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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Voluntary National Review 2019

The 2030 Agenda and the Global Goals are about changing the way we think about development - they are about changing our concepts as much as our actions. They have given us a way of talking not only about how you focus on eradicating extreme poverty, but also how you talk about so many of the other things that matter to human lives and the planet. A conversation that would have previously been about incomes has become an invitation to think about values, our responsibilities towards the environment, towards the poorest and most vulnerable, the planet and a fuller conception of human life.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this has been applying these lessons to how we think about development and politics in the UK. We are, like every government, trying to do the very difficult task of balancing realism with optimism and all the competing demands and priorities of millions of citizens. The Goals have helped us not just to compare our programmes abroad with those at home but also to reconsider our approach in the UK – a vision that is not just about raising incomes but stretches to thinking about the quality of our cities, the strength of our communities, the air that we breathe, our nature and landscape and the way we preserve our heritage for future generations.

The challenge is to keep this vision connected unflinchingly to reality, to specific people and places. Our Voluntary National Review charts the journey we have been on reviewing progress, highlighting achievements, challenges, sharing lessons and identifying next steps. It will outline collective effort and action across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

None of this is easy. It has taught us, as a country which spends 0.7% of Gross National Income on international development, something about the kinds of pressures that these processes impose on other people’s governments. We know just how important transparency is in terms of the public’s trust in us and our own understanding of what we are actually achieving. We have learnt a great deal about the strengths and occasional weaknesses of our statistical processes. The Office for National Statistics has been able to source good data on most of the Goals – reporting data on 72% of Global Indicators on the National Reporting Platform – but data gaps remain. This has reminded us that, if it is sometimes difficult to get data in a very stable developed country, it can be much more difficult to get data in more challenging environments.

Finally, it has reminded us that we do not hold all of the levers, and of how much of sustainable development depends not just upon government but also on civil society and the private sector too.

Three things we are particularly proud of have been the steps we have made recently in terms of increasing employment - including for women and those with disabilities - improving standards in schools, and our progress on climate and environment, having decarbonised more than any advanced economy. But, equally, there are real areas for improvement, thinking for example about ensuring the housing market works for everybody, mental health, and supporting a growing and ageing population.

The process has further deepened our respect for and understanding of the Global Goals. Thank you for this opportunity.

Focal point
Voluntary National Review (VNR) Team
Contact: SDGs@dfid.gov.uk

UK Mission to the United Nations (New York)
Contact: uk@un.int
Partnerships & Commitments
The below is a listing of all partnership initiatives and voluntary commitments where United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is listed as a partner in the Partnerships for SDGs online platform.
Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture

The UK is absolutely committed to playing our part and to working with our international partners.At home: we are on track to deliver our commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on official development assistance to developing countries from 2013. As part of this, I am announcing that the British Government will provide up to £150 million to the International Fund for Agriculture Development’s Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme.(Statement made by Nick Clegg, Deputy of Prime Minister, Government of UK, at the Plenary Speech, delivered at Rio+20 Summit 21st June 2012. available at: Nick...[more]

Partners
UK, International Fund for Agriculture Development
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)

The best opportunity to slow the rate of near-term warming globally and in sensitive regions such as the Arctic is by cutting emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) – most notably methane, black carbon and some hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Widespread reductions, which complement the need for aggressive global action on carbon dioxide, contribute significantly to the goal of limiting warming to less than two degrees. Reducing SLCPs can also advance national priorities such as protecting air quality and public health, promoting food security, enhancing energy efficiency, and allevi...[more]

Partners
111 Partners, 50 State and REIO, 16 IGO and 45 NGO partners (as of April 2016). Full list: http://ccacoalition.org/en/partners
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Community & School Based Dating/ Relationship Violence and Sanitation Intervention

The Daniel Iroegbu Global Dental Health Care Foundation (DIGDHEF) will, together with its partners, mobilise and engage communities and schools to improve health, water, sanitation, and environmental hygiene, as well as to create awareness of gender-based violence (GBV) in schools & communities and engage young people to become agents of GBV change in their broader communities.

Partners
Daniel Iroegbu Global Dental Health Care Foundation, UK Department for International Development (DFID), UNICEF, Global Water Partnership (GWP), Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), Federal Ministry of Gender Affairs of Nigeria
Sustainable Development Goals
Fisheries Conservation in the Wider Caribbean Region through FAO's Western Central Atlantic Fisheries Commission (WECAFC)

The general objective of the Commission is to promote the effective conservation, management and development of the living marine resources of the area of competence of the Commission, in accordance with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and address common problems of fisheries management and development faced by members of the Commission. 16 of WECAFC's 35 members are considered small island developing States.

Partners
Member governments: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, France, European Community, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Korea (Rep. of), Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United S...[more]
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data

The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data is multi-stakeholder network of more than 150 data champions harnessing the data revolution for sustainable development. Its members represent the full range of data producers and users, including governments, companies, civil society groups, international organizations, academic institutions, foundations, statistics agencies and data communities. The Global Partnership serves as an invaluable convener, connector and catalyst, building trust and encouraging collaboration among stakeholders to fill critical data gaps and ensure data is acc...[more]

Partners
Abia State, Nigeria, Accur8Africa, Africa Gathering, African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), African Development Bank (ADB), African Development Fund, African Union Commission, Agora, AidData, Asian Development Bank, Barclays, Base of the Pyramid (BoP) HUB, Bretton Woods II, Brookings Institution, Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá (Bogota Chamber of Commerce), Canada (Government of), CARE Inter...[more]
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
IHO Hydrography Capacity Building Programme for Coastal States

The IHO capacity building programme seeks to assess and advise on how countries can best meet their international obligations and serve their own best interests by providing appropriate hydrographic and nautical charting services. Such services directly support safety of navigation, safety of life at sea, efficient sea transportation and the wider use of the seas and oceans in a sustainable way, including the protection of the marine environment, coastal zone management, fishing, marine resource exploration and exploitation, maritime boundary delimitation, maritime defence and security, and o...[more]

Partners
International Hydrographic Organization (IGO); 87 IHO Member States (Governments); International Maritime Organization (UN); World Meteorological Organization (UN); International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (NGO)
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP)

The Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP) is an informal network of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, UN organisations and international NGOs. The PEP seeks to integrate poverty reduction, environmental sustainability and climate resilience in global, national and local development agendas. With agreement to the SDGs , the PEP is launching a ‘getting to zero’ call to action—a unifying vision for the SDGs of reaching zero extreme poverty, zero net greenhouse gas emissions, and zero net loss of natural assets. This will be the cornerstone of PEP’s future strategy and comm...[more]

Partners
Members of the PEP Reference Group, which oversees PEP planning and activities, are: Asian Development Bank Austrian Development Agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Development Alternatives Durban City Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation Programme (ESPA) Finland Ministry for Foreign Affairs Government of Bhutan International Centre for Climate Chan...[more]
Sustainable Development Goals
Statements
21 Jun 2012
7 May 2010
9 May 2007
2 May 2007
11 May 2006
11 May 2006
5 May 2006
4 May 2006
3 May 2006
3 May 2006
12 Apr 2005
2 Sep 2002
United Nations