The voluntary national review (VNR) is a process through which countries assess and present national progress made in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The VNR is a country-led and country-driven process which aims to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating SDG implementation. VNRs are not only a reporting mechanism to periodically take stock, but also a tool to continuously reflect on and improve the SDG implementation process itself. VNRs also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of governments and to mobilize multistakeholder support and partnerships for SDG acceleration.
Next generation VNRs enable countries to show development since the previous report by deepening impact and trend analysis, increasing localization, reviewing resource mobilization, and improving engagement with stakeholders. National reviews can also indicate emerging challenges, which is particularly important in the context of ongoing crises of climate change, geopolitical uncertainties, and economic slowdown.
Most countries in the Pacific have completed and reported at least one VNR. Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands are presenting their second report in 2024, while Samoa their third one. At the same time, Voluntary Local Reviews are being prepared in Fiji and Federated States of Micronesia [CR1] with more countries in the sub-regions getting interested in producing such reports. While reporting on the specific context of each country, the VNR also outline challenges, many of which are similar across countries, especially within the same region.
This VNR workshop aims to facilitate the exchange of good practices in preparing VNRs and present ESCAP’s support for the VNR process. It will provide an opportunity to discuss the role of VNRs as enablers for multistakeholder partnerships and improve policy frameworks to accelerate SDG implementation.
Held in the format of interactive and forward-looking discussions, the workshop seeks to:
o Offer a space to discuss VNR preparation.
o Foster capacity building and peer learning by providing advice on VNR preparation processes and key challenges encountered in the 1st and 2nd VNRs.
o Provide an overview of ESCAP’s VNR support and tools.
o Promote south-south cooperation on the VNRs and SDG acceleration.
