2019 Voluntary National Reviews Synthesis Report

47 countries presented their Voluntary National Reviews (VNR) at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council, held in New York from 9 to 18 July 2019. Since 2016, when the first reviews were presented, a total of 142 countries have reported on their efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As in previous years, this report provides an overview of the approaches and actions taken by all countries reporting in 2019 and showcases best practices, lessons learned, gaps and challenges encountered in working towards the achievement of the SDGs. Drawing from the VNR reports, key elements pertaining to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda are examined, including institutional arrangements and coordination mechanisms, the principle of leaving no one behind and its application in national contexts, monitoring and data, stakeholder engagement and awareness raising, as well as the means of implementation. In addition, the report outlines actions taken on each of the SDGs. However, the report is not exhaustive with respect to practices and examples. All examples chosen are illustrative and their selection does not imply that the 2019 VNRs do not contain other equally valid and useful examples of country practices.