End Water Poverty and WASHwatch are kicking off 2018 with a call for civil society to take action for tomorrow.
2018 is an invaluable opportunity to bring water, sanitation and hygiene to the front of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) agenda. In seven months, the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will meet in New York to discuss progress on the SDGs. We want civil society to be equipped to engage with this process to ensure that governments are accountable for the promises they made to deliver the SDG agenda.
What is the HLPF?
The HLPF meets annually at the United Nations in New York under the Economic and Social Council. As part of the review mechanisms, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encourages member states to “conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels, which are country-led and country-driven”.
The HLPF aims to:
- Facilitate the sharing of experiences on SDG progress including successes, challenges and lessons learned.
- Accelerate implementation of the 2030 agenda
- Strengthen policies and institutions of governments
- Mobilise partnerships and multistakeholder reporting
Governments present voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their progress on the SDGs. The VNRs report on national progress and key findings on the 6/7 goals that are selected to report on that year. The VNR countries submit a comprehensive written report as well as documents detailing key findings.
Why is the 2018 HLPF so important?
The2018 HLPF will be meeting from 9th – 18th of July (including a ministerial meeting 16th-18th July). The theme of this year’s meeting is ‘Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies’ and VNR countries will be reporting on Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, as well as goals 7, 11, 12, 15 and 17.
VNRs will be presented by: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Benin, Bhutan, Cabo Verde, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Namibia, Niger, Paraguay, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Congo, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, State of Palestine, Sudan, Switzerland, Togo, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Vietnam.
This is an important moment for civil society to engage with this process and ensure that Goal 6 is properly reviewed. Most countries are already off track on their progress to achieve Goal 6, and unless substantial change is made, we will not reach everyone everywhere with water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030.
What happens next?
Now: National governments are currently drafting their voluntary national reviews and will continue to do so over the next few months.
March: Regional forums for VNR countries take place for Africa, Asia-Pacific and Europe
April: Regional forums for VNR countries take place for Arab countries and Latin America and the Caribbean
May: Deadline for VNR summary reports
June: Deadline for full VNR reports
July: High Level Political Forum
What can civil society do?
The knowledge of civil society is more crucial now than ever, therefore it is essential that organisations engage with the HLPF process. That is why End Water Poverty and WASHwatch have launched this campaign.
Join us to take action for tomorrow by:
- Joining our webinar “Engaging with the SDGs: A crucial year for WASH”
Wednesday 10th January – 9am (GMT)
- Using WASHwatch factsheets for data based advocacy
WASHwatch has produced factsheets for 24 VNR countries to share key messages on WASH progress and encourage data based advocacy. Factsheets available here.
- Engaging with your national government process
Use the United Nations website to identify the key contact for the national HLPF process and explore how you can engage with the process. Integrate HLPF advocacy in your plans.
- Connect with us
Follow the campaign on twitter.