UNDP is supporting the Government of Kenya in convening stakeholders to draft the country's Voluntary National Review (VNR). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as part of its follow-up and review mechanism, encourages member states to conduct country-led and country-driven regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels. UNDP facilitated the holding of the first consultative meeting to begin this process on 13th January 2020.    

Regular preparation of VNRs facilitates sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The VNRs also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of governments and to mobilize multi-stakeholder support and partnerships for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Having previously reported a VNR in 2017, Kenya is due to present its second review at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) to be held in New York in July this year under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In the coming months, UNDP and the State Department of Planning will coordinate diverse stakeholders to collaboratively produce the 2020 VNR for Kenya.

“To develop a good VNR Report, it is vital to have a clear and inclusive process. A process that will include everyone in this room as well as those outside of it… Leaving no one behind necessitates a whole of government and a whole of society approach, where all ministries, public agencies and the public at large are involved in the decision-making process,” stated Walid Badawi, UNDP Resident Representative, in his opening statatement.

The diverse group drafting the 2020 VNR for Kenya will leverage the individual sector experience of stakeholders to speak to progress towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, as well as considering the SDGs in terms of the ‘5 P's: People (SDGs 1-5), Prosperity (SDGs 7-11), Planet (SDGs 6, 12-15), Peace (SDG16) and Partnership (SDG17).

During the meeting it was emphasized that both national and county-level progress and implementation frameworks in reporting should be considered if the review report is to adequately present the whole country's status in the implementation of the SDGs.

Kenya is among 23 of the 50 countries that will present their second VNR at the HLPF in July 2020 under the theme “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.

The meeting that saw the commencement of this important national process was co-convened by UNDP and the Government of Kenya through the National Treasury and Planning, State Department for Planning. It was attended by different stakeholders drawn from UN, private sector and civil society.

Click here for more information on the VNR process and HLPF 2020.