Lebanon

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MISIÓN PERMANENTE DE MÉXICO
ANTE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS
June 24th, 2015
Follow-up and Review Session
To follow up on the implementation of this agenda, we must firstly be clear on the fact that the
objective should be gathering support for countries to deliver better results in terms of the
global targets.
To this end:
 It is required to recall the fundamental principles identified by the OWG-SDGs for a
transformative development agenda which should constitute the basis of the global
review mechanism:
o Universality
o Legitimacy
o Ownership
o Integration of the three dimensions of development (policy coherence)
o Equality and inclusion
o Gender equality
o Transparency, accountability and participation of major groups
 The review and follow-up mechanisms must be based on previously agreed
commitments in conventions and declarations on human rights, non-discrimination,
gender equality and environment.
 It is crucial to have a coherent and renewed United Nations System that stands to
the requirements for the operationalization of the development actions.
Thus, mechanisms at various levels are needed:
 National review: constitutes the basis for any follow-up exercise. Monitoring at this level
will provide reliable data to measure progress and assess the impact of public
actions aimed at improving people’s living conditions, and overall, in favor of
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sustainable development; and, consequently contribute to the improvement of
development policy planning.
 Stressing the need to reinforce these mechanisms at the local level, and make
progress in the integration of national evaluation commissions to assess the
implementation and the results with the participation of all relevant actors, is essential.
 Regional follow-up could facilitate exchanging experiences between countries with
similar characteristics and common problems, as well as identifying cooperation
opportunities.
 For example, our region has decided to start a consultation process aimed at
establishing a regional follow-up mechanism for the application of the post-2015 agenda
under the auspices of ECLAC.
 Global follow-up: should be based on the principles of universality, inclusion, integration
and ownership.
 It is instrumental to ensure an integrated operation of the High Level Political Forum
(HLPF), under the auspices of ECOSC and the General Assembly, as the space in
which the review and follow-up mechanisms for the new global goals and targets will be
situated.
 The HLPF, under the auspices of ECOSOC, should be a space for dialogue and
political guidance at the ministerial level for identifying challenges and mobilizing efforts
to achieve the SDGs. The detailed follow-up that is given to the relevant processes of
the post-2015 Agenda in the ECOSOC’s system will contribute to HLPF’s discussions
and will ensure an integral follow-up.
 That is the case, for example, of the detailed follow-up framework which we hope will be
agreed in the next days, for the implementation of the Addis Ababa agreement. The
outcomes of this process may contribute with relevant elements for the deliberations of
the HLPF. The results of follow-up processes of other major conferences within the
ECOSOC system, and its subsidiary organs, in particular the organic commissions and
the segments of the Council will contribute to the discussions of the HLPF about the
SDGs progress.
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 National and regional perspectives may also have a space in HLPF’s deliberations,
without implying the proliferation of reports, structures and additional bureaucratic
burdens not only in the UN system but also the countries.
 The ECOSOC system is in the position to promote consistency in the integrated follow
up of all the processes and the deliberations of the HLPF, through a cross-thematic
approach based on the interlinkage between the goals of SDGs.
 The HLPF deliberations should be based on scientific evidence and the monitoring of
the global indicators currently elaborated by the Inter-agency and Expert Group on
Sustainable Development Goal Indicators. The Global Sustainable Development Report
should be the instrument to ensure such basis for the discussion. It will be important
therefore, to define the approach and methodology of the report in this process.
 None of this will be possible if we have don’t have the capacity to have updated data
which allow us to know with certainty the progress we've made and the challenges we
still face. In this respect, cooperation to develop the necessary statistical capacity in all
countries is especially important. These data must differentiate groups, ages, gender,
etc., in order to know the progress made in terms of inclusion.
 The integrated follow up should include the participation of civil society in monitoring
and evaluating development results which we hope to effectively transform the lives of
people.
 Need to assess the role of other actors such as the private sector, central banks, and
international organizations and financial institutions.
We will provide specific proposals to the text shortly.