African Group
THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA
STATEMENT
BY
AMBASSADOR CELESTINE MUSHY
DIRECTOR FOR MULTILATERAL COOPERATION
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
AT THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS ON THE POST-2015 AGENDA
REACTIONS TO THE DRAFT OUTCOME DOCUMENT ON FOLLOW UP AND REVIEW
NEW YORK, JULY 24, 2015
CO- FACILITATORS
1. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the African Group.
2. On the Follow up and review, the African Group believes that an efficient, robust, inclusive and transparent follow up and review mechanism will be essential for a successful implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
3. The African Group welcomes a provision on the adoption of SDGs indicators by ECOSOC and the General Assembly in paragraph 58. There is no other way to guarantee the legitimacy of a possible global indicators framework and to ensure that the global framework does not upset the political balance of the SDGs. Language on the consideration and adoption of a set of global indicators by ECOSOC and the GA must be an essential piece of the document to be adopted by our Heads of States and Government.
4. We are of the view that the follow up and review, should focus on universal goals, in particular the SDGs, applicable to all countries, while taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities.
5. While the follow up and review at the regional level should remain voluntary, we believe that the detailed discussions must be led by the regional intergovernmental organizations and their respective membership, to discuss how to further enhance and develop existing regional review mechanisms for the implementation of the Post 2015 Development Agenda. In the case of Africa, we have the African Peer Review Mechanism that has been very effective. Allocation of means of implementation for this endogenous approach would be essential. In that vein, the African Group rejects the encouragement to HLPF, reflected in paragraph 63, to further discuss follow-up and review at the regional level at its meeting in 2016.
6. On the issue of indicators, we believe that the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) should not be used as a monitoring tool, it has been agreed in A/RES/67/290 and Rio +20 that it will function to strengthen the science-policy interface by examining documentation, bringing together dispersed information and assessments, including in the form of a global sustainable development report, building on existing assessments, enhancing evidence-based decision-making at all levels and contributing to the strengthening of ongoing capacity-building for data collection and analysis in developing countries.
7. At the national level, the Group would like to reiterate that any review and follow up has to be owned by the governments and conducted on a voluntary basis. National governments should conduct their reviews nationally according to their national priorities and capacities, without an externally defined blueprint. There should be no global or regional blueprint for follow-up and review at the national level. In that sense, the African Group is averse to the request to the UN Secretary General to provide a proposal on a possible common reporting format, as part of the organizational arrangements of state-led reviews at the HLPF under the auspices of ECOSOC.
8. On a different note, the Group still fails to understand why the meetings of the HLPF, under the auspices of the General Assembly, should necessarily be tied to the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review process. We firmly believe that it will be important that the GA takes ownership of the agenda and steers its development once the SDGs are adopted. It will be too long to wait until 2019 before the GA looks at the SDGs and the follow-up and review.
Co-facilitators,
9. Let me conclude by again commending your leadership in these negotiations and we have great confidence in you to guide us through this process. Let me also assure you that the African Group stands ready to engage constructively in these negotiations.
I thank you.
STATEMENT
BY
AMBASSADOR CELESTINE MUSHY
DIRECTOR FOR MULTILATERAL COOPERATION
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
AT THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS ON THE POST-2015 AGENDA
REACTIONS TO THE DRAFT OUTCOME DOCUMENT ON FOLLOW UP AND REVIEW
NEW YORK, JULY 24, 2015
CO- FACILITATORS
1. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the African Group.
2. On the Follow up and review, the African Group believes that an efficient, robust, inclusive and transparent follow up and review mechanism will be essential for a successful implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
3. The African Group welcomes a provision on the adoption of SDGs indicators by ECOSOC and the General Assembly in paragraph 58. There is no other way to guarantee the legitimacy of a possible global indicators framework and to ensure that the global framework does not upset the political balance of the SDGs. Language on the consideration and adoption of a set of global indicators by ECOSOC and the GA must be an essential piece of the document to be adopted by our Heads of States and Government.
4. We are of the view that the follow up and review, should focus on universal goals, in particular the SDGs, applicable to all countries, while taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities.
5. While the follow up and review at the regional level should remain voluntary, we believe that the detailed discussions must be led by the regional intergovernmental organizations and their respective membership, to discuss how to further enhance and develop existing regional review mechanisms for the implementation of the Post 2015 Development Agenda. In the case of Africa, we have the African Peer Review Mechanism that has been very effective. Allocation of means of implementation for this endogenous approach would be essential. In that vein, the African Group rejects the encouragement to HLPF, reflected in paragraph 63, to further discuss follow-up and review at the regional level at its meeting in 2016.
6. On the issue of indicators, we believe that the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) should not be used as a monitoring tool, it has been agreed in A/RES/67/290 and Rio +20 that it will function to strengthen the science-policy interface by examining documentation, bringing together dispersed information and assessments, including in the form of a global sustainable development report, building on existing assessments, enhancing evidence-based decision-making at all levels and contributing to the strengthening of ongoing capacity-building for data collection and analysis in developing countries.
7. At the national level, the Group would like to reiterate that any review and follow up has to be owned by the governments and conducted on a voluntary basis. National governments should conduct their reviews nationally according to their national priorities and capacities, without an externally defined blueprint. There should be no global or regional blueprint for follow-up and review at the national level. In that sense, the African Group is averse to the request to the UN Secretary General to provide a proposal on a possible common reporting format, as part of the organizational arrangements of state-led reviews at the HLPF under the auspices of ECOSOC.
8. On a different note, the Group still fails to understand why the meetings of the HLPF, under the auspices of the General Assembly, should necessarily be tied to the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review process. We firmly believe that it will be important that the GA takes ownership of the agenda and steers its development once the SDGs are adopted. It will be too long to wait until 2019 before the GA looks at the SDGs and the follow-up and review.
Co-facilitators,
9. Let me conclude by again commending your leadership in these negotiations and we have great confidence in you to guide us through this process. Let me also assure you that the African Group stands ready to engage constructively in these negotiations.
I thank you.