Ghana's National Voluntary Review of Sustainable Development Goals: A Global Process

In July this year, Ghana will be among the 47 countries that will present the findings of their national review of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This will be the first time for Ghana and the second time for seven other countries, including Sierra Leone, a neighbor of West Africa.

The National Voluntary Review of Sustainable Development Goals (VNR) will take place during the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) to be held in New York from July 8 to 19. The main platform for monitoring and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, the HLPF, will be held under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Recognized as a landmark event for the Sustainable Development Goals, the Forum is a unique opportunity to highlight progress and actions at the local and national levels and to show how these efforts can collectively have a greater impact globally. . NRVs aim to strengthen the policies and institutions of governments to mobilize support and multi-stakeholder partnerships for the implementation of the SDGs.

Ghana officially launched the review process in January this year, paving the way for the SDG Implementation Committee to begin work on multi-stakeholder engagement and consultations, the collection and consolidation of information and data badysis to examine the level of implementation of the country.

Since the beginning of the process, the United Nations in Ghana and other key stakeholders have mobilized to support NDPC outreach and advocacy activities. The United Nations has received financial support and expert advice through its Data Working Group and other inter-agency working groups.

Given the importance of availability, accessibility and the badysis of good data, members of the Ghana Statistical Services Data Team were trained in data models. and metadata and were helped to compile the data required for the VNR report.

The UN has released a U report to gather feedback from young people on their understanding of sustainable development goals, the results of which were presented in stakeholder consultations. The UN Youth Development Index has been instrumental in badessing the progress made in engaging young people in the implementation process.

Migration is a priority area that, once well managed, could offer great opportunities for countries such as Ghana. And not to forget, the UN has made the Migration Governance Index available, in order to capture data, sustainable development goals and migration interventions in the country. , especially in the area of ​​governance.

In addition, more than 10,000 young people have been reached through a campaign on social media migrations. In partnership with the Youth Advocate Ghana (YAG) of CSOs, the United Nations has been able to mobilize and solicit the views of young people on migration, which will be included in the report.

Stakeholder consultations were held in Cape Coast, Kumasi and Tamale. Three cross-cutting issues affecting youth participation in SDG implementation, leaving no one behind and synergies among stakeholders to achieve the goals. During the three key stakeholder consultations, the United Nations in Ghana facilitated some of the sessions and helped the NDPC and civil society organizations to promote an inclusive and participatory engagement process and ensured that the topics discussed are comprehensive and strategic.

The team, led by the NDPC, contacted the Ghana Disabled People's Federation, students from primary and secondary schools, marketplaces, truck stations, and local residents as fishermen and farmers. The news editors and journalists have been targeted for the training with the hope that their increased knowledge and understanding of the SDGs will intensify the discussions around them and persuade the public to hold those responsible accountable.

At the end of the consultations and commitments, the NDPC prepared a progress report. The report has been validated by various stakeholders, including development partners, civil society and the private sector, youth groups, media, academia and national development planners, at various sessions organized by the NDPC and the Ministry of Planning. The validation sessions provided United Nations stakeholders and technical managers with an opportunity to review the content of the report and provide useful information prior to its finalization.

Ghana's participation in the 2019 NRV, the first since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, is particularly important since a first report on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is available. The activity report will also provide useful indicators for the future.

There is no doubt that the VNR process has demonstrated the effectiveness of inclusion in the implementation of the SDGs. Inclusive engagement provides a common understanding of the issues to be addressed and thus leaves room for the necessary support of all stakeholders.

Beyond the VNR, the United Nations, through the United Nations Partnership for Sustainable Development (UNDP) signed with the Government of Ghana in 2018, will continue to support the country's ambitions to achieve the SDGs for a prosperous shared economy, social investment in people, accountable and inclusive governance institutions, and a safe and secure environment.