1. Title: Strengthening the capacities of policy makers for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – An Asia-Pacific SDG Help desk
  2. Implementing Entity and UN Secretariat partners

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

  1. Background

The international community has just adopted an historic, universal, and transformative development agenda (A/RES/70/1). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offers an invaluable opportunity for member States, civil society, the private sector and international organizations to work together to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (the 2030 Agenda), its Sustainable Development Goal framework and the means of implementation defined therein and in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (A/RES/69/313), is a global agenda for transformation that reflects the aspirations, daily challenges, insights and convictions of people across the world.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its framework of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, presents challenges to both member states and the UN system in supporting their efforts to implement it.

First is the lack of wide access to data on SDG progress and modalities for engaging stakeholders in dialogue on solutions and best-practices, as well as the multiplicity of actors in the UN system and beyond that will be involved in preparing assessments of progress on the SDGs.

The second is the need for the UN to provide specialized advice when requested, through an integrated approach, working across disciplines with relevant skill sets to better support Member States in addressing complex multi-sectoral challenges (as called for in the Secretary General’s post-2015 Synthesis Report). This project will support joint ESCAP, UNEP integrated approaches and also draw on broader UN system expertise through the regional coordination mechanism.

The third is the need for access to cost-effective capacity building opportunities, knowledge products and partnerships that support evidence-based policy-making across the 17-goal integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development across the policy cycle.

ESCAP has established a sustainable development knowledge platform[1] which builds on its previous green growth knowledge platform to provide online capacity building opportunities to member states. In its previous form the knowledge platform has successfully administered training courses at the national level through innovative, high-impact and cost-effective onsite/online courses that have supported advances in the policy frameworks related to green growth and its various dimensions in countries such as Viet Nam, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, and others. Since the launch of the platform, two flagship courses were setup and 28 e-learning training sessions were delivered in three languages – English, Russian and Arabic involving more than 1,400 students from 92 countries, including from 36 ESCAP member-States.

ESCAP has also established an online consultation platform that has allowed for consultations with stakeholders, and which, through partnerships with civil society and others, has brought multiple perspectives to bear on ESCAP’s work.[2]

The experience with ESCAP’s knowledge and online consultation platforms has shown the potential for using an enhanced online platform for meeting post-2030 agenda implementation challenges and providing support to member states.

Recognizing that all regional commissions of the United Nations system face similar challenges and that member states across the globe are likely to face similar needs, the proposed project proposes the establishment of an SDG Help Desk as a pilot effort as a regional project in Asia and the Pacific. At the conclusion of the project, the feasibility of expanding the Help
Desk to support the work of other regional commissions will be explored.

At the same time, UNEP contributes to the UN’s efforts for system-wide coherence on sustainable development from its environmental perspective – with a focus on creating coherence in the way the UN system integrates the environmental dimension to implement normative guidance and environmental safeguards, and Delivering as One at the regional and country level. UNEP, through its seven subprogrammes (climate change, resource efficiency, ecosystems, chemicals & waste, environment under review, conflict & disasters, and environmental governance) , is also providing expert knowledge and technical assistance on the environment dimension of the 2030-Agenda including through science-policy interface for evidence-based decision making.

The benefits of a help desk on the SDGs are multiple. Firstly the help desk can promote an integrated UN system response to implementation post-2030 agenda by providing a one stop shop for member states to access UN tools, knowledge and expertise from across the UN system. Such a help desk will also create significant economies of scale by providing greater access to data and statistics, tools for benchmarking progress and engaging stakeholders, technical assistance for implementation, and for synthesis and presentation of best practices and knowledge. Through shared infrastructure for online course delivery, and for knowledge sharing, ESCAP and UNEP will be able to save costs associated with management and operations of such a platform. Existing resources for capacity building through section 23 will be more effectively utilized.

Making the operations of such a Help Desk available online with enable the engagement of a wide range of stakeholders and the possibility to develop vibrant regional networks of stakeholders engaged in the implementation of the sustainable development agenda.

The linking of provision of data, online consultation of stakeholders, capacity building opportunities, and access to knowledge products, including synthesis of country experiences on one platform can support a more effective follow-up and review process at both national and regional levels.

Most importantly, member states will be able to access a much greater resource base, and as a result, strengthened technical assistance, based on a one-stop-shop approach.

  1. Relationship to the Strategic Framework for the period 2016- 2017 and the SustainableDevelopment Goals

ESCAP as a regional commission of the United Nations has the mandate to promote regional cooperation for inclusive and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. Following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030) by the General Assembly in September 2015, ESCAP has explicit and implicit mandates to assist member States in Asia and the Pacific in integrating the three dimensions of sustainable development, providing technical support for the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDG) through effective leveraging of the means of implementation, and facilitating effective follow-up and review.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the regional level promotes the integration of environmental dimension in sustainable development including through the Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific. As the voice of the environment in the UN system, UNEP is mandated to play a key role in support of the SDGs since about half of the SDGs are directly environmental in focus or address the sustainability of natural resources: poverty, health, food and agriculture, water and sanitation, human settlements, energy, climate change, sustainable consumption and production, oceans, and terrestrial ecosystems. At the same time over 86 targets concern environmental sustainability, including at least one in each of the 17 SDGs.

The proposed project responds to the expected accomplishments of Subprogramme 4 of ESCAP Strategic Framework 2016-2017 – Environment and Development which aims to improve policies for integrating environment into development, management of energy and water resources and urban development as well as to UNEP’s mandate from member states to support UN system wide strategies on environment across the seven UNEP subprogrammes.

The current project concept contributes to all three expected accomplishments (EA) under the Subprogramme, EA(a), (b) and (c) including enhancing the understanding and regional cooperation networks in the region and improving the capacity of local and national government officials and other stakeholders to align and operationalize environment and development policy making and energy security, water resource management and urban development policies, including their gender dimensions, with the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals.

The proposed project is also relevant to other Subprogrammes of ESCAP, especially Subprogramme 7 – Statistics.

  1. Objective

The objective of the project is to enhance the capacity of member states in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by strengthening the support provided at the regional level and national levels for evidence-based policy-making.

It will establish an Asia-Pacific SDG Help Desk for implementing the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the framework of Sustainable Development Goals in the region.

The help desk will be the primary modality for coordinating ESCAP’s support to member States with particular focus on vulnerable countries and countries with special needs, including through its divisions, regional institutions and subregionaloffices, as well as through the Regional Coordination Mechanism of the United Nations system and its thematic working groups. The Help Desk will also provide a modality for UNEP to support environmental dimension of requests from member states through the provision of UNEP knowledge products including on-line training and UNEP capacity building expertise from across its seven subprogrammes.

The Help Desk will receive requests for assistance and offers of partnership, and also facilitate cooperation between ESCAP, UNEP and other regional commissions.

  1. Expected accomplishments

EA1: Increased access of policy and decision makers to support for evidence-based policy making in relevant areas, including follow up and review through the Help Desk

EA2: Strengthened capacity of policy and decision makers and other stakeholders for the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development through evidence-based policymaking.

  1. Indicators of achievement

IA1.1 At least 80% of the policy and decision makers confirm that the services provided by the Help Desk are relevant to their needs and are likely to support evidence-based policy making at the national level.

IA2.1 At least 80 % of the policy and decision makers that have benefited from the services of the help desk, confirm that their capacity for evidence-based policymaking has been strengthened.

IA2.2 At least five countries use the services of the help desk to follow up on capacity building support provided to countries in support of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, including for follow up and review.

  1. Main activities

The functions of the Help Desk will be to foster evidence-based policymaking though (1) supporting an online platform for effective follow up and review at national and regional levels based on consistent and transparent use of data and engagement of stakeholders; (2) direct technical cooperation support to member states, including facilitation of regional and south-south cooperation opportunities; and (3) expanding capacity building opportunities through online-learning, collecting and disseminating best practices and bringing various streams of support provided by ESCAP and other partners together.

Establishment of the SDG Help Desk

A1.1 Defining user needs will take place in three steps (1) through 5subregional and 2 regional online consultations through the ESCAP online consultation platform; (2) through various forums organized by ESCAP and UNEP, such as the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific and relevant expert groups and Committees, and (3) through a meetings of the UN system at the regional level in each region (through the respective RCMs) to discuss the findings of the consultations and (4) a final report that would synthesize these discussions and consultations.

An on-line consultation will discuss the findings of the scoping study and further defineoperations, strategy, mission, partnership of the SDG Helpdesk “service-lines,” and facilitate the finalization of a proposal that defines the “service-lines” of the Help Desk in the three areas described above (relating to follow-up and review, technical cooperation and south-south cooperation and capacity-building and knowledge management) and suggests effective modes of delivery, in particular the partnerships and approaches that would be best employed, based on user needs, as well as financing needs and sustainability aspects.

A1.2 Design and development online aspects of a regional follow up and review system in cooperation with the UN Regional Coordination Mechanism, including data and statistics requirements.

A1.3 Creation of the content of the Help Desk through

  • Thedesign and development of an online database of consultants and experts on all aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in cooperation with the UN RCM, as well as other online aspects of the Help Desk technical cooperation support, especially related to the means of implementation.
  • Expansion and consolidation of the ESCAP knowledge platform for sustainable development based on the needs defined and to bring diverse online platforms across the ESCAP and ESCWA secretariats together.
  • Development of 5 additional online courses to support SDG implementation based on the needs assessment.

Delivery of services

A2.1 Preparation and dissemination of advocacy and media material for the awareness raisingregarding the services of the Help Desk including a Video and a Brochure.The Video and other awareness raising materials will be disseminated during APFSD sessions, Commission sessions and functional committees as well as workshops and events organized by ESCAP, UNEP and their partners.

A2.2 Organization of SDG implementation approach and knowledge sharing workshops (including on follow and review at the national level), back to back to main events organized by ESCAP in collaboration with the RCM and, in particular, with UNEP and UNDP for policy makers from strategic line ministries such as the ministry of planning, environment, social, economy, sustainable development and other key stakeholders. These information sessions will take advantage of existing forums being convened by the partners and serve the dual purposes of publicizing the services of the Help Desk and generating information and knowledge on best practices and other implementation aspects that may be shared through the help desk.

  • 4 information sessionsin 2017 and 2018, back to back with major regional events (APFSD and Commission sessions).
  • 6information sessions back to back with regional sectoral events, including where appropriate, ESCAP Functional Committees in 2017 and 2018
  • 10information sessionsback to back with appropriate subregional events.
  • 1 side event at the 2017 High-level Forum on sustainable development on effective support to member states.

A2.3 Organisation of 10 onsite training courses, each followed by an on-line training course at the national level focusing on the follow up and review (including statistical capacity building) and topics to support integration of the SDGs organized for the 5 ESCAP Sub-Regions.

Twocountries per subregion will selected based on expressed interest, and tentatively targeting Pakistan (which is mainstreaming SDGS in national planning), Sri Lanka (which has established a new sustainable development ministry, the first in the region), Georgia (which is one of the first countries of the region that will present a national voluntary review at the upcoming session of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Kazakhstan (with its forward looking green growth focussed policies), Mongolia (with its green growth policy framework), Philippines,Thailand and Samoa (which have also volunteered to present their national voluntary reviews at the upcoming HLPF, as well as Fiji(which has a strong interest in green growth).

Each onsite/online training event will have a duration of 1-2 days and the on-line courses will be organized along 6-8 weeks back to back with this. The training sessions will complement and complete the training received through the regional sessions and contribute to the creation of competencies at the national level for a larger number of policy makers.

The online training will also have the option of training of trainers to guarantee a multiplying effect. The participants targeted will be those who are directly responsible for coordinating, facilitating or driving the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the national level. Participants will be tasked with documenting their experiences after the training as a contribution to building the Help-Desk’s knowledge base.

The experiences of the training as documented on the help desk’s online platform will encourage other governments to use the Help-Desk’s resources. The knowledge platform of the Help Desk will also provide knowledge products to support follow-up action by government officials receiving training.

A 2.4 Day to day management and delivery of services through the help desk, including receipt of queries from government offices, review, responses and identification of resources from Section 23 or XB sources.

The Helpdesk will receive requests from member countries and stakeholders responsible for the implementation of the SDGs. Options for the self-sustainment of the Help Desk after the project completion will be discussed during the establishment phase (these include fund raising, hosting from a pilot member country, hosting from partner institutions). Capacity building elements of the services provided by the Help Desk can be funded through Section 23 funding across the relevant divisions, with sufficient internal commitment and coordination.

A 2.5 Monitoring and evaluation of services provided through the help desk, including an assessment of the potential for supporting the work of other regional commissions.

  1. Budget narrative($500,000)

Consultants and Experts (105): $140,000

(a)International consultants

International consultants for the task(s) of drafting the methodology for follow up and review and preparation of on-line course, in support of activities: A1.3(2 work-months x $5,000 per month) = $10,000.