MEETING OF THE HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Tracking Progress through existing mechanisms: How can existing UN system platforms be best utilized to track progress on the implementation of the SDGs and how can the HLPF build on their work?
New York, July 2, 2015
Intervention of Switzerland:
• I would like to thank to the panelist for this very inspiring presentations and discussion so far.
• We think that the agenda and the HLPF provide a unique opportunity to engage all relevant actors in the currently fragmented landscape of international bodies within and beyond the UN in a coordinated manner.
• Examples provided by the panelists this afternoon confirm that the UN entities will play an important role in supporting the reviews at the global level, through the various existing thematic platforms, and the respective reviews undertaken in their specific sector and area of expertise, including by relevant functional commissions and segments of ECOSOC, as well as other international bodies and mechanisms.
• With regards to the discussions at the HLPF, in our view, it is important to benefit from and build on these existing platforms, and avoid duplication (also based on lessons learned from CSD). We, therefore, welcome the mapping of existing thematic platforms related to the SDGs, which was published by the Secretariat in May 2015.
• As stated before on other occasions, at the HLPF itself we see an added value to have thematic reviews focusing on nexus of topics in an integrated manner, moving beyond a silo approach and sectoral reviews. The thematic reviews at the HLPF should
o draw from thematic reviews taking place in other inter-governmental fora, as just mentioned before which we expect to involve a broad range of stakeholders, be scientifically robust/evidence-based and to look at the topic in an integrated manner;
o and be informed through aggregated information from existing relevant platforms, which could, for example, be in the form of information pieces related to the GSDR. It would be interesting to hear from the panelist how the information could be best aggregated?
• Finally, we think a good linkage of existing review mechanisms with post-2015 monitoring and review architecture is key: the UN General Assembly, the ECOSOC, relevant sector- and theme-specific institutional arrangements, platforms and bodies and the HLPF should all be aligned in time, with meetings scheduled in a logical cycle and aligned in substance.
