ASEAN MY World 2030 Advocacy Programme

nabling conditions that helped the practice to succeed
This initiative builds on the success of MY World 2015 that brought people’s voice and priorities on sustainable development into formal policy making and helped shape the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Four years into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and in line with its goal to “Leave No One Behind”, there is an acknowledgment that the success or failure of the quest to realize the 2030 Agenda will be shaped by the level and quality of involvement of people in development processes and decisions. Poor, disadvantaged and marginalized communities tend to have the least say in the decisions that affect them and are least likely to be included in the data and evidence governments use to allocate resources and shape policies. The ASEAN MY World 2030 initiative builds on this impetus, with support from the 10 Ministers of Foreign Affairs of ASEAN and the UNDP Administrator.

Specific constraints and ways to overcome them
1) Issues related to representativity and inclusion (difficulty to reach out to most rural, isolated and disconnected communities in culturally appropriate ways) were mitigated by placing a special emphasis on “leaving no one behind” in the programme design and implementation. For instance, SDG Advocates were selected based on gender/profile/geographic criteria: there are 21 men and 29 women; 13 students, 37 volunteers and professionals in areas as varied as education, climate change, social entrepreneurship; 26 Advocates are based in capital cities and 24 in provinces. In their outreach efforts, Advocates are encouraged to place a strong emphasis on marginalized and vulnerable groups: young people and children as well as women and girls account for 50 per cent of participants engaged through the 22 local advocacy events; other groups such as economically-disadvantaged people, persons with disabilities, LGBTI+ groups in total consist of more than a third of the engagement, while almost a quarter of the marginalized groups engaged include indigenous people and migrants, refugees and stateless persons. The focus on “leaving no one behind” is also explained to media partners to ensure the sector has an understanding of the importance of this aspect for the success of the 2030 Agenda.

2) There are constraints related to the external environment: limited understanding of sustainable development and the SDGs among the public, limited resources for civic education, and the difficulties to access hard-to-reach communities (e.g. remote geographic areas, gaps in digital connectivity). The next steps will identify strategic partnerships to advance the campaign objectives; securing partner buy-in addressing funding gaps early on; regular updates and coordination among UN co-conveners; and putting a strong emphasis on knowledge sharing (so that the activities can be replicated at the national and local levels).