Page 395 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 2

IPS298 Renee Sorchik et al.

How do national targets for children measure up
to global vision of the 2030 Agenda?
Renee Sorchik, Yanhong Zhang, Mark Hereward
UNICEF HQ, New York, USA

Abstract
Issues of national SDG target-setting and development of robust indicator
frameworks have thus far received inadequate attention in global policy
dialogues on SDG implementation. This study analysed the adoption, target-
setting and level of ambition, and use of global indicators to measure progress
among child-related targets and indicators in 93 middle and low income
countries. Results show that while countries have adopted a significant share
of the child-related targets, they have not yet set national target values.
Further, there was no designated indicator to measure progress against
targets incorporated into national development strategies in 36 percent of
targets across the 93 countries. Supporting countries’ national target setting
and monitoring will require further attention if the 2030 goals are to be
reached.

Keywords
SDG; Target-setting; Nationalization; Indicator; Data

1. Introduction
The 2030 Agenda emphasizes the centrality of nationally owned
sustainable development strategies, as well as the primary responsibility that
governments have for follow-up and review to support the implementation of
the Agenda. In contrast to their importance, the issues of national SDG target-
setting and development of robust indicator frameworks have thus far
received inadequate attention in global policy dialogues on SDG
implementation. For instance, while country reports submitted to the last three
cycles of the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (a
platform to review SDG implementation at the global level as mandated by
the United Nations General Assembly) have seen a noticeable increase in the
use of indicator data to provide baseline of national SDG implementation,
achievements, and gaps across the various goal areas, it is not clear whether
the baselines and assessments were benchmarked against nationally set
targets or if such targets existed at all.
The study presented in this paper is expected to fill an important
knowledge gap by conducting a systematic mapping of national SDG target-
setting and the establishment an indicator framework to monitor progress.

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