Partners for Review -

IMPRESSIONS FROM THE CONFERENCE

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  Judith Kaulem

  “My take-away from the two-day conference was the new emphasis for the institutionalization of SDG reporting - that whether a government is presenting its VNR at the HLPF or not, SDG reporting should be undertaken annually, involving all stakeholders. Accountability should not be viewed primarily as an outward responsibility but should first and foremost be assumed towards the citizens and this accountability should be mutually reinforcing.”

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  Charles Akol

  “There was passion among the participants coming from across the globe that SDGs should make a real tangible positive change on the lives of those in need. Reviews will have little value if they do not have an impact on these people. Yes, statistics matter and can tell a story of progress or lack of it. But more importantly, it is essential and urgent to give a human face to data and statistics. Thus, engagement in the review with those affected or with beneficiaries can be a powerful catalyst of action and needs to be an integral part of multilevel review processes, both informal and formal. P4R is set to be a frontrunner and a torchbearer in this respect.”

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  Anselem Okorie

  “I attended the P4R meeting for the first time in Kampala, Uganda, during the third review meeting, which was held at Speke Resort Munyoyo. I must say that all through my 10 years working with the MDG/SDG agenda, the review meeting stood out for me because of its originality and diversity judging from the nationals attending the 1st, 2nd & 3rd review meetings. I took out a lot from fellow participants’ experiences from their various countries and was thrilled with the commitment of the Ugandan Government towards achieving the 2030 Agenda as reeled out by the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office and the UN Representative in Uganda. I am glad that the meeting acknowledged the need to strengthen institutions, especially in developing countries towards ensuring the attainment of the SDGs. Also of note was the emphasis that Parliamentarians across the world must be seen to be engaged in the process of achieving the SDGs, given their roles in budget appropriation and oversight. For the first time I saw the use of Graphic Recording images to explain the inputs in the meeting simultaneously - that was awesome and innovative... I will be delighted to attend subsequent review meetings if invited.”

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  Ugyen Pem

  “I had an enriching experience to have come across diverse groups of people representing the whole of population across the world. It was particularly mind opening to have come across passionate civil society participants, academics and individuals, who work in harsh and uncertain environments. I wish Partners for Review to keep up the initiative of bringing all the stakeholders together as you have done.”

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  Meila Riskia Fitri

  “I am very honored to be part of this important network. Partners for Review is a forum for experiences exchanged from one to another development actor (also from different regions). I take away important things like the fact that every single person is an actor and couldn't be left behind by incredible data ecosystems.
  Once again, thank you for having me here and looking forward to the next chance to share experiences from Indonesia.”

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  Saionara König-Reis

  “The third Partners for Review meeting was an invaluable exercise of the dialogue and inclusion that we need to see happening at country level for the planning, implementation, monitoring and reviewing of the Sustainable Development Goals. With strong content and methodology, the meeting put in evidence the capacities of different stakeholders and helped build unprecedented relationships to move collaboration forward at national, regional and global levels. One striking take-away is that only by supporting and complementing each other’s efforts, can government, private sector and the broader group of civil society truly realize the goals of the 2030 Agenda without leaving no one behind.”

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  Eve de la Mothe Karoubi

  “The P4R workshop in Kampala was enriching and very interesting! It was great to see a wide range of experts and stakeholders from such a diversity of countries interacting in this innovative format. I hope that the Network will thrive as a platform to share experiences on SDG reporting – particularly to link governments with civil society and academia.”

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  Gabriel Eduardo Reyes Silva

  “Platforms like Partners for Review are extremely useful to generate comparative inputs between the different experiences of countries around the world for the implementation of the SDGs.
  In my case, the experience was very useful to know the diversity of work that the stakeholders have implemented and the successful experiences that could be replicated in Guatemala; the constant participation in events like this will facilitate the intermediation with governments to generate other discussion spaces.”

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  Mustafa Khawaja

  “It was my pleasure to join the third meeting of P4R in Kampala. It was a golden opportunity to learn from the organized sessions and to have the chance to know about the lessons from the participants and their experiences with the reporting process. The first lesson that I got is to start with our national review as soon as we can (as I called it: “we should have started yesterday then”). The importance of the wide participation in elaborating the national review is another highlighted lesson that I took home to my country, in addition to many many details with regard to the whole review process. This meeting helped us to speed up the kick of the consultations towards preparing the voluntary report for Palestine. Also, we learned to avoid any delay and to guarantee wider and deeper consultations.”

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  Adolfo Ayuso Audry

  “The networking meeting in Kampala was an amazing opportunity to exchange experiences regarding implementing the 2030 Agenda in various countries. Seldom have I had such an opportunity to speak with people from so many different cultures and perspectives, working together for the same purpose of making SDGs a reality. I was able to go back to Mexico with new ideas and a lot of enthusiasm to keep working towards a more sustainable world. Thank you very much!”