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Intergovernmental Negotiations on the
Post-2015 Development Agenda
Sixth Session
New York, 24 June 2015
Follow-up and Review
Statement by Switzerland
Distinguished Co-facilitators,
Switzerland welcomes the chapter on Follow-up and review in the Zero Draft. For us, the issue of monitoring and review is really about one thing: making sure that the agenda we are working so hard to elaborate is actually implemented in practice and does not become an empty document forgotten in a drawer.
We support the elements in the zero draft and urge that we use even stronger language so that the Outcome document contains a clear call to all countries to carry out the various actions for follow-up and review.
Having said this, allow me to come back to a few specific elements:
- We expect that the reviews at all levels will be inclusive, transparent and participatory, including through the participation of major groups and other stakeholders, to ensure broad engagement by the civil society and the private sector.
- As also stressed by the Group of 7 in previous sessions, the HLPF must be the global focal point for follow-up and review of the post-2015 agenda.
- Switzerland considers that the annual meetings of the HLPF under ECOSOC should not only conduct thematic reviews but also country reviews that should be based on national progress reports. We welcome the reference to these national reports and consider that the language should contain a strong call for all countries to submit these reports.
- We welcome paragraph 10 on thematic reviews, which should also be undertaken in other relevant platforms and inform the HLPF thematic discussions. Thematic or sectoral reviews taking place in other fora should feed into the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) which should form the basis of discussions in the HLPF.
- As we stated in May, we expect that we will need some time before we are ready to conduct a review of implementation. We therefore consider that in a first 4 year review cycle, governments could be invited to communicate how they translate the SDGs at the national level, including their national commitments, innovative approaches, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. In the subsequent 4 year-review-cycles governments would be asked to share progress on implementation.
- With this in mind, we therefore welcome that the Zero Draft proposes to hold the next meeting of the HLPF under the auspices of the GA in 2019 in alignment with the QCPR cycle. This will allow the 2019 meeting to launch the review and take a first look at how the world is progressing on the SDGs.
- The HLPF meeting in 2016 will be the next important milestone in the implementation of the agenda. It should discuss the format for national progress reports to be submitted by Member states, based on options to be prepared by the UN Secretary General. In addition, countries that are ready to do so should be invited to share their national implementation strategies. And, as a starting point for implementation and review, the HLPF in 2016 should also discuss the SDG baseline data report to be prepared by the UN Statistical Commission.
Concerning the global indicators, we would also like to reiterate our call that the UN Statistical Commission be tasked with maintaining a database to regularly monitor progress.
My final point, co-facilitators, echoes the point made by other countries over the past two days including Colombia and France. We expect that the Outcome document will stress the importance of ensuring that the UN system is ready to support countries in implementing the SDGs. In this regard, we also consider that it would be appropriate to call for a UN system-wide strategy, to be elaborated by the Chief Executive Board CEB, to guide coherent and effective implementation across the UN system.
