Are We Fit for the SDGs?UN Women in Post-2015 World

Monjurul Kabir, Head of Asia-Pacific Section, Programme DivisionUN Women HQ, New York

- 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

- 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

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.

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;

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.

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.

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

-

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;

-

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

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;

-

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

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.

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.”

Thank you