Sustainable Development Goals

Glenn Everett

Office for National Statistics

What are Sustainable Development Goals?

• SDGs are the successor to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which finish in 2015

• HLP proposed 12 goals/54 targets; OWG proposed 17goals/169 targets

• Ongoing negotiation to develop goals and targets for achievement by 2030 now ended

• Final SDGs agreed by the UN General Assembly in September 2015

UN Secretary General’s Synthesis Report

• December 2014: UN Secretary General published a report synthesising inputs into the SDG processes

It recommended:• Open Working Group’s (OWG) proposal for 17 goals & 169

targets as a starting point for development - using the 6 ‘elements’

• Development of a monitoring and indicator framework using a global process – ONS/GSS contributing

• Universal and national level of agreed indicators – ONS will lead on this

International processes

• Contributions to Friends of the Chair group (statistical advice to OWG)

• Sustainable Development Solutions Network propose a set of 100 indicators (Jan 2015) – ONS coordinated response

• UK comments on proposed indictors form UNSD – September 2015

• Negotiation on the reporting framework and indicators to measure progress will continue throughout 2015

• ONS membership of the Independent Advisory Expert Group (from February 2015)

ONS coordination across the GSS

• ONS have convened a GSS network, including a workshop with policy colleagues

• Raised awareness - reality and potential impact on Departments of SDG monitoring

• Achieved strong policy/statistical links

• Development of a GSS website - a resource for any in government involved in SDGs

ONS/GSS impact

• National Statistician attends SDG Ministerial meetings and is chair of UN Statistical Commission

• ONS, representing the GSS, provides statistical advice at the SDG X-Whitehall Directors’ Group

• Working level groups on different aspects of the SDGs (Data; EU; Synthesis report; funding) – ONS/GSS are represented

• ONS member of the UN Inter- Agency Expert Group

• Close working with DfID (political lead for SDGs) and the CO to provide technical advice

Focus now on the Statistical Community

Political process has concluded and the focus has shifted to statisticians who are required to:

• Ramp up efforts to identify indicators to monitor progress against all SDG targets (both globally and nationally).

• Disaggregate data for most targets by various social and economic groups.

• Identify data from non official data producers.

• Distil SDGs into a coherent reporting and monitoring framework.

• Continue working with policy colleagues, to ensure measures are relevant and in line with Dept plans.

Timetable• Inter-Governmental negotiations on goals and targets.

• UNSD Expert Group Meeting on SDG indicator framework.

• 46th Session of UN Statistical Commission (UNSC) - New York

• 1st meeting of IAEG-SDGs – New York

• UN General Assembly agreed goals & targets

• 2ND meeting of IAEG-SDGs - Bangkok

• IAEG-SDG propose set of global indicators

• SDG Global indictors endorsed by UN SC

• ONS to monitor & report on SDGs

• Jan to Aug 2015

• 27 Feb 2015

• 3-6 Mar 2015

• 1-2 June 2015

• Sept 2015

• 26-28 Oct 2015

• End 2016

• March 2016

• Mid(?) 2016

Next Steps

• ONS to develop a work plan for the UK to monitor, report and fill data gaps.

• ONS to commission build of an on line reporting tool for SDGs.• Final Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDG Indicators in Bangkok, 26-

28 October.• ONS / GSS ongoing review of data for SDGs at a national and global

level.• ONS to circulate to the GSS criteria for assessing non official data

for SDGs.• UN Statistical Commission to endorse global indicators for SDGs in

March 2016.• ONS to announce plans for monitoring UK progress against SDGs in

2016.

ONS’ plans for filling data gaps

• Need to assess new and non-official data sources, before we can publish.

• Guidelines and quality criteria (kite-mark) are required.

• ONS consultation with third sector groups.

• Opportunities to be explored through Big Data and Admin data.

SDI

Reporting at a National and Global level

SDG

SDG

MNW SDICurrent:

Future?

National Global

Domains

UK Progress?

Better statistics

Better decisions

Better lives

QUESTIONS......COMMENTS