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Regional workshop for Latin American and Caribbean countries presenting their voluntary national reviews in 2021

15 March 2021|Event

The goal of this workshop was to strengthen the knowledge and capacities of countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in the formulation of their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) as part of their national strategy to implement and monitor the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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Collage
Mareike Eberz, ECLAC

Within the framework of the fourth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development (15–18 March 2021), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) organized the regional workshop for Latin American and Caribbean countries presenting their VNRs in 2021.

Participants in this regional workshop included representatives from 9 of the 11 countries of the region that will present their VNR at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in 2021 (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Uruguay), as well as other countries in the region, including those actively involved in the ECLAC Community of Practice on VNRs.

Programme

08:00 – 08:15

Welcome and workshop goals

  • Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC
  • Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, UNDESA
  • Amb. Juan Sandoval Mendiolea, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations and Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

08:15 – 08:30

Voluntary national reviews as a tool for the ownership of the 2030 Agenda and peer learning in Latin America and the Caribbean

  • María Ortiz, Deputy Chief, Office of the Executive Secretary of ECLAC

08:30 – 09:40

Session 1: Voluntary national reviews and the 2030 Agenda implementation strategy

Moderator: María Ortiz, Deputy Chief, Office of the Executive Secretary of ECLAC

Presentation: Voluntary national reviews in the United Nations high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF)(10 minutes)

  • Presentation by Joop Theunissen, Deputy Chief, Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development of DESA

Update on the 2021 SDG Moment (5 minutes)

  • Ms. Lara Blanco, Deputy-Director, Sustainable Development Unit, Executive Office of the Secretary-General

Presentation: Voluntary National Reviews and a Resilient Recovery (10 minutes)

  • Javier Surasky, Coordinator of the Governance for Development Area, International Centre for Strategic Thinking (CEPEI)

Country panel (10 minutes each)

  • Adriana Elena Cozma, SDG Group Coordinator, Department of National Planning of Colombia
  • Alfredo González Reyes, 2030 Agenda Lead, Ministry of Economy of Mexico
  • Nimia Torres, Director of Social Analysis, SDG Interinstitutional Commission, Paraguay

Guiding questions:

  • How will your 2021VNR build on reports from previous years?
  • What lessons from previous reports informed the 2021 VNR process?
  • How does your VNR contribute to the national strategy for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda?

Discussion with participants (20 minutes)

09:40 – 10:10

Break

10:10 – 11:30

Session 2: Voluntary national reviews as a tool for national and subnational ownership of the 2030 Agenda

Moderator: Joop Theunissen, Deputy Chief, Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development of DESA

Presentation: Alignment of the SDGs with national and subnational plans(10 minutes)

  • Alicia Williner, Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES), ECLAC

Presentation: Voluntary local reviews (VLRs)- local monitoring and national and subnational coordination (10 minutes)

  • Riina Jussila, Sustainable Development Officer, National Strategies and Capacity Building Branch, Division for Sustainable Development Goals of DESA

Country panel (10 minutes each)

  • Juan Carlos Sánchez, General Director of Planning, Ministry of Finance and Public Credit of Nicaragua
  • Horacio Bafico, Advisor to the Director of the Office of Planning and Budget of Uruguay

Guiding questions:

  • Has the VNR process supported the ownership of the 2030 Agenda at the subnational and territorial levels? Is there an example or success story that you would like to share?
  • Do you know the VLRs in your country? How can this process reinforce stakeholder engagement and dialogue at different levels of review and follow-up?

Discussion with participants (20 minutes)

11.30-12.40

Session 3: Voluntary national reviews in the Caribbean

Moderator:  Abdullahi Abdulkadri, Coordinator, Statistics and Social Development Unit, ECLAC Subregional headquarters for the Caribbean

Presentation: The 2030 Agenda as a road map for sustainable recovery in the face of the current crises (10 minutes)

  • Moderator:  Abdullahi Abdulkadri, Coordinator, Statistics and Social Development Unit, ECLAC Subregional headquarters for the Caribbean

Country Panel (10 minutes each)

  • Ms. Joy-Marie King, Director of International Trade in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda
  • Ms. Aneesah Abdullah, Chair, Social Inclusion Committee, SDG Focal Point, Regional and International Partnerships, Sustainable Development Goals Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister of the Bahamas
  • Susset Rosales Vázquez, Director of Strategic Planning and Development, Ministry of Economy and Planning of Cuba
  • Luis Ortega, Technical Coordinator, Sustainable Development Technical Secretariat, Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, Dominican Republic

Guiding questions:

  • What are the challenges to sustainable development in your country in the current context?
  • How do you think the VNR will contribute to addressing these challenges in the short term and promote the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs in your country?

Discussion with participants (20 minutes)

12:40 – 13:00

Final reflections and closing

Discussion with participants (15 minutes)

Moderated by Joop Theunissen, Deputy Chief, Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development of DESA  

Closing Remarks

María Ortiz, Deputy Chief, Office of the Executive Secretary of ECLAC

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