Report on ECOSOC President’s Retreat on Advancing implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through Effective Policy Integration

The President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Ambassador Frederick Shava, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), hosted a retreat on “Advancing implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through Effective Policy Integration,” at Glen Cove Mansion, New York 20-21 January 2017.

The Retreat brought together some 80 participants, comprising members of the ECOSOC Bureau, Chairs of ECOSOC subsidiary bodies, representatives of regional and political groups of UN Member States, representatives of countries with engagement in the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), senior officials of the UN Secretariat and the UN system, and selected representatives of major stakeholder groups.

Its objectives were to:

1. facilitate preparations for the 2017 high-level political forum (HLPF) and foster synergies with the Financing for Development (FfD) and Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) forums;
2. engage in discussions aimed at ensuring a coherent review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level in light of its holistic and indivisible nature in the course of this first four year cycle; and
3. engage in a strategic debate on maximizing the role and contribution of the ECOSOC system to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, in keeping with existing mandates and responsibilities.

The following are the key messages from the retreat:

1.  
   1. Continuous strong leadership and national ownership will be critical in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, but implementation is “doable.” There was a sense of optimism that the Agenda could be achieved.
   2. At the same time, many countries face capacity limitations and will need to prioritize their actions. Successful implementation requires extensive communication with all sectors of society, focusing especially on the most vulnerable.
   3. Data collection and analysis are critical. This will better enable Governments to track progress in implementation and prioritize actions. Operational frameworks for review and evaluation will be necessary in order to regularly benefit from lessons learned in the process.
   4. The ECOSOC system will need to accommodate differentiated country contexts in supporting implementation of the Agenda, which will remain country led. Governments and other stakeholders, including the private sector, will need to be “incentivized” to engage in the implementation of the Agenda and in comprehensive follow-up and review.
   5. ECOSOC should forge important linkages with the issues of peace building, human rights and humanitarian affairs in the implementation of the Agenda.
   6. The United Nations should support national efforts towards implementation of the Agenda in a seamless and context-specific manner.
   7. Participants cited the need for adequate time to conduct the VNRs at the HLPF in order to ensure enough time for in depth discussions and exchange of experiences. They also underlined the need for support to developing countries in conducting rigorous and inclusive reviews at the national level in preparation for the HLPF ,
   8. The FfD forum will need to strike a balance between addressing all action areas of the Addis Agenda and specific thematic areas. The forum must fulfil its mandate to promote the sharing of national and regional experiences in implementing the Addis Agenda. The modalities to do so need to be further refined.

For full summary of the retreat see: https://www.un.org/ecosoc/sites/www.un.org.ecosoc/files/files/en/2017doc/2017_retreat_summary.pdf