The 4th annual meeting of Partners for Review, “A Transnational Multi-Stakeholder Network for a Robust Review Process”, organized by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Construction and Nuclear Safety and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, was hosted by the Administration of the Government of Georgia and carried out in joint cooperation with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, between April 11 and 12, 2018, in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The meeting, joined by decision makers involved in the national review processes of the SDGs: government officials and non-governmental actors, addressed the cross-cutting challenges of the national implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the imperative of strengthening stakeholder participation, both in the national review processes and in the preparation of the National Voluntary Reviews (VNRs) at the country level.
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General Objectives
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In particular, participants benefited from the experience of their peers in the following topics:
Coordinate and effectively synchronize the work of ministries, parliaments and government institutions regarding the review process of the 2030 Agenda implementation.
Institutionalize the active participation of non-governmental actors.
Improve the collection and management of data.
Strengthen national review and monitoring mechanisms taking into account regional and subnational mechanisms.
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Specific Objectives
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- Allow peer-to-peer dialogue on common challenges and solutions: giving an introduction to potential reporting countries on the next steps and activities for the preparation of the National Voluntary Reviews, presenting the best practices of countries that have already reported in the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
- Deepen the discussion and exchange with the countries that have already presented their National Reviews and establish national review mechanisms with respect to follow-up activities after receiving recommendations in the HLPF.
- Identify and communicate good practices and success factors.
- Learn from a comparative analysis conducted by Partners for Review with respect to the National Reviews in the 2017 HLPF to facilitate national implementation.
- Consolidate the Partners for Review as a community of practice for implementation.
The Director of Cepei, Philipp Schönrock, joined the event leading a working group discussion on the integration of big data and open data for the measurement and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The discussion was an opportunity to present the Big Data for Development Network, a Southern-led network born from the partnership between 5 organizations of the Global South (LIRNEasia, the Local Development Research Institute (LDRI), the African Institute for Mathematical Science (AIMS), The Center of Internet and Society (CIS), and Cepei, with the support of the International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada). The Network seeks to create relevant research for national, regional and global big data policies for development in the Global South; develop capacities among Southern researchers to address data development and governance issues; as well as to involve the private sector and decision makers in collaborative initiatives.
Partners for Review
Partners for Review is a network of stakeholders from government, civil society, academia and the private sector involved in national review processes. By focusing on lessons learned and knowledge sharing, the network enables demand-oriented learning on new and emerging challenges of SDG review, follow-up and implementation on the road to 2030.