countries, and the ambition to report on a much broader set of indicators, at a much greater level of disaggregation, compared with the MDGs.

Indicators should be SMART (specific, measurable, available/achievable in a cost effective way, relevant for the programme, and available in a timely manner). In the context of post-2015 monitoring at the global, regional and national levels, they may not be equally relevant for all levels of monitoring and decision-making; however, their fitness for purpose should always be considered, as should recent existing references that contain criteria for indicator selection. The statistical notes provided to the Open Working Group should form the starting point of the discussion of indicators in specific areas, as they represent an inventory of information on the measurability in these areas that has been compiled with the wide involvement of Friends of the Chair Group members and organizations.

It is expected that a greater number of contributing specialized agencies will be involved in the monitoring process, because of the larger scope of the agenda. The platform for global reporting should be updated by the respective custodian agency whenever updated and new data are released. Quality standards, especially for the provision of metadata and data review should be defined and followed. It is expected that there will be an annual statistical report on progress towards the goals and targets of the post-2015 development agenda to be issued by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), to inform the political discussion at the intergovernmental process. Regional reporting mechanisms (through the regional commissions and regional organizations) will also play a significant role in facilitating reporting at the regional level, taking into account regional priorities and ensuring a link between the national and the global level.

Global and regional post-2015 monitoring should be based to the largest possible extent on comparable and standardized national data and national reporting mechanisms, acknowledging and strengthening the coordination function of national statistical offices or other national institutions with a mandate for coordination. Efforts should be made to close data gaps by strengthening national statistical capacity and improving reporting mechanisms. International organizations must support these efforts to standardize indicators in accordance with international guidelines and assure compliance. Close cooperation between the specialized agencies responsible for global monitoring, national statistical systems and regional commissions and relevant regional organizations will be required. Furthermore, new data sources, methods and technologies of data collection should be explored in cooperation with private data providers and sources.

DESA, as the secretariat for global monitoring, should create a platform to bring together international data series, used to calculate the regional and subregional aggregates, and national data, as well as taking on other roles. The design of the indicator and monitoring framework and reporting mechanisms should also take into account the various accountability mechanisms that will have to be established for the post-2015 development agenda at the national, regional and global levels.

Expert Group Meeting on the Indicator Framework for the Post-2015 Development Agenda – Main points of consensus

An Expert Group meeting on the indicator framework for the post-2015 development agenda was held in New York on 25-26 February, immediately before the 46^th Statistical Commission. Below are the main points of consensus that emerged during the meeting.

• Need to define an architecture for an integrated monitoring framework which would include global indicators and different levels of regional, national and thematic monitoring


• Small numbers of global indicators


• Indicators should be selected on the basis of an agreed set of criteria


• Initial proposal for indicators by the Statistical Commission is expected to be further refined and reviewed by the Commission at its 2016 session


• Establishment of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs)


• Need to ensure national ownership of indicators (including of estimation process)


• Need to ensure disaggregation of indicators and include a human rights dimension (no one left behind principle)


• Need for further strengthening national statistical capacity, including by mobilizing the necessary resources


• Importance of drawing from existing integrated statistical frameworks


• Importance of building on the MDG experience and lessons learnt.

Notes:

1 The term “indicator framework” refers to the idea that there should be a coherent set of indicators that addresses the overall requirements of the post-2015 development agenda. The work on the indicator framework entails the selection of appropriate indicators and the description of their interlinkages. Another step is the assessment of concepts contained in the targets that need to be measured.

2 Terms of reference for the IAEG are set out in Annex 1 of the Report

3 The outcome document of the 2012 Conference on Sustainable Development, “The future we want”, and the Open Working Group outcome document represent the conceptual basis from a political perspective, which the indicator framework will need to reflect on and respond to.