We are sharing the highlights of this event posted by the IISDA Reporting Services.

With the view of addressing the framing of a thematic review progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among over 150 countries, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and partners, with support from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR), organized a high-level event themed, Towards Thematic Reviews for an Integrated Follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda last 7-8 July 2016 in New York City.

The event provided an opportunity to around 100 country representatives from Permanent Missions to the UN, UN agencies, multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), academia, civil society, and private sector to discuss initial considerations regarding the requirement and framing of natural-resource related thematic review.

In a plenary session, participants recognized that conducting thematic reviews would offer room for inputs by stakeholders, and that it can provide an assessment on how follow-ups and reviews should be designed; hence, offering necessary space for the discussion to address linkages.

On breakout sessions, it was highlighted that the framework should focus on reducing complexity and ensuring integration, on linking with the official High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) process, and on accountability and empowerment – all with the participation of non-UN stakeholders.

The event concluded with the steps towards inclusive and integrated thematic reviews, with participants stressing the need to fully engage civil society and all stakeholders; the size, organization and financing of the HLPF Secretariat; the need to better communicate the SDGs to the public; the value of synthesizing views through non-UN processes; the need for central leadership for SDGs implementation; and how to overcome disinterest among academia and the general public in SDG implementation.

Philippines is one of the signatories of the 2030 Agenda. ANGOC took part in this high-level event.