United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

1. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, has the governing body of your organization taken (or will it take) any decisions or new strategies to guide the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? If any, please provide a brief summary below, including the overarching vision of your organization.

As the Headquarter Secretariat Department, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. Its work is guided by the universal, integrated and transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, along with a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 associated targets adopted by the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2015. The Department works in three main interlinked areas:

Analytical work: it compiles, generates and analyses a wide range of economic, social and environmental data and information on which Member States and other stakeholders draw to review common problems and to take stock of policy options;
Intergovernmental support: it facilitates the negotiations of Member States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint courses of action to address ongoing or emerging global challenges; and
Capacity development: it advises interested Governments on the ways and means of translating policy frameworks developed in UN conferences and summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance, helps build national capacities.

In this context, the UN General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and its functions commissions, serviced by DESA, have taken a number of decisions to guide the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, as specified below:

The General Assemblyis reviewing its resolution 68/1, on the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council. Member States are discussing critical functions of ECOSOC, including providing leadership and policy guidance; coordinating the activities of the UN system at large; overall guidance and coordination of the UN development system, including its repositioning in response to the 2030 Agenda.
The Second Committee of the General Assemblyalso adopted several resolutions on aspects related to the implementation of the SDGs.
The Third Committee of the General Assemblyadopted several resolutions on range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues that relate to the implementation of the SDGs.
The High-level Political Forumon Sustainable Developmentadopted ministerial declarations on implementing the SDGs in 2016, 2017 and 2018. During the 2018 HLPF, there was a specific session on "leaving no one behind" and rapporteurs on this issue that tracked the target of "leaving no one behind" in all HLPF discussions during the first five days; SG voluntary guidelines for VNRs included specific suggestion to include separate LNOB section in VNR reports. At the 2019 July HLPF, there will be a two-hour session on “Progress, gaps and obstacles: are we on track for leaving no one behind?”
The Addis Ababa Action Agendaprovides the global framework for financing sustainable development, which supports implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including the SDGs. The Addis Agenda aligns all domestic and international resource flows, policies and international agreements with economic, social and environmental priorities. It incorporates all the SDG means of implementation targets into the much broader and comprehensive financing framework. It serves as a guide for further actions by governments, international organizations, the business sector, civil society, and philanthropists. The General Assembly adopted the agenda in General Assembly resolution 69/313.
The annual ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development (FfD Forum), established in the Addis Agenda, provides the intergovernmental platform with universal participation to discuss the follow-up and review of the financing for development outcomes and the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The FfD Forum also incorporates the special high-level meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, WTO and UNCTAD, to discuss coherence, coordination and cooperation in the follow-up to the FfD outcomes. The Forum produces inter-governmentally agreed outcomes, available here. Held in the conjunction with the annual Forum, the Sustainable Development Goals Investment Fair aims to leverage private funding to close the SDG investment gap.
The General Assembly convenes the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Developmentevery four years. The first Dialogue since the adoption of the Addis Agenda will take place in September 2019, back-to-back with the meeting of the meeting of the HLPF under GA auspices. The Dialogue serves to elevate further the Forum's outcomes since 2016 and generate specific calls to action to accelerate progress in key areas, while addressing new challenges and opportunities that have emerged since the adoption of the 2030 and Addis Agendas.
The Addis Agenda further reinforced the mandate of the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF), which provides the global multi-stakeholder forum for in-depth and action-oriented reviews of trends, progress and emerging issues in international development cooperation. Through candid policy discussions and cutting-edge analytical work, the DCF is assisting governments and other stakeholders to advance the strategic role of development cooperation in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The DCF high-level meetings produce concrete policy guidance, captured in the official summaries prepared by the President of ECOSOC. The DCF outcomes are available here. The work of the DCF directly feeds into both the HLPF and the ECOSOC FfD Forum. The Addis Agenda further recognizes the DCF as the primary platform for discussion on the quality, effectiveness and impact of development cooperation.
The Addis Agenda established the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Developmentwith a dual mandate to (i) report annually on progress in implementing the Addis Agenda and other Financing for Development outcomes and the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, and (ii) advise the intergovernmental follow-up process on progress, implementation gaps and recommendations for corrective action, while taking into consideration the national and regional dimensions. The Task Force's annual Financing for Sustainable Development report (FSDR) is the major substantive input to the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development follow-up and supports the deliberations of the HLPF.
The Addis Agenda recognizes taxation as one of the most important ways that developing countries can mobilize domestic resources to achieve the 2030 Agenda and calls for further international collaboration on tax matters. The UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Mattersprovides a framework for dialogue to enhance and promote international tax cooperation among national tax authorities, considering how new and emerging issues could affect international cooperation in tax matters, and making recommendations on capacity-building and provision of technical assistance to developing countries. The Addis Agenda increased the frequency of the Committee's sessions to two sessions per year, with one held back-to-back with the annual ECOSOC Special Meeting on International Cooperation on Tax Matters, to further support efforts by governments and other stakeholders to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The Committee has also added "Tax and SDGs" to its agenda to ensure that it continues to generate clear, evidence-based policy guidance on how to support the pursuit of sustainable development through taxation in the broader context, beyond domestic resource mobilization.
To intensify the cooperation between international organizations working on tax issues, FSDO/UN DESA represents the UN in the Platform for Collaboration on Tax, which, in addition to the UN, includes the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the World Bank Group (WBG). The Platform was launched in April 2016 to formalize regular discussions between the four international organizations on the design and implementation of standards for international tax matters, strengthen their ability to provide capacity-building support to developing countries, and help them deliver jointly developed guidance. It also increases their ability to share information on operational and knowledge activities around the world. From 14 to 16 February 2018, the PCT held its First Global Conference at United Nations Headquarters in New York to discuss the key directions for tax policy and administration needed to meet the SDGs. The Platform Partners' Statement at the Closing of the Conference provided the blueprint of the new PCT work programme, which was developed jointly by PCT partners in 2018 and consists of three workstreams focusing on coordination, analytical and outreach activities.
At its 46th session in March 2015, the UN Statistical Commissionestablished the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG indicators (IAEG-SDGs) with the task of developing and implementing the global SDG indicator framework for the follow-up and review of the progress towards achieving the SDGs. Through an open and transparent process involving all stakeholders, the IAEG-SDGs developed the global indicator framework which was adopted by the General Assembly in July 2017. Based on the global indicator framework, an annual SDG progress report and a global SDG indicator database prepared by DESA with inputs from the whole UN system inform the follow-up and review at the HLPF.
In March 2015, the UN Statistical Commission also established the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (HLG-PCCB). The Group was tasked with providing strategic leadership for the SDG implementation process as it concerns statistical monitoring and reporting, recommend priority areas to target funding for statistical capacity-building and advocate for resource mobilization. The Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data, developed by the group and launched at the first United Nations World Data Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, in January 2017, provides the framework for discussion, planning, implementation and evaluation of statistical capacity-building pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the second United Nation World Data Forum held in Dubai in October 2018, the group put forward the Dubai Declarationcalling for the establishment of an innovative funding mechanism to address unprecedented data needs for SDGs. This financing facility would contribute to the coordination and support of capacity building efforts to strengthen and build national statistical systems.
As requested by the General Assembly resolution 70/1 on 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the President of ECOSOC convenes the meetings of the Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum)once a year to discuss science, technology and innovation cooperation around thematic areas for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The General Assembly also decided that the meetings of the forum will be co-chaired by two Member States and will result in a summary of discussions elaborated by the two co-Chairs. The STI Forum has met every year starting from 2016. Its reports are available on the STI website.
In its draft resolution E/CN.5/2019/L.5in February 2019 for the consideration of ECOSOC, the Commission for Social Developmentreaffirmed“that it will contribute to the follow-up to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, within its existing mandate, by supporting the thematic reviews of the high-level political forum on sustainable development on progress in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, including cross-cutting issues, reflecting the integrated nature of the Goals as well as the interlinkages between them, while engaging all relevant stakeholders and feeding into and being aligned with the cycle of the high-level political forum, according to the organizational arrangements established by the General Assembly and the Council; ….. Decidesthat, in selecting its priority themes, the Commission shall consider, in addition to the follow-up to and review of the World Summit and the outcome of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly, as well as the 2030 Agenda, the programme of work of the Council and the main theme of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, so as to build synergies and contribute to the work of the Council.”
In its resolution 2016/25, the Economic and Social Councilreaffirmed that the primary mandate of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) is to monitor, review and assess the implementation of the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The Council affirmed, as well, that the Commission would contribute to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within its existing mandate.
Further, in its decision 2017/260, the Council decided that, starting with its fifty-third session in 2020, the CPD would adopt a four-year cycle for the review and appraisal of the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action and its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as part of a multiyear work programme aligned with the main theme of the Council and with the thematic focus of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, convened under the auspices of the Council.
In April 2017, the General Assembly adopted the first ever UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030 (UNSPF). The UNSPF provides a global framework for actions at all levels to sustainably manage all types of forests and trees outside forests and halt deforestation and forest degradation. It builds on the vision of the 2030 Agenda and its universal action plan that encompasses and engages all partners and stakeholders at all levels, and highlights their respective roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the plan.
The UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA)has developed a set of principles of effective governance for sustainable development. The essential purpose of these voluntary principles is to provide practical, expert guidance to interested countries in a broad range of governance challenges associated with implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The principles, endorsed by the Economic and Social Council on 2 July 2018, highlight the need for pragmatic and ongoing improvements in national and local governance capabilities to reach the SDGs. To this end, the principles are linked to a variety of commonly used strategies for operationalizing responsive and effective governance, many of which have been recognized and endorsed over the years in various United Nations forums, resolutions and treaties.
At the heart of the strategic plan are six global forest goals and 26 associated targets to be achieved by 2030. The goals and targets build upon existing international forest-related instruments, processes, commitments and goals, including in particular the forest-related aspects of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the global objectives on forests of the United Nations forest instrument. They also support the objectives of other international arrangement on forests and are aimed at contributing to progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, 12 the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and other international forest-related instruments, processes, commitments and goals. The vision, principles and commitments set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provide the context for the global forest goals and targets, which are interconnected and integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable forest management and sustainable development.

2.1 SDG-specific strategies, plans or work programmes

In GA resolution 70/299, Member States mandated DESA to provide support to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level, including support to the work of the Economic and Social Council, the organization of its sessions and the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). In doing so, Member States further requested the Secretary-General to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, accountability and internal coordination of DESA, considering the need to avoid overlap in its work and ensuring that the work of the Department is organized in an integrated, cohesive, coordinated and collaborative manner. To meet the request by Member States, DESA has undertaken a comprehensive review process. Based on the recommendations of an Internal Review Team established by the Secretary-General, DESA is implementing a number of key measures in the following mutually-reinforcing areas:

Strengthening thought leadership to respond to the new demands of the 2030 Agenda. This includes, inter alia, the establishment of a network of economists from the UN system and the development of mechanisms to bring together, more systematically, available statistics and data to support the strategy for prevention of the Secretary-General, in accordance with DESA mandates. The UN network of economists is led by the Chief Economist and includes economists of Regional Commissions and Resident Coordinator offices, amongst others, to enable local, national and regional perspectives to be brought to the global debate.
Enhancing intergovernmental support for implementation of the 2030 Agenda. From the beginning of 2019, DESA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have been co-leading a task-team of entities of the United Nations development system to enable system-wide engagement in the substantive preparations for the High-Level Political Forum. This will help align data sets and foster common analysis to ensure more analytical and robust products. The new Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs has been appointed to help drive transformation in this area.
Improving data, statistics and analysis to inform decision-making and enhance collective accountability for results. DESA will take steps to strengthen its statistical capabilities, including to fully leverage technologies and big data for evidence-based policy making. DESA will also develop a coherent and efficient process for collaboration with custodian and partner agencies of the United Nations development system to enhance monitoring – or fill data gaps – on SDGs indicators.
Stepping up capacities to leverage financing for the implementation of the SDGs. DESA will fully partake in the efforts of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group to scale up partnership for the 2030 Agenda as well as the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, including further engaging with the private sector in advancing financing for the SDGs. The aim is to devise a platform in support of United Nations country teams working on integrated financing strategies for the SDGs. As part of this effort, DESA is establishing a dedicated focal point to coordinate this effort.
Contributing to the provision of strategic and substantive support to the reinvigorated Resident Coordinator system and the new generation United Nations Country Teams. This aspect, which cuts across all of the above-mentioned areas, is absolutely critical to maximizing the impact of the repositioning of the UN development system and its ultimate objective of strengthening results on the ground. In particular, a more structured engagement channel between DESA and the Resident Coordinators will be established, facilitated by UNDOCO, to expand the United Nations policy offer to national partners, including SDG-related analytical tools and products.
Strengthening the strategies and mechanisms of DESA to enhance external communications and strategic partnerships, including with the private sector and academia. More open and proactive communications will help to ensure transparency, better knowledge management, and strategic messaging that should result in increased understanding of the work of DESA and the key messages from the department’s research and analytical products. Strategic partnerships on key knowledge products will help enhance both the quality and reach of the policy work of DESA. Finally, it will help connect knowledge and real time data with governments, including on early warning and forecasting.

2.2 Aligning the structure of the organization with the transformative features of the 2030 Agenda, including any challenges and lessons learned in doing so

The restructuring of DESA entailed reorganizing the support for intergovernmental processes of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs in one Division, among other aspects to enhance internal coordination for enhanced effectiveness and efficiency in supporting Member States. The new Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development (OISC) reflects the integrated support needed for the implementation of 2030 Agenda in what concerns the intergovernmental course, including the GA, ECOSOC and HLPF. This also includes specific support to QCPR, Second Committee of the GA and the complete cycle of ECOSOC, as well as interagency and stakeholder coordination in all these processes. The Office also supports the General Assembly’s Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) by providing extensive substantive monitoring, analysis and policy support to inform Member States’ guidance and oversight of the UN development system, including through the annual ECOSOC operational activities for development segment, and a continuous engagement with the UN development system at both entity and system-wide level, as well as with the system’s coordination mechanisms. The Office also coordinates the Council’s annual session and related analytical work and supports ECOSOC’s oversight of its subsidiary bodies, as well as promotes their coherent contribution to the work of ECOSOC and the HLPF. The Office is the entry point for NGOs seeking consultative status with ECOSOC, through its support to the NGO Committee.

The Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG)acts as the Secretariat for the SDGs, focusing on providing substantive support and capacity building in an integrated manner to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and their related thematic issues, including water, energy, climate, oceans, urbanization, transport, science and technology, the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM), the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), the science-policy interface, partnerships and SIDS. The Division contributes to the intergovernmental processes on the 2030 Agenda, including those under the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the High-level Political Forum, with its substantive analytical work on thematic issues of the Sustainable Development Goals. It coordinates substantive inputs for the deliberations on the review and implementation of the 2030 Agenda and serves as the departmental anchor on the 2030 Agenda. It also plays a key role on in the evaluation analysis of system-wide implementation of the 2030 Agenda and on advocacy and outreach activities relating to Sustainable Development Goals.

The Population Division serves as Secretariat of the CPD and, in this context, produces a wealth of essential data on population patterns and trends at the national, regional and global levels. The Division also produces an extensive collection of reports and other publications to describe and interpret those patterns and trends, and to discuss their implications for government policies. The Division also gathers information from Governments regarding their views on population issues and any associated policies, in three domains: population size and composition, sexual and reproductive health, and migration and spatial distribution of the population. The Population Division is active in the monitoring of several SDG indicators. The Division has been designated by the IAEG-SDGs as the custodian for indicators 3.7.1 on the need for family planning that is satisfied by use of modern methods, and 3.7.2 on adolescent birth rates. Also, together with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Division is the co‑custodian for indicator 10.7.2 on well‑managed migration policies. In addition, together with UNICEF, WHO and other partners, the Population Division contributes actively to annual updates of data and estimates used for the global monitoring of indicators 3.1.1 on maternal mortality and 3.2.1 on under-five mortality. The Division also partners with UNFPA for collection of data on indicator 5.6.2 on laws and regulations ensuring full and equal access to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education. Data produced by the Population Division are being used as inputs for the global monitoring of more than one-third of current Tier I and Tier II indicators. Starting in 2020, the Division will streamline its publication program, aligning it closer to the 2030 agenda, and launch a new series of megatrends reports that will address demographic megatrends related to sustainable development: population growth, ageing, urbanization and international migration.

The Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD) seeks to strengthen international cooperation for social development, particularly in the areas of poverty eradication, productive employment and decent work and the social inclusion of older persons, youth, family, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, persons in situations of conflict and other groups or persons marginalized from society and development. The Division monitors national and global socio-economic trends, identifies emerging issues, and assesses their implications for social policy at the national and international levels.

To ensure that statistical systems have the capacity to meet the data demands to ensure that no one is left behind, the Statistics Division (UNSD) gives particular attention to vulnerable groups where statistical production needs further development, including women, people living with disabilities, and migrants. In particular, the Evidence and Data for Gender Equality (EDGE) project is a joint initiative of the UNSD and UN Women that seeks to improve the integration of gender issues into the regular production of official statistics for better, evidence-based policies. In addition, UNDESA is collaborating in the Global Compact for Migration, to guarantee that all the policy issues are adequately considered in developing the right tools for data collection on migration and migration status. Related to this topic and to the key principle of leaving no one behind, UNSD will revise the Guidelines and Principles for the Development of Disability Statistics, including the review of methodological instruments and guidance for the disaggregation of data by disability status. As the Secretariat of the IAEG-SDGs, UNSD facilitates its workstream on data disaggregation to define the dimensions of disaggregation of the indicators and identifies the policy priorities for the vulnerable population groups.

To support integrated policies and move away from silos, the Statistics Division has led the development of statistical standard for natural capital accounting allowing to measure the environment using the Accounting structure and rules used for economic information. This is a major step forward in mainstreaming the environment and Ecosystem thinking into decision making. The System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA) serves an important tool for SDG indicators as recognized at the 50^thsession of the Statistical Commission.

Since 2016, the annual UN Flagship publication World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP), a joint report led by DESA Economic Analysis and Policy Division (EAPD) in collaboration with UNCTAD and the 5 UN Regional Commissions, has refocused to include both an assessment of the macroeconomy, and the interactions between economic prospects and the social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. EAPD will strengthen its monitoring of the economic and social situation in countries in conflict. In line with the objectives and priorities of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, EAPD will also continue to identify, develop and incorporate new indicators on social and environmental trends in WESP building on the analysis on poverty, inequality and carbon emissions in WESP 2016, WESP 2017 and WESP 2018. WESP 2019 will consider the challenge of simultaneously achieving the SDG targets related to trade, economic growth and environmental sustainability. The 2016 edition of the World Economic and Social Survey (WESS) – another flagship publication of EAPD – provided in-depth analysis on climate change and inequality in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while WESS 2017 analyzed the evolution of development-thinking during the past 70 years and its relevance for realizing the vision of the 2030 Agenda.

The Financing for Sustainable Development Office (FSDO)works to advance policy and action on financing for sustainable development to support Member States and other stakeholders in achieving internationally agreed development goals, by providing thought leadership and agenda-shaping, promoting multi-stakeholder dialogue, identifying policy options and best practices, and offering strategic advice and support for capacity development in key areas. FSDO serves as a focal point in the United Nations Secretariat for overall follow-up to the implementation of the outcomes of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, including through secretariat support to the intergovernmental processes mentioned above. In this context, FSDO is supporting the fourth FfD Forum (New York, 15-18 April 2019) and the 2019 General Assembly first quadrennial High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development to be held in September 2019 in New York. FSDO serves as the Secretariat for the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF), engaging the range of actors in evidence-based, balanced and inclusive global debate on international development cooperation. FSDO provides Secretariat support to the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters (UN Tax Committee). The office disseminates the policy and practical guidance issued by the Committee through its capacity development programme, which works to bring better solutions for strengthening domestic resource mobilization, by advancing a more integrated approach to policy guidance and capacity development in this area. FSDO also represents the UN in the Platform for Collaboration on Tax.

The Under-Secretary-General of DESA chairs the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development (IATF), which was first convened in 2016 and is comprised of over 50 United Nations entities and other relevant international institutions. FSDO serves as the coordinator and substantive editor of the Financing for Sustainable Development Report. Based on the statistical monitoring of the indicators and analysis of data and information relevant to additional commitments in the Addis Agenda, the Financing for Sustainable Development report of the IATF task force advises the intergovernmental process on progress, implementation gaps and recommendations for corrective action, taking into consideration national and regional dimensions. Its annual report is an important input to the negotiations on intergovernmentally agreed conclusions and recommendations from the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development and the quadrennial GA High Level Dialogue on Financing for Development. It also serves as an input to the HLPF.

In preparations for the High-Level Dialogue of the GA, the Second Committee requested the Secretary-General to produce a summary report to take stock of the progress and findings made in the first four reports of the Inter-Agency Task Force and on the outcomes of the fourEconomic and Social Council forums on financing for development follow-up.

The Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) has a responsibility to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda by supporting efforts to make institutions inclusive, effective, accountable and well-equipped, in line with SDG16. In light of this responsibility, DPIDG's work was re-aligned with the 2030 Agenda and its core principle of leaving no one behind. The Division assists United Nations intergovernmental bodies in reflecting on the role of institutions as an integral part of their examination of the SDGs and supports the Committee of Experts on Public Administration. The Division also produced a new Capacity Development Strategy to ensure synergy with the normative and analytical work of the Division and promote alignment with Member States’ needs and requests. The Division nurtures a multi-stakeholder dialogue on transforming institutions and building people’s trust in them at the United Nations Public Service Forum. It helps to collect and analyze innovative practices from around the world through the UN Public Service Awards. The Division also supports the efforts of Supreme Audit Institutions to audit the implementation of the SDGs and works with other entities to combat corruption in SDG implementation. It proactively supports the work of the Internet Governance Forum and keeps track of opportunities, challenges and risks ICTs represent for government. Its United Nations e-Government Survey examines global trends and their impact on sustainable development and people. The UN Forum on Forests Secretariat (UNFFS) services and supports the Forum in implementing all matters related to the 4POW, and the UNSPF. The Forum is the responsible intergovernmental body for the follow-up to and review of implementation of the strategic plan and the achievement of its global forest goals and targets. To that end, the Forum has included a standing agenda item on the implementation of the strategic plan at each session of the Forum from 2017 - 2020, taking into account the interplay between technical discussion and exchange of experiences, as well as policy dialogue, on thematic and operational priorities, priority actions and resource needs. The Forum agreed to assess progress in the implementation of the strategic plan and the achievement of the global forest goals and targets at its sessions in 2024 and 2030, respectively. This assessment will be based on internationally agreed indicators, taking into account voluntary national reporting to the Forum and inputs received from relevant partners and stakeholders.

The Under-Secretary-General of DESA chairs the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development (IATF), which was first convened in 2016 and is comprised of over 50 United Nations agencies, programmes and offices, regional economic commissions and other relevant international institutions. FSDO serves as the coordinator and substantive editor of the Task Force. Based on the statistical monitoring of the indicators and analysis of data and information relevant to additional commitments in the Addis Agenda, the IATF report advises the intergovernmental process on progress, implementation gaps and recommendations for corrective action, taking into consideration national and regional dimensions. Its annual report is an important input to the negotiations on intergovernmentally agreed conclusions and recommendations from the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development.

Under the guidance of the Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General of DESA convened the UN High-Level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs. The Board consists of sixteen globally renowned experts in the economic and social policy fields, including former Heads of State, a Nobel Laurate, former Senior Government Officials and intellectual leaders. It provides advice to the UN on broad development issues, makes suggestions for the research and policy analysis work of DESA, and strengthen DESA’s linkage with the global development policy research community.

3.1 Mainstreaming the SDGs in development plans and policies or through national sustainable development plans/strategies:

DESA (OISC/DSDG) supported the HLPF 2018, which was convened in New York from 9 to 18 July under the theme 'Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies' and which resulted in the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration on the theme. It supported the preparation of the thematic review of six Sustainable Development Goals, the presentation of 46 Voluntary National Reviews as well as 260 side events. The VNRs highlighted lessons on mainstreaming the SDGs into plans and policies. DESA also organised eight Special Events during the HLPF, including the Business Forum and the Partnership Exchange, in collaboration with other partners. In the year leading up to the HLPF. DESA partnered with relevant UN System entities to organise Expert Group Meetings about the SDGs under review. The outcomes of these events informed the respective thematic sessions of the HLPF. In parallel, DESA also organised global and regional capacity building workshops for the VNR countries, in partnership with the Regional Commissions. Upon request, country-specific advisory missions were also organised to support the requesting Member States in the preparation of their VNR reports.

DESA (EAPD & FSDO) also supported countries in the following areas:

Providing development-oriented policy advice based on the use of quantitative modelling tools in the areas of macroeconomic policy and techno-economic assessment of the interlinkages and trade-offs among policies and goals with respect to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.
Strengthening analytical capacity of developing countries in achieving greater policy design, implementation, and coherence, through the use of modelling tools in an integrated way to deal with the challenges in the three dimensions of sustainable development particularly in the countries participating in the Belt and Road initiative.
Analytical and capacity building work towards leaving no countries behind, with specific focus on improving LDCs capacities to prepare for graduation from the LDC category.

Strengthening the capacity of the national Ministries of Finance and the National Tax Administrations in developing countries to develop more effective and efficient tax systems aimed to mobilize domestic resources, as well as protecting their tax base and avoiding double taxation.

DESA (DISD) focused the Report of the Secretary-General on Youth development on links to sustainable development (A/72/190) providing an analysis of the linkages and complementarities on youth issues between the World Programme of Action for Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The upcoming World Youth Report (the DESA's flagship report on youth) on Youth and the New Development Agenda examines the mutually supportive roles of the new agenda and youth development efforts, with a focus to the areas of education and employment, underlining the realization of targets under these goals as fundamental to overall youth development. The Report's statistical annex presents the most recent available data on the 90 youth related indicators of the 2030 Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the 34 core indicators for the World Programme of Action for Youth.

The report from the 2017 and 2018 sessions of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues have dedicated sections with recommendations related to the 2030 Agenda, based on the broad dialogue and discussion that took place with participants at both Sessions, including indigenous peoples, Member States, UN agencies and other stakeholders.

DESA (DISD) also provides, at the request of Member States, technical cooperation at national and subnational level, with projects focusing on advancing inclusive social policies, particularly for marginalized groups. In carrying out this work, DISD supports the implementation of SDG 10 in particular. In 2019, DISD is providing capacity building support to governments and NGOs on disability, ageing, indigenous peoples, cooperatives, youth and family policy issues. Activities include implementation of ongoing projects initiated in 2018 (for example, Development Account and XB projects on youth, peace and security in African countries; youth with disabilities and employment in Latin American countries; and capacity development, in collaboration with ILO, on social protection for the eradication of poverty in developing countries). The Division is also supporting the initial implementation of Namibia’s White Paper on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and a participatory development process for Uganda’s Affirmative Action Program for Indigenous Peoples.

DESA (DPIDG) supported countries in the following areas:

Providing policy advice through short-term field missionsto Governments and other relevant stakeholders in developing countries upon their request to carry out needs assessment as well as to support the design/redesign of national policies and strategies on aspects related to Goal 16 and other SDGs. Advisory services are provided under the key priority areas of the division’s capacity development, including on governance and institutions; transformational leadership and public servants’ capacities to realize the SDGs; transparency, accountability and integrity to realize the SDGs, and innovation and delivery of public services for SDGs Implementation at national and local levels, including through the use of ICTs.
Strengthening analytical capacity of developing countries to promote institutional coordination, policy coherence, leadership transformation, innovation in service delivery and digital government, through the issuance of the World Public Sector Report, the UN E-Government Survey and other publications and the organization of global/regional learning events.
Analytical and capacity building work towards leaving no one behind, with specific focus on countries in special situations, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS), through the organization of regional and national workshops, study visits and trainings based on south-south cooperation.

3.2 Mainstreaming the SDGs in sectoral strategies, including specific SDG/target strategies:

DESA (FSDO) is implementing (or designing) several capacity development programmes aimed at enhancing domestic resources mobilization and management in developing countries, within a framework of coherent development-oriented policies aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The programme of capacity development on international tax cooperation aims at strengthening the capacity of the Ministries of Finance and the National Tax Administrations in developing countries to develop more effective and efficient tax systems. The ultimate reason for strengthening the tax systems of developing countries is to increase the tax revenue to raise financial resources for their national sustainable financing strategies, as envisaged under the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (Addis Agenda).

The programme is implemented through a range of tools: training activities, delivery of technical assistance, and production of manuals and other capacity development tools, such as online courses. These tools are aimed at addressing basic capacity development needs of developing countries related to international tax cooperation, in particular with respect to double tax treaties, transfer pricing and other issues related to tax base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), and tax administration. In these areas, the capacity development programme aims at disseminating the guidelines developed by the ECOSOC Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters (UN Tax Committee). The feedback received by developing countries during capacity development activities is also fed back into the policy work of the UN Tax Committee, and in the work of DESA (FSDO) in general. DESA (FSDO) also conducted a pilot capacity development project, and is designing the related programme, on issues related to the link between the national and subnational dimensions of domestic resource mobilization and management. The project is aimed at unlocking finance for sustainable development through the development of subnational asset management action plans in the least developed countries (LDCs) in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

As part of its support to the Development Cooperation Forum, UNDESA (FSDO) also carries out a biennial survey on state of play in effectiveness of development cooperation on the ground, in which all developing countries are invited to participate. DESA will carry out its sixth survey in the run up to the 2020 DCF. Survey findings aim to support developing countries in their efforts to strengthen development cooperation-related policies, institutional frameworks, practices, and the quality and impact of their partnerships. The survey also supports, peer learning, knowledge sharing and evidence-based, action-oriented global policy dialogue.

Since 2015 DESA (UNFFS) has been implementing a capacity building project supporting developing countries to develop and/or strengthen their national forest programmes/action plans and implementation of SFM in line with SDGs using the UN Forest Instrument (UNFI) and UNSPF as guiding frameworks. The outputs have been used as the forest sector's input into national sustainable development strategies where these have been developed. Development of the NFPs follows the principle of "leaving no-one behind" through the use of multi-stakeholder and participatory approaches that include the vulnerable forest dependent people. The approach adopted also supports integrated policy implementation including internationally agreed policies related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, land use and land management, combatting land degradation, terrestrial biodiversity conservation, water resources management, poverty alleviation and food and nutrition security. A multi-sectoral approach has also been adopted to support countries to ensure policy integration coherence and synergy at national level. So far support has been provided to 6 countries and the approach has been shared with 34 other countries.

DESA (UNFFS) is also currently carrying out a project on Monitoring Progress towards Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). Six pilot countries (Ghana, Jamaica, Kenya, Mongolia, Peru, and the Philippines) have received/are receiving in developing comprehensive and efficient systems to monitor progress towards SFM. The project takes into account the outcomes of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG indicators, particularly indicators on SDG15 and target 15.2 on SFM. It is expected that the monitoring frameworks developed through this project will serve domestic needs as well as help the six countries to report on forest-related international commitments including SDGS, the UN Forest Instrument (UNFI) and global forest goals of the UNSPF.This is achieved through a step- by-step approach, which will include conducting inventories of existing forest-related data, mapping data gaps, addressing these gaps and selecting appropriate indicators. Particular attention is paid to socio-economic aspects (e.g. livelihoods, food security, poverty reduction) of forests and financial flows for SFM.

DESA (UNFFS) has also been providing capacity building and technical support in accessing financing for SFM, through the GFFFN, in order to enhance the contribution of forests to sustainable development. This support has focused on developing national forest financing strategies for mobilizing resources from all sources as well as building capacity for in project formulation and development for accessing finance from multilateral financing mechanisms and other sources. So far 11 countries have received support and activities are currently underway to support eleven others.

DESA (DPIDG) has been providing normative, analytical and capacity building support to various countries in all regions to address institutional arrangements for the 2030 Agenda and SDG implementation. UN DESA’s capacity building initiative in support of the implementation of the SDG 16 is carried out in the various regions of the world by working closely with the regional commissions, and through its networks. At the global level, the division promotes peer-to-peer exchange and learning among countries in different regions, including through the UN Public Service Forum. The capacity development activities at the global level enhance advocacy and policy dialogue on emerging public administration issues and trends related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda through global fora and events. At the regional level, the division organizescapacity development symposiums and workshops, meetings, study visits and twinning arrangements to support and facilitate dialogue and exchange of lessons learned, and peer-to-peer learning among Member States to adapt innovative practices and to promote South-South, North-South and triangular cooperation. For Asia and the Pacific and Eastern Africa, several activities of the division are implemented through its Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) located in Incheon, Republic of Korea. At the national level, the division supports member states through advisory services and national workshops/training based on research and analysis. It takes the opportunity of its advisory missions to raise awareness of the 2030 Agenda and facilitate countries engagement in the UN High-level Political Forum (HLPF). Upon request, it provides capacity building support to countries who are reporting for their voluntary national reviews as well as to other developing countries, particularly countries in special situations. A pilot activity is being developed to provide integrated capacity development support in the various areas of the sub-programme, with a special focus on the SIDS. This integrated pilot activity will be implemented in collaboration with other DESA divisions, including DSDG and EAPD. It will also partner with ESCAP, ECA, UNDP regional hub in Asia and others. Outcomes of capacity development activities are used as inputs into the inter-governmental process, including the HLPF. Capacity development activities, in turn, benefit from the research and policy recommendations that emerge from the division’s main analytical products, including the World Public Sector Report and the UN E-Government Survey.

The Division implements the following projects:

Development Account Project 1819G is supporting institutional arrangements for policy integration, coordination, and stakeholder engagement in SDG implementation and reviews in Africa and Asia, working in a demand-driven way with Bhutan, Laos, Fiji and Tuvalu, in partnership with ESCAP and ECA, having stakeholder engagement as one of Project tenets.

Development Account Project 1819C is enhancing policy coherence for the SDGs through integrated assessments and institutional strengthening in Africa, working with Cameroon, Ethiopia and Senegal in cooperation with the Division for Economic Analysis and Policy Division (EAPD),), in partnership with ECA, African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) and African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD), among others.
Development Account Project 1617B is supporting decision making to implement the sustainable development agenda by building institutional capacity to collect analyse and use data on e-government. It is structured around two expected accomplishments, namely: (i.) to improve institutional capacity in target countries to collect, use and publish relevant e-government data and compile indicators for analysis, monitoring and evaluation of progress in e-government; and (ii) to strengthen institutional capacity, frameworks and approaches in target countries to implement e-government policies and strategies in support of selected SDGs and Targets and related decision-making based on data.
Internet Governance Forum - As a platform for discussions, the IGF brings various people and stakeholder groups to the table as equals to exchange information and share good policies and practices relating to the Internet and technologies. While the IGF may not have decision-making mandates, it informs and inspires those who do. It facilitates common understandings and knowledge exchange of how to maximize Internet opportunities and address risks and challenges. The IGF also gives stakeholders from all countries, including developing countries, the opportunity to engage in the debate on Internet governance and it contributes to capacity building, allowing these stakeholders to build knowledge and skills that will facilitate their participation in existing Internet governance institutions and arrangements. United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG)- Its principal mission is to strengthen the public governance capacities of developing Member States in Asia and the Pacific and beyond to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UNPOG was established in June 2006 to promote efficient, participatory and transparent governance as an outcome of the 6th Global Forum on Reinventing Government. In response to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the mandate of UNPOG has been extended to the end of 2030. The UNPOG is based on a Trust Fund Agreement between UN DESA and the Government of the Republic of Korea.

3.3 Data and statistical capacity building:

In partnership with donor countries, international agencies and technology providers, DESA (UNSD) is working to support statistical capacity of countries to make quality and timely data and indicators for SDGs available and accessible to policy and decision makers at all levels.

DESA (UNSD) and the five regional commissions, together with the other implementing partners - UN Habitat, UNCTAD, UNEP, UNODC — have launched a joint $10 Million Programme on Statistics and Data under the 10th Tranche of the Development Account (2016-2020) to strengthen national statistical systems for the follow-up and review of the SDGs.

DESA (UNSD) and the five regional commissions also collaborate on regional conferences for heads of statistical offices to find solutions on impactful capacity development in line with the themes of the Cape Town Global Action Plan. These conferences also provide input in the update process of the UN Handbook on managing national statistical systems.

DESA (UNSD), together with UNOOSA, ESCAP, ECA, and the Regional Committees of UNGGIM in Africa and Asia and the Pacific, have implemented a $750K programme under the 11^thTranche of the Development Account (2018-2021) to strengthen geospatial information management in developing countries towards implementing the 2030 Agenda.

DESA (UNSD) has developed an Open SDG Data Hub, a Federated System that allow countries to bring together different data sources integrated with geospatial information for evidence-based decision-making and advocacy at the national level and link their open sites to the UN SDG Data Hub at the global level. Through the Data Hub, SDG indicators are referenced across geospatial web services to produce maps and other data visualizations. An SDG API was also developed to facilitate the use of the global SDG database by users and other portals.

The joint UNSD-DFID Project on SDG Monitoring is to make the Sustainable Development Goals data open and available to the widest audience possible by improving the compilation, dissemination and use of SDG data at national and international levels. The project includes 20 project countries in Asia and Africa.

DESA (UNSD) assist countries in building their own relevant national information systems and data architectures in order to monitor and plan effectively at the national level and to contribute information to regional and global measurement platforms to review progress towards the SDGs.

The UN Global Working Groupon Big Data for official statistics established in 2014 by the UN Statistical Commission, addresses issues pertaining to methodology, quality, technology, data access, legislation, privacy, management and finance. The group is now focusing on developing a global collaboration platform for trusted data, methods, partners and learning.

DESA (UNSD) serves as the secretariat of the Global network of Institutions for Statistical Training (GIST), established by the UN Statistical Commission. The objective of GIST is to address the capacity gaps in countries as concerns the skills that needs to be developed or strengthened in national statistical systems to address the new data demands. This network, consisting of regional and international training institutes and NSOs that provide training outside their national borders, will facilitate collaboration across the institutions with the ultimate aim of providing efficient, effective and harmonized development and delivery of training in official statistics. The members of this network are key providers of training in official statistics at the global and regional levels. They bring their expertise in various topical areas, and will leverage their understanding of relevant issues and challenges in providing statistical training to strengthen training in official statistics.

DESA (Population Division) has conducted a series of regional workshops or consultations on the measurement of indicator 10.7.2 on well-managed migration policies. These events were organized in collaboration with IOM and the respective regional commissions (ESCAP and ECLAC in 2017; ECA, ECE and ESCWA in 2018). The workshops included presentations and technical discussion of options for the methodology used for measuring the concept of "well-managed migration policies" in the context of the SDGs. The Division has implemented a Development Account project on strengthening capacities of developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa to effectively produce and use population estimates and projections in policymaking for sustainable development. The Division has also collaborated with the Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD) in the implementation of another Development Account project on using surveys to gather data to guide evidence-based policymaking regarding ageing and older persons in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2019, the Division will support national workshops for countries developing their capacities to produce and use population estimates and projections, as well as a regional workshop on measuring population ageing and assessing its economic and fiscal consequences.

DESA (Statistics, Population and Social Development) are members of the Steering Committee of the recently established Titchfield City Group on Ageing-related Statistics and Age-disaggregated Data. The Group aims to mobilize, partner and coordinate global efforts towards standardizing approaches to improving the availability of ageing-related statistics and age disaggregation of data.

From 2015 to 2017, DISD carried out a Development Account project on “Data collection methodology and tools for supporting the formulation of evidence-based policies in response to the challenge of population ageing in sub-Saharan Africa,” which resulted in a statistical survey on ageing being implemented in Malawi in 2017. DISD also commissioned the first ever global survey of data on cooperatives in 2014 that formed the basis on which the International Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperative (of which DISD/DESA is a board member) conducted technical research leading to a set of guidelines on cooperative statistics endorsed by the International Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2018.

3.4 Science, technology and innovation for the SDGs:

The Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) is a quadrennial report drafted by an independent group of scientists (IGS) - appointed by the Secretary General in Dec. 2016 - and is supported by a task team of six UN entities: DESA, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, and the World Bank. DESA (DSDG), as the de-facto secretariat, operationalized the IGS and has supported the IGS throughout the various stages of report preparation. DESA (DSDG) organized and supported a series of internal IGS meetings where IGS members brainstormed and debated the contents of the report, developed outlines and key messages, created policy recommendations and crafted an outreach strategy. DESA (DSDG) and other partners organized expert consultations in Africa, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific and the Arab Region to ensure that regional perspectives were captured in the report. DESA (DSDG) also oversaw a global “call for inputs” to solicit contributions from scientists and other stakeholders on issues identified by the IGS. The IGS drafted the report over the course of its 3-year term, and upon completion of a first draft, DESA (DSDG) organized a wide-ranging peer review process that involved a number of leading scientific organizations. The Division will oversee the editing and production of the report and will support the IGS through the launch of the report in September 2019 and subsequent outreach and communications efforts

DESA (DSDG) continued to serve as Secretariat for the "Interagency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs" (IATT) and for the Secretary General's appointed "Group of high-level representatives of scientific community, private sector and civil society" (10-Member Group). The two groups mobilise experts from within the UN system and outside for advancing the SDGs through Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in various contexts. DESA continued to serve as convenor of both groups in 2017, whereas its co-convenor changed from UNEP to UNCTAD in Sept. 2017. Over the year, IATT membership continued to increase to 35 UN entities and more than 80 active staff members - an unprecedented level of cooperation on science and technology across the UN.

DESA (EAPD) has and will also continue support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including SDGs, with research on the implications of the global and national macroeconomic environments for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the policy space countries have for adopting sustainable development strategies as well as by providing timely and high quality inputs to inter-governmental processes about the policy challenges of adopting development strategies that fully integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development.

The latest World Economic and Social Survey 2018 focused on the opportunities and challenges brought by frontier technologies, highlighting the pressing need to address the technological divide between and within countries that could only widen in the absence of concerted policy efforts. The report presented the case for stronger international cooperation – facilitated by the UN – for supporting the transfer, development, access and adoption of technologies. Building on WESS 2018 and inspired by the strong interest in the policy implications of technologies’ development, a new series of publications on frontier technologies – entitled Frontier Technology Quarterly – was created. Its inaugural edition focused on data economy and identified the challenges that countries need to address to ensure that the rise of data economy can lead to positive social transformation and consistent with sustainable development. Future editions will focus on issues such as gene-editing, advances in new materials, and blockchain.

DESA (DPIDG) serves as the secretariat of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The thirteenth Annual Meeting of the IGF was held in Paris, France, and attended by the UN Secretary-General and the President of the French Republic. The key messages touched on Cybersecurity, Trust and Privacy, Development, Innovation and Economic Issues, Digital Inclusion and Accessibility, Emerging Technologies, Evolution of Internet Governance, Human Rights, Gender and Youth, Media and Content, and Technical and Operational Topics, among others.

As the leading facilitator for Action Lines C1, C7eGov, and C11, as member of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), and manager of the IGF Secretariat, DESA continued its efforts to promote policy dialogue and advocacy for the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) among United Nations bodies, governmental and non-governmental stakeholders and partners through a number of initiatives.

3.5 Multi-stakeholder partnerships:

DESA (DSDG) maintains the online SDG Partnerships Platform, which is a global registry of voluntary commitments and multi-stakeholder partnerships made in support of the SDGs. The online platform includes over 4,000 registered partnerships made by Member States, civil society, local authorities, private sector, scientific and technological community, academia, and others. The online platform, available at (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnerships/), is intended to provide space for sharing knowledge and expertise among different actors that are engaged in multi-stakeholder SDG-related partnerships and voluntary commitments, and for providing periodic updates on their progress. The platform brings together online registries that were launched in support of various United Nations conferences and processes dealing with sustainable development, including the 2017 The Ocean Conference, the 2016 Global Sustainable Transport Conference, the 2014 SIDS Conference, and the 2012 Rio+20 Conference. It also provides access to several other thematic multi-stakeholder action networks that aim to galvanize partnerships and commitments in support of the SDGs.

DESA(DSDG), together with the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS), supports the follow-up to the SAMOA Pathway, including the SIDS Partnership Framework, which is designed to monitor progress of existing, and stimulate the launch of new, genuine and durable partnerships for the sustainable development of SIDS. In this regard, a series of multi-stakeholder partnership dialogues has been organized in close collaboration with the Steering Committee and other partners. In preparation for the SAMOA Pathway High-Level Review in September 2019, DESA (DSDG) and partners have conducted an in-depth analysis of existing SIDS partnerships to identify trends and gaps. A number of targeted webinars will be organized to galvanize additional SIDS partnerships.

DESA (DPIDG) fosters global networking and communities of practice, including through the UN Public Administration Network (UNPAN). UNPAN's mission is to promote the sharing of knowledge, experiences and best practices, throughout the world by means of ICTs, sound public policies, effective public administration and efficient civil service, and through capacity-building and cooperation among Member States, with an emphasis on South-South cooperation and UNPAN's commitment to integrity and excellence. It is the only network of its type in the world today.

tps://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnerships/), it is intended to provide space for sharing knowledge and expertise among different actors that are engaged in multi-stakeholder SDG-related partnerships and voluntary commitments, and for providing periodic updates on their progress. The platform brings together online registries that were launched in support of various United Nations conferences and processes dealing with sustainable development, including the 2017 The Ocean Conference, the 2016 Global Sustainable Transport Conference, the 2014 SIDS Conference, and the 2012 Rio+20 Conference. It also provides access to several other thematic multi-stakeholder action networks that aim to galvanize partnerships and commitments in support of the SDGs.

3.7 Leveraging interlinkages across SDG goals and targets:

In January 2018, DESA (DSDG) organized an expert group meeting on “Advancing the 2030 Agenda: interlinkages and common themes at the 2018 HLPF” to look specifically at the interconnections between the SDGs under review at the High-level Political Forum in 2018 and the rest of Agenda 2030, with their concrete implications for policies, programmes and partnerships. More information including meeting summary is available at (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=13&nr=25…)

DESA (DPIDG) issued the World Public Sector Report 2018 on “Working Together, Integration, Institutions and the Sustainable Development Goals. The WPSR 2018 examines how governments, public institutions and public administration can foster integrated approaches to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. The report examines key challenges and opportunities for integrated approaches from the perspective of public administration, highlighting experiences from past decades both at the sectoral and cross-sectoral levels. It also examines how governments across the world have chosen to address existing interlinkages among the SDGs, and the implications of this for public administration and public institutions. The report thus aims to produce a comprehensive empirical analysis of policy integration for the SDGs at the national level, with a view to drawing lessons on how emerging initiatives aiming to policy and institutional integration might lead to long-term success in achieving the SDGs, in different developmental and governance contexts. Arguments made in the report are illustrated by concrete examples in relation to SDG goals, targets or clusters thereof. The report is built around two structuring dimensions: first, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals as an integrated and indivisible set of goals and targets; and second, the role of the government and public service, including the institutional aspect, in fostering sustainable development.

In 2018, the subprogramme continued its partnership with the INTOSAI Development Initiative to support supreme audit institutions (SAIs) across the globe to conduct audits of government preparedness to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through their oversight function, supreme audit institutions can hold governments accountable for their efforts to implement the SDGs. They can help ensure that financial resources mobilized for SDG implementation arespent efficiently, effectively and transparently. External auditors can also provide independent insight on the outcomes and impacts of programmes and policies to achieve the SDGs, on critical risks and challenges, as well as on good practices involved in setting up the necessary governance systems to implement the SDGs. The SDG audit programme developed a methodology for auditing government preparedness for SDG implementation, and implemented it in all world regions through hands-on training and review workshops, including an e-course and individualised mentoring

4.1 Supporting the intergovernmental body of your organization in contributing to the thematic review of the HLPF:

DESA (OISC) is the Secretariat for HLPF. As such, it supports the President of ECOSOC in preparing the programme, speakers, thematic reviews and VNRs at the HLPF. It is also coordinating background papers and any other documentation and inputs to the HLPF as well as preparing a synthesis of inputs to the HLPF from intergovernmental bodies and platforms. Furthermore, DESA (OISC) organizes a majority of segments of the cycle of ECOSOC, whose outcomes are summaries by the respective presiding officers (either the President or a Vice-President of ECOSOC) that are transmitted as inputs into the High-level Segment of the Council and deliberations at the HLPF. These include:

ECOSOC Youth Forum (engaging youth leaders from around the world);
ECOSOC Partnership Forum (engaging the private sector and foundations to explore ways to promote meaningful engagement with partners in the effective implementation of the SDGs)
ECOSOC Integration Segment (integrating the three dimensions of sustainable development and the contributions of Member States, ECOSOC subsidiary bodies, and the UN system on the theme).

DESA (FSDO) has serviced the FfD Forum, DCF, and the UN Tax Committee, all of which contribute in multiple ways to the work of the HLPF. In addition, DESA (FSDO) also organized side events to the HLPF to present the findings and conclusions of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development and the Development Cooperation Forum and plans to do so again in 2019. The 2019 Financing for Sustainable Development report of the Task Force included a thematic chapter how integrated national financing frameworks, called for in the Addis Agenda, can help mobilize financing and other means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It also explored financing for the SDGs under in-depth review at the 2019 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development throughout the report.

The Committee for Development Policy (CDP), serviced by DESA (EAPD), addressed the themes of leaving no one behind, as its contribution to the themes of the Economic and Social Council high-level segment and the HLPF. In collaboration with other DESA colleagues, the CDP and its Secretariat provide inputs to side events and sessions of the HLPF. For instance, in 2018 the Committee is preparing activities related to the VNR Labs. In 2018 the CDP analyzed the voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda presented at the high-level political forum for sustainable development in 2017. Its pilot analysis covered the treatment of critical cross-cutting themes in the VNRs such as leaving no one behind and addressing trade-offs related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda through integrated policies. The Committee will continue its research and analysis on the voluntary national reviews as a key feature of discussions related to the Sustainable Development Goals.

DESA (DISD) serves as the substantive secretariat for the Commission for Social Policy and Development, supports preparation of contributions on issues of social development to the thematic review of the HLPF. It further supports the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in its provision of substantive inputs to the thematic reviews of the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 HLPFs, highlighting what is needed to ensure that indigenous peoples are not left behind in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

DESA (UNFFS) assisted the Forum in preparing its annual input to the meetings of the HLPF from 2016 to 2019. In support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the UNSPF, the UNFF Secretariat prepared seven background analytical studies on contribution of forests to the achievement of the SDGs under in-depth review at the 2018 and 2019 HLPF, namely: i) Forest ecosystem services; ii) Forests and Water; iii) Forests and Energy; iv) Sustainable Consumption and Production of Forest Products; v) Forests and climate change; vi) Forests, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and employment; and vii) Forests, peaceful and inclusive societies, reduced inequality, education and inclusive institutions at all levels. In 2017, at UNFF 12, the Forum invited all stakeholders, including regional and sub-regional entities, to provide inputs on HLPF 2018. This was one of the main themes discussed during an expert group meeting organized by the DESA (UNFF Secretariat) in Nairobi on November 2017. At the time, experts informed on how their entities are aligning their priorities to the Agenda 2030 and the UN Strategic Plan for Forests.

DESA (DSDG) supported the substantive and administrative work in the organization of the UN Ocean Conference in June 2017, including providing support to the co-chairs of the Conference (Fiji and Sweden) and the PGA, including through co-chairing of informal working group on sustainable blue economy that resulted in the report: " The Potential of the Blue Economy : Increasing Long-term Benefits of the Sustainable Use of Marine Resources for Small Island Developing States and Coastal Least Developed Countries" and participating in the Advisory group on the Conference. It also provided support to the negotiations on the outcome document of the Conference "Call for Action" as well as logistic in organizing the Conference.

It also contributed to a note by the Secretary-General on "Preparatory process of the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development" and wrote a concept note for partnership dialogue on "Managing, protecting, conserving and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems". The Division organized Partnership dialogues by securing speakers and coordinating their presentations and wrote summaries. It also coordinated writing of all partnership dialogue summaries and reviewed the general debate summary.

DESA (Population Division) has supported the Commission on Population and Development by drafting inputs to the thematic reviews conducted by the HLPF annually from 2016 to 2019. These inputs have been included in the HLPF online database (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/inputs/).

4.2 Contributing to policy/background briefs for the HLPF:

DESA (UNSD) prepares the annual report of the Secretary-General on Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, which provides as an input into the deliberations of Member States for the HLPF (as mandated by 2030 Agenda, para 83). In addition, DESA (UNSD) also prepare an annual glossy publication: The Sustainable Development Goals Report, which presents data and analysis on SDGs for a wider audience with charts, infographics and analysis on selected indicators for which data are already available. The two progress reports on the Sustainable Development Goals provide an overview of progress made towards the 17 Goals in the second year of implementation of the 2030 Agenda highlighting the most significant gaps, challenges and progress made.

DESA (EAPD) is leading an inter-agency effort to produce the Sustainable Development Outlook – a forward-looking analysis of how major development trends are likely to impact the pace and trajectory of SDGs implementation. The 2019 report will present scenario analyses to grasp the SDG progress and outlook, while also offer policy recommendations that will inform the deliberations of Member States for the HLPF.

4.3 Helping organize SDG-specific events in the preparatory process:

DESA (UNFFS) helped organize the Expert Group Meeting on SDG15 (14-15 May 2018, UNHQ, New York), including through the planning, preparation and organization of the session on forests held during the EGM. DESA (UNFFS) also contributed to the organization of the 7th Economic and Social Council Youth Forum on the role of youth in building sustainable and resilient urban and rural communities (30-31 January 2018). The Forum was aimed at showcasing concrete areas and initiatives in specific goals and targets that have an impact on, and require the contribution of young people, to building resilience in communities that governments, youth and other stakeholders are actively engaged in or have delivered. A thematic breakout session on SDG 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss, and the related processes was held as part of this Forum. It provided space for open discussions by a wide range of stakeholders on the development needs and contributions that young people can make to reach the SDGs that will be reviewed by the HLPF in 2018 focusing on the difference that youth can make through action at all levels and how these efforts can create a momentum in support of the achievement of SDGs.

In 2019, DESA (DSDG) organized Expert Group Meetings on SDGs 4, 8, 10, 13, 16, and 17 in order take stock of where we are in terms of progress towards these SDGs; to share knowledge about success stories, good practices and challenges; to identify particular areas of concern; and to suggest ways forward in terms of policies, partnerships and coordinated actions at all levels. These messages will help inform the 2019 HLPF, assist in planning its sessions, and serve to influence collaborations and programmes of work going forward. The Expert Group Meetings included:

SDG 4 – Global Education Meeting, 3-5 December 2018 in Brussels
SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, 3-5 April 2019 in Geneva
SDG 10 - Reducing Inequalities: SDG 10 Progress and Prospects, 2-3 April 2019 in Geneva
SDG 13 - Climate and SDGs Synergy Conference, 1-3 April in 2019 in Copenhagen
SDG 16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions, 27-29 May in Rome
SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals, 12 April in New York

4.4 Organizing side evens or speaking at the HLPF:

DESA (DISD) also oversees the UN Youth Delegate Programme at the global level and has provided support to the official Youth Delegates participating in the HLPF. DESA (DISD) also held a Side-event during the 2017 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development entitled "Youth participation by UN Youth Delegates: Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity by advancing the 2030 Agenda". Also, at the HLPF in 2017, DESA (DISD) participated in a joint Inter-Agency Group on Ageing event on “Making Sustainbale Development Work at All Ages: Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity for Older Persons. DESA (DISD) also held HLPF side event on cooperatives in 2017.

DESA (DPIDG) provided substantive support to the HLPF process, including through organizing side events on the “Global Launch of the UN E-Government Survey” and “AI for inclusion” (with the World Economic Forum, the Permanent Missions of Mexico and Bangladesh), and a side event on “Leaving No One Behind Through Data Revolution”. Additionally, a HLPF side event was held on "Leadership in the Public Sector", in collaboration with UNITAR and a VNR lab on public institutions.

DESA (UNFFS) organized a one-day pre-HLPF event on forests entitled “Forest-based transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies; lessons learned and success stories” on 8 July 2018. The Chair’s summary of the event highlighted the significance of forests to achieve the SDGs, partnerships and long-lasting synergies among a wide range of stakeholders to accelerate progress towards realizing the 2030 Agenda.

4.5 Supporting VNR process:

Since 2016, DESA has been working extensively to support Member States who have volunteered to present VNRs to the HLPF, including by organizing global and regional capacity building workshops for VNR countries, in partnership with the Regional Commissions. Upon request, DESA has also organized country-specific advisory missions to support Member States in the preparation of their VNR reports. As the secretariat of the HLPF, DESA has also supported Member States during the delivery of their VNR reports at the HLPF and is maintaining an online VNR database with information from countries participating in the VNRs, available at (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/vnrs/). Since 2016, DESA has been preparing annually a comprehensive synthesis report of the VNR reports. DESA has established an inter-departmental team to provide capacity building support for countries to prepare VNRs and has also prepared a VNR handbook to help guide the VNR preparations.

DESA(DPIDG) has been conducting research on institutional innovations undertaken by UN Member States (in particular, VNR countries) during the implementation of the SDGs. The compendium aims to take stock of the various approaches taken by UN Member States in terms of institutional frameworks for SDG implementation, with a view to facilitating knowledge sharing. Some member states are keen to have a good overview of international trends on SDG implementation and institutional dimensions. The division’s capacity development activities are also geared towards supporting VNR countries in strengthening their governance and institutional capacities to implement the SDGs.

5. How has your organization cooperated with other UN system organizations to achieve coherence and synergies in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? In this regard, has your organization launched or intend to launch any joint programmes or projects in collaboration with other UN entities? Are there any results or lessons you would like to highlight that might help improve the design and impact of such efforts? Has your organization participated in any of the following coordination systemwide mechanisms or any other relevant platform - CEB, UNDG, EC-ESA Plus, RCMs, UN-Energy, UN-Water, UN-Ocean, IAEG, IATT? Please specify which and indicate any suggestions you may have about improving collaborations within and across these mechanisms/platforms:

DESA participates in the Chief Executives Board, UNSDG, and High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP). DESA will continue to cooperate with all parts of the UN system in order to coordinate their inputs into the HLPF and to strengthen the Forum as the central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs at the global level.

DESA (DSDG) has an extensive inter-agency work stream, including serving as the secretary for UN-Water, UN-Energy, TFM IATT, IACG for SIDS. DESA (UNSD) is the secretariat of IAEG-SDGs and coordinates the global efforts of monitoring of the SDGs with international and regional organizations. Furthermore, DESA (OISC) participates in numerous other coordination mechanisms, including the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), the UN Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE), the Interdepartmental Task Force on African Affairs, and the UN Private Sector Focal Points Network.

Efforts will be made to increase synergies among the various capacity development projects of DESA (EAPD) and to strengthen partnerships with UNCTAD, UNDP, UN/ESCAP, UN/ECA, ILO, ITC, WTO, IFIs, and a number of think-tanks in developing countries to enhance the effectiveness and continuity of DESA EAPD's capacity development work. For instance, through its capacity development work on the Least Developed Countries (leaving no one behind), DESA/EAPD is establishing a closer working relationship and joint project activities with UNCTAD. Similarly, the DESA CDP Secretariat is working closely with OHRLLS in the newly established Inter-agency Task Force on Graduation of LDCs to promote improved collaboration among development partners in their efforts to assist LDCs.

DESA (Population Division) cooperates with other UN system organizations in its work on measuring and monitoring SDG indicators. These partnerships are with IOM for the measurement of indicator 10.7.2; with UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank, as part of the Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) for indicator 3.1.2; with WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank, as part of the Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency Group (MMEIG), for indicator 3.1.1; and with UNFPA for the measurement of indicator 5.6.2

DESA (FSDO) services and coordinates the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development which prepares the annual Financing for Sustainable Development report (FSDR). The task force is comprised of over 50 United Nations agencies, programmes and offices, regional economic commissions and other relevant international institutions. Participation to the IATF is open to all agencies of the UN system. UNDP and UNCTAD, as two of the five major institutional stakeholders of the Financing for Development process, play a central role in the work of the Task Force. In addition, the UN Regional Commissions, including through the RCMs, help bring national and regional perspectives to the report. The organizations that coordinate UN-Energy, UN-Water, IATT and other such inter-agency coordination mechanisms are members of the Task Force, and their staff coordinating these inter-agency processes have been deeply engaged with the Task Force and contributed to its work.

While DESA (FSDO) already cooperates with the UN Regional Commissions in the implementation of the capacity development programme on international tax cooperation (in particular with ECA and ECLAC), for the development and implementation of trainings and technical assistance.

DESA (DSDG) collaborated with Regional Commissions in organizing regional workshops for VNR countries in the lead-up the 2016 and 2017 HLPFs. DESA (DSDG) also co-organized with Regional Commissions capacity-building workshops for major groups and other stakeholders on the 2030 Agenda in connection with the regional sustainable development forums in 2016 and 2017.

DESA (DPIDG) collaborated with Regional Commissions on two regional symposia held in 2017. For the Asia Symposium on "Building Effective, Accountable and Inclusive Institutions and Public Administration for Advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development", held in the Republic of Korea, DPIDG partnered with ESCAP. For the Africa Symposium on "Governance for Implementing the Sustainable Development Commitments in Africa" held in Ethiopia, DPIDG collaborated with ECA which made available the requisite conference facilities and provided administrative assistance. In 2018, DESA (DPIDG) renewed its collaboration with ESCAP to organize the Regional Symposium on "Strengthening the Capacities of Public Institutions and Developing Effective Partnerships to Realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" held in the Republic of Korea. DESA (DPIDG) also worked with ECLAC and UNITAR to organize a Learning Conference on "Holistic Approaches for Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific Region" in Shanghai, China.

In addition, DESA (DPIDG) collaborated with ESCAP on the topic of E-Government for Women's Empowerment to strengthen gender equality in government services and how women's empowerment through E-Government can accelerate the achievement of Goals and Targets across the 2030 Agenda. In 2017, DESA (DPIDG) and ESCAP developed an online toolkit and web portal (http://egov4women.unescapsdd.org/) which consists of five modules to equip governments with the policy evidence and rationale for i) ensuring women's equal access to government services online, ii) promoting the political participation and engagement of women, and iii) improving ICT capacities of national gender ministries, as well as gender-equality understanding among ICT related ministries. The EGov4Women Online Toolkit was then formally launched during a side-event of the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women.

DESA (DISD) permanently co-chairs the UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (UN IANYD), a network of over 50 UN entities (with an annual rotating co-chair) and the Network has several Working Groups under its aegis including on Youth and the 2030 Agenda. The latter Working Group produced "Guiding principles for supporting young people as critical agents of change in the 2030 agenda" to effectively, proactively and responsibly foster youth participation in SDG implementation across development contexts. DESA (DISD) also leads an Inter-Agency Group on Ageing, an informal network of interested United Nations entities that exchange information and integrate ageing into their work programmes on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In the outcome document of the 2014 high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to develop, within existing resources, a system-wide action plan to ensure a coherent approach to achieving the ends of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The system-wide action plan was developed by DESA (DISD) following consultations with indigenous peoples, Member States and the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples' Issues. Based on the feedback received, the plan focuses on the following action areas: (a) raise awareness on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and indigenous issues; (b) support the implementation of the Declaration, particularly at the country level; (c) support the attainment of indigenous peoples' rights in the implementation and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; (d) conduct an exercise to map existing policies, standards, guidelines, activities, resources and capacities within the United Nations and the multilateral system to identify opportunities and gaps; (e) develop the capacities of States, indigenous peoples, civil society and United Nations personnel at all levels; and (f) support the participation of indigenous peoples in processes that affect them. The SWAP – Indigenous Peoples is currently in progress, through UN system support to Member States at national, regional and global levels.

DESA (UNFFS) participates in the 15-member Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) as its member organization and secretariat. In response to the guidance provided by ECOSOC in its resolution 2015/33, the CPF formulated its new policy document and work plan for the period 2017-2020 to enhance its working modalities and presented the respective documents at UNFF12 (2017) and UNFF13 (2018). With the formulation of the CPF Policy Document and Work Plan 2017-2020, the areas of the CPF joint action have expanded to include support to enhancing the contribution of forests to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally-agreed development goals. The current CPF work plan identifies priorities for collective actions by its member organizations, guide their implementation, and contains the resource implications of such actions, in alignment with the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030 (UNSPF) and the UNFF Quadrennial Programme of Work for 2017- 2020. The CPF currently undertakes nine joint initiatives and is actively developing new initiatives to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the UNSPF, among others.

6. How has your organization engaged with stakeholder groups, both in supporting implementation at the country, regional and global levels, and within your own organization? If yes, please provide main highlights, including any lessons learned:

DESA has consistently worked to engage civil society, including non-governmental organizations, Major Groups and Other Stakeholders, youth, foundations and the private sector, in the work of ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies and the HLPF, including by supporting the work of the NGO Committee that grants consultative status to NGOs with the ECOSOC, and guiding NGOs through the process (DESA/OISC).

DESA (OISC) continued to support the active and growing participation of Major Groups and Other Stakeholders (MGoS) in intergovernmental processes related to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, including the HLPF. The Division facilitated webinars to share information and build the capacity of stakeholders to effectively participate in the HLPF. In addition, the Division facilitated the accreditation process and registration of NGOs to various events, including the conferences on migration and on South-South cooperation.

As part of the HLPF, DESA (DSDG) organizes several sectoral events, including the SDG Business Forum (organized in collaboration with ICC and Global Compact)); the Local and Regional Governments Forum (in collaboration with UN-Habitat, Local 2030 and the Global Taskforce of Local and regional governments); a Chief Sustainability Officers and Sustainability Champions event (organized with WBCSD); ; an event on "Higher Education Institutions - Key Drivers of the Sustainable Development Goals" (organized with Global Compact, UNESCO, UNU, UNCTAD); an event with the philanthropic sector; and an SDG Film Festival..

In 2018, DESA (DSDG) continued to support the active and meaningful participation of different stakeholders in processes related to the implementation and follow up of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and national, regional and global levels by organizing both in-person workshops and facilitating 41 webinars. Two sub-regional were organized in Senegal (Western Africa) and Fiji (Pacific), three regional workshops were organized for Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa, and one global workshop was held in New York, all aiming at developing the capacity of stakeholders from different sectors to contribute to the follow-up and implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

84 government representatives from 38 countries completed a two-month long online training course conducted by DSDG and UNITAR on strengthening the capacity of government officials to promote stronger stakeholder engagement in the implementation and follow up of the 2030 Agenda.

Through a grant from the European Commission, DSDG supported the travel of 34 stakeholder representatives to the 2018 session of the HLPF, 14 stakeholders to sub-regional workshops and 47 stakeholders to regional workshop.

In addition, the joint DSDG/UNITAR SDGs Learning, Training and Practice workshops organized during the 2018 HLPF featured 15 training courses delivered by government, UN and international organizations, private sector, universities and other stakeholders.

DSDG also facilitated the accreditation process and registration of more than 700 stakeholders to attend and actively participate in the 2018 Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation.

DESA (OISC) also supported and coordinated the ECOSOC Partnership and Youth Forums. DESA (UNSD) has been actively engaged with stakeholder groups in the developing and implementing the global indicator framework and also in launching new initiatives and innovative solutions that helps delivering better data for SDGs. DESA (EAPD) has also initiated capacity development activities to provide innovative research methodologies and outputs, detailed and implementable policy recommendations, and capacity building modules in policy simulations to selected countries participating in the Belt and Road in order to better tap into the potential positive impact of the Belt and Road initiative on the national and local economies and as an accelerator of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

One of the key features of the Financing for Development follow-up process is its multi-stakeholder approach. Accordingly, DESA (FSDO) is committed to supporting and facilitating the participation of non-institutional stakeholders, such as civil society, the private sector, national parliaments, local authorities, philanthropic foundations and academia in the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development (FfD Forum) and in the ECOSOC Development Cooperation Forum (DCF). The Inter-Agency Task Force has frequent engagement with stakeholders in both formal and informal settings, including involving stakeholders in technical and working-level meetings where appropriate. These stakeholders have been involved from the outset in the FfD process by providing important inputs, expertise and proposals to the three International Conferences on Financing for Development (Monterrey, Doha and Addis Ababa) and their follow-up process. Moreover, with their diverse voices and priorities, they are instrumental in ensuring the full and timely implementation of the FfD outcomes and the delivery of the means of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In order to promote sustained substantive engagement of these stakeholders in the preparation of the Forum, FSDO is coordinating "Stakeholder workstreams". The workstreams focus on thematic areas that are of particular interest to non-institutional stakeholders and provide substantive input to the FfD Forum and its follow-up process:

For example, a workstream on Strengthening Municipal Finance in LDCs directly engaged local authorities through a series of interactive workshops in different regions. The workstream was implemented in close collaboration with UNCDF and local authorities and resulted in:
- a joint DESA/FSDO publication entitled “Financing Sustainable Urban Development in the Least Developed Countries”, which was launched at the 2017 ECOSOC FFD Forum.
- a multi-year development account project on “Municipal asset management”, implemented by UN DESA in collaboration with UNCDF and UN-Habitat.

A workstream on Exploring Public-Private Interfaces has been initiated by the Civil Society Organisations (CSO) FfD Group, through a Consultation held in New York on 3-4 August 2016;
A workstream on SDG Investing (SDGI) has been initiated with the Division for Sustainable Development in collaboration with a wide range of business sector representatives, and has resulted in the launch of an SDG Investment Fair which will be held for a second time in the margins of the FfD forum (15-18 April 2019).

DESA (DISD) works with youth and youth-led organizations and Networks, with a focus on global level engagement through activities of the UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (UN IANYD), and at relevant intergovernmental forums.

The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues discussion constitutes the largest global gathering on Indigenous Peoples, raising awareness on issues of concern. In 2018 over 1200 representatives of indigenous peoples, Member States, national human rights institutions and NGOs, with over 115 side events taking place. Lessons learned include that more and better outreach is needed at the community, local and national level to inform the global level discussions. The 2019 annual session will build on the previous sessions and includes a standing agenda item on the SDGs/2020 Development Agenda.

The participation of Major Groups and other non-State stakeholders has been a core element of the UN Forum on Forests since its establishment. DESA (UNFFS) provides a platform for dialogue and serves as a catalyst for contributions by major groups and other stakeholders at the international level. From 2016 to 2019, the DESA (UNFFS) organized several expert meetings to elaborate means and ways to strengthen the engagement of major groups and other stakeholders in the international arrangement on forests beyond 2015. The outputs of these meetings served as inputs into the discussions on the development of the United Nations strategic plan for forests (UNSFP) 2017-2030. Major groups have also developed a joint workplan on implementation of the UNSPF and achievement of the 6 global forest goals. In addition, a number of major groups have developed individual group plans aimed at UNSPF implementation.

DESA (DPIDG) continued to engage stakeholders in its capacity development activities at regional and national levels.

7. Has your organization organized any conferences, forums or events designed to facilitate exchange of experience, peer and mutual learning? If yes, please provide a brief summary below and include lessons learned and gaps identified based on the outcomes of these events. Please also include any events you plan to organize in the coming years.

DESA regularly organizes large global conferences, including the Global Sustainable Transport Conference (2016 in Turkmenistan, 2019 in China) and the Ocean Conference (2017 in New York and 2019 in Lisbon) both supported by DESA (DSDG).

In 2018, DESA (DSDG) supported the preparations for the mid-term review of the third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), to be held on 27 September 2019. The preparatory process featured a series of regional preparatory meetings and partnership dialogues, as well as an inter-regional meeting for SIDS. DESA also regularly organizes meetings designed to facilitate exchange of experiences, peer and mutual learning. ECOSOC Partnership Forum organized by DESA (DSDG) is one such meetings; the 2019 Forum reviewed how multi-stakeholder partnerships can help drive implementation of the SDGs, in particular SDGs 4, 8, 10, 13 and 16.

The ECOSOC Youth Forum organized by DESA (OISC) is another meeting where the exchange of experiences and best practices are in focus. The 2018 ECOSOC Youth Forum identified the need to ensure that young people have the institutional and political space to contribute to the implementation of SDGs. The voices of young people can be amplified at the global level if they are included as youth delegates at the UN and if they are part of national delegations for the review of implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the HLPF. They should hold their Governments accountable for their commitments, including through vigorous shadow reporting. Common challenges identified across regions included unemployment and underemployment, the need to reimagine education systems and improve access to technology and innovation.

DESA (OISC) also organizes the ECOSOC Integration Segment, which provides a platform for key stakeholders to review policies that support an integrated approach to achieving sustainable development and poverty eradication and to consider best practices, lessons learned and recommendations at the national, regional and international levels, with a view to develop action-oriented recommendations for follow-up. The Segment brings together the key messages from the ECOSOC system, further integrating inputs from Member States, UN system and key stakeholders on the theme.

In addition, the ECOSOC Special Meeting in 2017 on "Aftermath of recent hurricanes: Achieving a risk-informed and resilient 2030 Agenda" took stock of existing initiatives and efforts aimed at helping the hurricane-affected countries (many SIDS in the Caribbean region) and territories and explored ways to assist them effectively to reduce disaster risk and strengthen resilience. The meeting demonstrated the disproportionate impact of hurricanes in countries with high-level of exposure and vulnerability to climate change and the need to increase their access to concessional finance given their high-level indebtedness. The meeting underscored the importance of pursuing a risk-informed and resilient 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

DESA (OISC) also promotes the mainstreaming of peacebuilding issues in the work of the Council to strengthen the nexus between peace and development, including through enhancing the relationship between the Council and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). For that effect, the Council holds joint meetings of ECOSOC and the PBC. In 2016, the joint meeting of ECOSOC and the PBC focused on the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustaining Peace", which underscored that the entire 2030 Agenda, and not only SDG16, provided a unique opportunity to address the root causes of conflicts and to make communities more resilient to prevent reversals into conflict and to be prepared to deal with emergencies. The meeting called for more regular interactions between ECOSOC and the PBC to promote coherence and complementarity between the UN's peace and security efforts and its development, human rights and humanitarian work.

The latest joint meeting of ECOSOC and the PBC was in 2018 and focused on linkages between climate change and challenges to peacebuilding and sustaining peace in the Sahel.

Furthermore, DESA (OISC) coordinates the organization of the ECOSOC Operational Activities for Development Segment (OAS), which reviews UN policies, including the implementation of the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR). The QCPR is the mechanism that guides the UN development system's work to better support countries in their aim to achieve the SDGs. The OAS provides Member States the opportunity to learn about concrete examples of how the UN development system is conducting activities on the ground as well as for Member States to express concerns they have in the way the System works or how it is structured.

Additionally, DESA (OISC) organizes regional and global events for preparations of VNR, engaging countries to present their reviews at the HLPF. Three global and four/five regional workshops will be organized as previous years with VNR countries. VNR countries have found these kinds of meetings very useful, as they provide platform for mutual learning, exchange of lessons learned and experiences. They also strengthen partnerships for future support in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.

DESA (DSDG) supports the convening of the annual multi-stakeholder forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for SDGs (STI Forum) to discuss science, technology and innovation cooperation around thematic areas for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

DESA (Population Division) is the secretariat for the annual session of the Commission on Population and Development. The general debate during the annual session serves as an opportunity for countries to share practical experiences around the special theme of the session, including any related successes, challenges and gaps in the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action. This discussion is often framed with reference to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In 2016, the CPD focused on the importance of strengthening the demographic evidence base for the post-2015 development agenda. In 2017, it examined the impact of changing population age structures on various aspects of sustainable development. In 2018, Member States explored topics at the intersection of sustainable cities, human mobility and international migration. In 2019, the special theme of the Commission wasreview and appraisal of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

DESA (DISD) jointly with OHCHR is the secretariat for the annual sessions of the General Assembly’s Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, which aims at strengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons by considering the existing international framework of the human rights of older persons and identifying possible gaps and how best to address them, including by considering, as appropriate, the feasibility of further instruments and measures. To date, the sessions have exchanged lessons learned and identified gaps on equality and non-discrimination; violence, neglect and abuse; autonomy and independence; long-term care and palliative care.

The second United Nations World Data Forum took place in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on 22-24 October 2018, hosted by the Government of the United Arab Emirates, with support from DESA (UNSD) acting as Secretariat. The UN Statistical Commission has agreed to organize regularly (every two years) the UN World Data Forum following the recommendation by the UN Secretary General's Independent Expert and Advisory Group on a Data Revolution for Sustainable Development. The event was a unique opportunity for major producers and users of data and statistics to collaborate in launching new initiatives and innovative solutions that will deliver better data on all aspects of sustainable development. The Forum concluded with the launch of the Cape Town Global Action Plan for better data to improve people's lives, and the presentation of new ideas and solutions to boost the collaboration, resources and policies needed to put the plan into action. The third Forum will be hosted by the Government of Switzerland in Bern from 18 to 21 October 2020.

DESA (EAPD) regularly organizes development policy seminars and informal panel discussions on the outlook for the global economy and its implications for progress towards the SDGs and also on cutting-edge issues such as blockchains and bitcoins, involving panelists from UN system organizations, academia, think-tanks, private sector and NGOs. These discussions have provided insights and inputs to the regular publications of the Division.

At the institutional level, the multi-stakeholder ECOSOC Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) promotes knowledge sharing and mutual learning, as well as encouraging coherence in development policy and across diverse actors and activities. Additionally, side events to both the DCF and the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development (FfD Forum) encourage informal discussion of country experiences among panelists and participants, and promote South-South cooperation. DESA (FSDO) also works with the multilateral development banks to coordinate the Global Infrastructure Forum, which seeks to share experiences on infrastructure finance. The 2016 and 2017 forums were held in Washington DC alongside the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings. The 2018 event was held in October in Indonesia.

At the capacity development level, a relevant example can be found in the programme on international tax cooperation. Participants to workshops, courses and technical cooperation activities are actively encouraged to share their experiences, as well as the issues encountered in the drafting and administration of international agreements and domestic legislation, within a facilitated environment, often supported by preliminary questionnaires. As a result, tax officials become familiar with challenges encountered by other developing countries, and cooperate to identify potential solutions, drawing on other participants' experiences. This exchange of experiences, which leads to peer learning, is one of the most appreciated features by participants to DESA (FSDO) capacity development activities.

DESA (DPIDG) organizes annually the UN Public Service Forum to facilitate exchange of experiences and peer learning. This year's Forum, which will be held in Azerbaijan in June, will allow Ministers and other senior decision makers to discuss how to transform governance in ways that allow governments, institutions and public administrations to get organized and work to deliver on the SDGs. The Forum will also look at how governments and public institutions can become more effective, inclusive and accountable as the world leaders have committed to the SDG 16. Participants will have the opportunity to debate emerging issues and trends, as well as good practices, strategies and innovative approaches for transforming governance, implementing the SDGs and the principle of leaving no one behind.

DESA (DPIDG) has been organizing regional symposiums and learning conferences to discuss how public institutions should transform to support the implementation of the SDGs. Those forums aim to build governments’ capacities and renew progress in implementation. They help to raise awareness and promote advocacy of key issues at the regional level and within groups of target beneficiaries that share similar historical, social and development conditions. Through South-South cooperation, these regional events have a component where member states are invited to share their challenges and needs for capacity development. DESA (DPIDG) is organizing in 2019 two regional Symposiums, one in the Arab region and one in the Asia-Pacific region on effective, accountable and transparent public institutions for SDG 16.

DESA (DSDG) organized the second annual Global Multi-stakeholder Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Partnership Dialogue on 7 June 2017 on the occasion of The Ocean Conference, with a specific focus on Ocean partnerships for SIDS, aimed at galvanizing additional voluntary commitments for the implementation of SDG 14 among the SIDS partnership community, as a contribution to the outcome of the Ocean Conference. Two SIDS Partnership Steering Committee meetings were held, chaired by Maldives and Italy.

In 2016, DESA (DISD) organized the Expert Group Meeting "Family Policies and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda" explored the role of family policies for the implementation of SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The 2018 Expert Group Meeting "Family Policies for Social Inclusion" focused on family policies and SDGs 16 & 11. Recommendations from meetings are shared and analysis is informative for the annual Reports of the Secretary-General on family issues. The official observances of the International Day of Families 2015-2018 focused on SDG5, SDG3, SDG4 and SDG16 respectively. The 2019 observance will focus on SDG13.

In October 2017, DESA (DISD) organized an Expert Group Meeting in Rome, Italy, under the theme "Youth, Peace and Security: Social Issues and Social Policies". Discussions focused on the role of young people in the prevention of violence and conflict, as drivers in processes aimed at building and sustaining peaceful and inclusive society, as reflected in SDG 16.

In December 2018 an EGM on Care and Older Persons: links to decent work, migration and gender was held by DESA (DISD) which brought together diverse experts as well as participants from WHO, UNDP and UN Women to discuss the intersection of these cross-cutting issues - particularly in the context of the SDGs. The outcome report has been shared and posted and will also be used as background for a report to the GA.

In January 2018 an International Expert Group Meeting was held on "Sustainable development in territories of indigenous peoples" (article 4 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) by DESA (DISD). The Expert Meeting focused on the relationships between types of autonomy and the opportunity for indigenous peoples in a sustainable way to develop health, housing, and other economic and social programmes.

In January 2019, DESA (DISD) organized an Expert Group Meeting on “Conservation and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ in Nairobi, focused on the inter-linkages between environment, climate change and conservation, and the impacts on indigenous peoples, who face increasing and often urgent challenges to continue their sustainable practices and ways of life. The report will serve as a background information for the substantive discussions of the 2019 annual session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, under the overarching theme of Tradition Knowledge.

In October 2015 an Expert Group Meeting on Indigenous Peoples and the 2030 Agenda was held by DESA (DISD) on the theme "The way forward: indigenous peoples and the 2030 Agenda". The objective of the meeting was to develop action-oriented strategies and guidance to support the inclusion of indigenous peoples' issues in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This report provides an overview of the discussions at the Expert Group Meeting, as well as suggestions on the way forward: https://undocs.org/E/C.19/2016/2

DESA (UNFFS) services and supports the annual meeting of the UN Forum on Forests. At the twelfth and thirteenth sessions of the Forum held in 2017 and 2018, the Forum held technical and policy dialogue on the thematic and operational priorities, priority actions and resource needs for the period 2017-2018, taking into account the review cycle of the HLPF during the biennium. The discussion taken place on the twelfth session of the Forum included contribution of forests to the achievement of SDG1 on Poverty eradication, SDG 2 on food security and SDG5 on Gender Equality. The Thirteenth session held in 2018 convened a Ministerial Roundtable on Forest-based solution for accelerating achievement of the SDGs and held a general discussion on contribution of forests to the achievement of the SDGs and transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies. The outcomes of these discussions were transferred to the HLPF as the contribution of the Forum to the HLPF 2017 and HLPF 2018, available at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/15629UNFF.pdf

and https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/18609UNFF13_Cha…

UNFFS organized an international conference in Nairobi in July 2017 to share experiences and lessons learnt in developing and implementing national forest programmes and action plans using the UNFI and UNSPF frameworks based on the experiences of the pilot countries under the project "Building Capacity to Access Financing for Implementation of the UN Forest Instrument and Sustainable Forest Management in Selected Developing Countries". Some of the main lessons learnt include:

Coordination and collaboration among UN agencies and other international organizations in designing support mechanisms to member States in promoting SFM enhances impact.
The implementation of the UNFI and UNSPF should be integrated into, and be part of the national sustainable development strategies
Implementation of the UNFI and UNSPF has significant potential to leverage support and additional resources from other sectors and different stakeholders.
A multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder approach is critical for enhancing coordination coherence and synergy as well as ensuring no-one is left behind

8. Is there any other information you would like to share, including annual reports of your organization and any impact assessment or evaluation reports? If yes, please use the space below and attach the document(s). Please also use this space to provide any other information, comments or remarks you deem necessary:

Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, Report of the Secretary-General: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2018/secretary-general-sdg-report-2018--EN.pdf
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2018: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2018/TheSustainableDevelopment…
Financing for Sustainable Development Report of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development: https://developmentfinance.un.org
Report of the 2018 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N18/160/50/pdf/N1816050.p…
Policy Briefs of the Development Cooperation Forum: https://www.un.org/ecosoc/sites/www.un.org.ecosoc/files/files/en/dcf/po…
Report of the Secretary-General on Trends and progress in international development cooperation: https://www.un.org/ecosoc/sites/www.un.org.ecosoc/files/files/en/dcf/sg…
Official Summary of the 2018 Development Cooperation Forum: https://www.un.org/ecosoc/sites/www.un.org.ecosoc/files/files/en/dcf/20…
Informal summary of the 2017 ECOSOC special meeting on international cooperation in tax matters: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Informal-summary-b…
A/73/63-E/2018/8 provides the first annual assessment of the implementation of the 2016 QCPR.
The Synthesis report of VNRs for 2016, 2017 and 2018, and the Handbook for preparations of VNRs provide important resources on the follow up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In 2018 a Note by the Secretariat was prepared for the 17th Session of the Forum titled "Update on the indigenous peoples and the 2030 Agenda". It is available here: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/upload…
In 2017 SPFII prepared a Briefing Note on Indigenous Peoples Rights and the 2030 Agenda (with OHCHR) highlighting certain gaps in the 2030 Agenda and potential risks for indigenous peoples, entry points for participation and follow-up and review. It can be found here: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/upload…
In 2017 a Note by the Secretariat was prepared for the 16th Session of the Forum titled "Indigenous peoples and the 2030 Agenda". It is available here: http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/C.19/2017/5
In 2018, a Note by the Secretariat was prepared for the 17th Session of the Forum titled "Update on Indigenous peoples and the 2030 Agenda". It is available here: http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/C.19/2018/2
In 2019 a Note by the Secretariat was prepared for the 18th Session of the Forum titled "Update of Indigenous peoples and the 2030 Agenda". It is available here: http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/C.19/2019/2
The 2018 UN e-Government Survey, available here: https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Reports/UN-E-Government-Survey-2018
The 2018 World Public Sector Report, available here: https://publicadministration.un.org/en/Research/World-Public-Sector-Rep…
Summary by the UNFF14 Chair- Pre-HLPF Event on Forests: https://www.un.org/esa/forests/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Chair_summary…
United Nations Forum on Forests Report on the thirteenth session, which contains a Chair’s summary for transmittal to HLPF 2018, available at: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N18/162/00/PDF/N1816200.pdf?OpenElement
Seven background analytical studies conducted by the UNFFS on the contribution of forests to the achievement of the SDGs under in-depth review by the HLPF in 2018 and 2019: https://static.un.org/esa/forests/forum/current-session/background-analytical-studies/index.html

9. In your view, what should a strategic plan for the UN system in support of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs look like? What key elements should it include and major challenges address in such a road map?

An efficient strategic plan could build upon existing entities, as well as coordination networks and mechanisms, in order to support and monitor the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. It would need to prioritize and reinforce the linkages and synergies among;

normative, analytical and operational activities of the UN system, creating a feedback loop to ensure that normative and analytical work of the system feed into capacity development activities at national and regional levels and capacity development activities on the ground feed into normative and analytical functions;
economic, social and environmental dimensions in capacity development to maximize positive spillover effects and provide good and replicable examples of integrated approaches to governments pursuing the 2030 Agenda;
local, national, regional and international efforts - identifying overlaps, reducing inefficiencies and maximizing multiplier effects - to ensure the best use of scarce development assistance to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

A crucial element to be included in such plan would be a detailed map of how individual SDGs could (positively or negatively) affect each other, and therefore impact the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. As an example, taking steps towards the rationalization of fossil fuel subsidies (SDG 12.C) would not be efficient unless efforts are made to increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix (SDG 7.2) and, as a result, it would be difficult to achieve improvements in resource efficiency, and in decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation (SDG 8.4).

Such a detailed map might be highly beneficial in order to support developing countries in achieving greater policy coherence at all levels, and a whole-of-government approach.

The strategic plan should include specific objectives related to how the UN system works collectively to support mobilization of the full range of means of implementation needed to achieve the 2030 Agenda, as well as provide dynamic platforms for learning swiftly, especially from failures, and making needed adjustments in policy and practice to keep up the pace of progress on this front. In this vein, such a strategic plan should also help to address challenges related to knowledge management within the United Nations system.

It will be important that the UN System includes financing for the SDGs in its strategic plan, and finds ways to further strengthen the Financing for Development follow-up process as full implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda is critical for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda supports, complements and helps to contextualize the 2030 Agenda's means of implementation targets.

A strategic plan should also be anchored on evidence, including:

A focus on data collection for reliable, comparable and relevant data, disaggregated by age, sex, ethnicity and disability to measure progress towards the implementation and monitoring the 2030 Agenda and relevant development frameworks.
Tailored support for groups (including indigenous peoples, youth, older persons and persons with disabilities) to implement the 2030 Agenda, and participate in all relevant processes (at global, regional, and local levels) including the Voluntary National Reviews.
Inclusion of indicator on indigenous peoples' secure and equitable tenure rights to land and resources as essential for poverty eradication.

A strategic plan for the UN system would need to take account of rapidly changing and divergent demographic trends across countries and regions. Population trends are both indicators and drivers of sustainable development. Any development plan that does not take account of country-specific experience concerning the four demographic megatrends (growth, ageing, urbanization and migration) is unlikely to overcome the inherent challenges involved in implementing the 2030 Agenda. Capacity development in the collection and analysis of population data is essential to ensure a successful (and sustainable) implementation that is well suited to national circumstances and priorities.

10. Please indicate one or two endeavor or initiatives you suggest that the UN system organizations could undertake together to support the implementation of the SDGs between now and 2030:

The SDG Investment Fair (SDGI Fair) was launched in 2018 to bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including government officials and the investor community, as well as UN-system entities, to explore new opportunities for SDG investment and discuss specific projects in the pipelines of national governments. Future editions would represent a very valuable opportunity to increase the involvement of UN-system entities, in order to provide a wider platform for investors and governments to discuss potential business opportunities and financing gaps in SDGs investment.

The forthcoming system-wide action plan for implementation of the third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, will be critical in driving implementation of the 2030 Agenda and achievement of the SDGs. The Third Decade and its related SWAP is focused on "Accelerating global actions for a world without poverty" in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Similarly, the United Nations organisations need to take forward the system-wide action plan on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was launched by the UN Secretary General at the Opening of the 15th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted by the General Assembly in December 2018, includes as the first of its 23 objectives, "Collect and utilize accurate and disaggregated data as a basis for evidence-based policies". The United Nations Network on Migration, a forum of 38 UN system entities, was established to ensure effective, timely and coordinated system-wide support to Member States in the implementation, follow-up and review of the Global Compact.

Further develop capacity for data use and collection to support evidence-based progress, as well as monitoring and evaluation, including identifying gaps and challenges and allocating resources where they are most needed.

11. Has your organization established any multi-stakeholder partnerships for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? If yes, please describe how their performances are being monitored and reviewed? Where do these partnerships get funding and other resources, including human resources?

DESA(FSDO) has established the Platform for Collaboration on Tax(PCT) in April 2016 to strengthen cooperation among the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank in support of country efforts to mobilize domestic resources for investment in sustainable development. The PCT work programme for the biennium 2019-2020 consists of three work streams focusing on: 1) coordination of tax capacity development activities; 2) analytical work to provide practical guidance on a range of tax issues; and 3) outreach and engagement activities to foster informed and effective participation of all stakeholders, especially developing countries, in international tax discussions. The work programme identifies a number of activities to be implemented under each work stream and it includes a result-based framework that comprises expected outcomes and indicators of achievement against which the performance of the PCT will be monitored and reviewed. To a large extent, PCT work draws upon PCT partners’ human resources, especially to carry out analytical work. A multi-donor trust fund (MDTF) has been established within the World Bank (which hosts the PCT Secretariat) to channel the funding needed to cover other activities, including the cost of staff (i.e. secretariat staff and consultants) and the cost of outreach activities. To ensure accountability for donors’ contributions to the MDTF, PCT partners are considering the establishment of an accountability group. This mechanism would operate in addition to existing accountability and reporting arrangements under each PCT partner’s institutional governance arrangements.

DESA (DPIDG) has established regional taskforces of schools of public administration to streamline the SDGs in the curricula of these schools. The taskforces are part of the division’s Global Initiative on " Transformational leadership and capacities to implement the SDGs" with Schools of Public Administration, which aims at developing a multi-stakeholder approach to developing a curriculum on governance for the SDGs, including modules and training material for public servants to align their everyday work with the principles of the 2030 Agenda and change mindsets to support sustainable development and leave no one behind.

ECESA Plus Member

UNDESA

Year of submission: 2019