Preliminary Inputs from the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC) on
The Voluntary National Review (VNR) Cambodia 2019 on Goal 16 and Goal 17 of the Cambodia Sustainable Development Goals (CSDGs)
“Empowering People and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality”
Introduction
At the United Nations Sustainable Development Submit on September 25th, 2015, would leaders adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs is a collection of 17 new universal agenda with ambitious plan to end poverty, protect the planet and to ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. In Cambodia, the Sustainable Development Goals localization plan was supposed to be finalized at the end of the second quarter of 2018; however, the national high-level committee, as its meeting April 24, 2018, requested revisions and a reduction of the number of indicators. The Government of Cambodia finalized Cambodia Sustainable Development Goals (CSDGs) in late 2018.
Civil society is a crucial actor in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has key role to play in raising awareness via public sensitization programs, building capacity development for program integration of SDGs and CSDGs, promoting inclusive partnership with stakeholders (government, private sector and civil society) on financing for development and SDGs related policies prioritization and coherence, and reflecting the progress and achievements as well as challenges of SDGs and CSDGs implementation through public feedback and voluntary national review. Civil society organizations are active in holding policy-makers to account for the commitments they have made.
Within the SDGs process, civil society organizations have closely engaged and monitored the process through possible space and mechanisms such as the Technical Working Group, the inter-ministerial meetings, the engagement with relevant line ministries, the engagement with DP agencies including the UN etc. Below we present some lessons learnt being made by civil society organizations which regard specifically to the SDGs localization and Voluntary National Review process.