• Contributions through partnerships
It was recognized that the second VNR must be more
comprehensive and that the contribution of stakeholders
such as NGOs, academia and private sector should be
represented in a more innovative way. Seventeen SDGs were
distributed among public and private sectors, NGOs and
local administrations to ensure a wide range of stakeholders’
contribution. For the private sector, The Turkish Industry and
Business Association (TUSIAD), Independent Industrialists’ and
Businessmen’s Association (MUSIAD), Turkish Enterprise and
Business Confederation (TURKONFED), Business Council for
Sustainable Development Turkey (BCSD Turkey) and Union of
Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) were
selected as the coordinating bodies. For the civil society and all
relevant UN agencies, the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office to
the Republic of Turkey was selected as the coordinating body
while the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (UMT) was selected
as the coordinator of local administrations’ contribution. To
facilitate contributions from various entities, the “conceptual
framework” was communicated in writing, followed by
bilateral meetings with relevant parties. Close communication
and cooperation with institutions were maintained throughout
the process. While the conceptual framework communicated
to the coordinating institutions was customised according to
the selected SDGs and assigned institutions, all stakeholders
were requested to contribute to the topics: “Recommendations
on next steps, priority tasks and means of implementation to
achieve SDGs”. The institutional tasks related to the process
are summarised in Table 1.
The Turkish case of drafting the second VNR Report may
be summarised as follows: while the current situation and
gaps were identified through analysis and projects carried
out by public institutions; recommendations for necessary
steps were developed by implementing entities, NGOs
and representatives of the groups directly targeted by
SDGs. Throughout the process, public institutions guided
and supported the coordinating institutions by providing
information, documentation and data. On the other hand,
coordinating institutions organised the contribution of their
own sub-stakeholders to provide inputs in the requested
format and content. Contributions and views of 62 NGOs
directly and 250 NGOs indirectly; of 600 companies directly
and 105,000 companies indirectly from the private sector; 50
municipalities directly and 1,400 municipalities indirectly from
the local administrations were merged and incorporated in the
recommendations for next steps.
During the Stocktaking Analysis Project, a total of 20
meetings including 6 roundtable meetings were held with the
participation of over 300 experts and executives representing
approximately 150 institutions. During this process, 2,962
representatives and entities were consulted directly from 312
NGOs, 2,000 companies and 50 municipalities.
Additionally, the principle of “leaving no one behind” has
been addressed in a dedicated chapter of this report. In this
respect, it was requested that the priorities of disadvantaged
groups be included in the national policy frameworks, and
that all stakeholders conduct an assessment on necessary
key steps and provide recommendations to raise awareness.
This principle was addressed as a separate agenda item in the
conceptual frameworks provided to stakeholders and in the
meetings held with them.
Regarding localisation of SDGs, UMT as the umbrella
institution for the municipalities analysed and mapped the link
between the projects implemented by the municipalities and
SDGs. Accordingly, it was identified that the projects mostly
related to SDG 3, SDG 6, SDG 10 and SDG 11, arebeneficial in
localising SDGs and ensuring policy consistency between the
central and local levels.
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Table 1. SDG Voluntary National Review, Organising Partnerships and Responsibilities Groups Coordinator Expected Outputs for Report SDGs Covered Public Institutions PSB Policies, strategies, legislation, Institutional structure Projects, best practices, gaps SDG Indicators assessment All Private Sector and Academia TUSIAD, MUSIAD, TURKONFED, BCSD Turkey, TOBB Best practices, Priorities for SDGs in terms of implementation means Private sector actions to integrate SDGs into its processes SDG 4. Quality Education SDG 7. Affordable and Clean Energy SDG 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth SDG 9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure SDG 12. Responsible Consumption and Production; NGOs and Academia UN Resident Representation and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Best practices Priorities of Means of Implementation for Sustainable Development, Policy evaluation of vulnerable groups: steps to include women, children, youth and persons with disabilities in the national policy framework and raise awareness. Leaving no one behind: Linking SDGs with projects and aid for Syrian Refugees-Actions of United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) SDG 1. No Poverty SDG 2. Zero Hunger SDG 5. Gender Equality SDG 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities SDG 12. Responsible Consumption and Production SDG 15. Life on Land Local Union of Municipalities of Turkey (UMT) Best practices: Booklet for SDG 17 Assessment: what has been done to localise SDGs? Sharing current activities in the areas of HLPF 2019 (SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 13, SDG 16, SDG 17) SDG 3. Good Health and Well-being SDG 6. Clean Water and Sanitation SDG 10. Reduced Inequalities SDG 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities 2.3. DATABASE FOR BEST PRACTICES AND PROJECTS RELATING TO SDGs During the VNR process, PSB developed an online National Database for Best Practices and Projects, completing one of the works laid out in the 1st VNR Report. Seven coordinating stakeholder institutions provided support to operationalise the database. Each umbrella institution informed the institutions under its own responsibility area and network on the existence and operationalization of the database which enabled public and private sectors, academia, NGOs and municipalities to provide input/ submit their good practices to the system. In the first stage, a total number of 400 practices were collected using this method, including 99 from public entities, 81 from private sector, 70 from NGOs, 105 from municipalities and 10 from academia. Good practices submitted through the system were assessed based on certain criteria; for each SDG one example was selected to be used as a national showcase. The database will be operational throughout the Agenda 2030 implementation period. As the database is an on-line system, SDG efforts will be monitored and the activities contributing to the SDGs the most will be identified. The impact of efforts contributing to the principle of “leaving no one behind” will be monitored and evaluated as well. Additionally, these practices will be posted on the national SDG website and presented in various events to raise awareness and advocate solutions. 14 TURKEY’s 2nd VNR 2019 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS “Strong Ground towards Common Goals”
2.4. MULTI-STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION PROCESSES The draft VNR report, prepared through the aforementioned process, was shared with public institutions and 7 coordinating stakeholder institutions to solicit their views on the report. Subsequently, working group meetings were held with the participation of all stakeholders (NGOs, private sector, academia, experts from public sector). 300 experts in parallel sessions reviewed and discussed the draft recommendations proposed by different institutions, and incorporated additions and adjustments to complete the report. 2.5. SUMMARY OF MAIN MESSAGES AND POLITICAL OWNERSHIP The biggest challenge in achieving SDGs is to identify targets a country should focus its efforts on. While Turkey was assessing the goals during the preparation of VNR, focus areas were determined for each goal as indicated in Table 8. Following the 7-month-long preparation process of the report during which the views of all parties were solicited, the synthesis by the coordinating institution served as the basis of identifying the main messages. 15 TURKEY’s 2nd VNR 2019 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS “Strong Ground towards Common Goals”
INTEGRATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS INTO NATIONAL AGENDA
- INTEGRATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS INTO NATIONAL AGENDA 3.1. CREATING OWNERSHIP FOR SDGs The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, being a comprehensive agenda requires all stakeholders’ cooperation and contribution to ensure an open and transparent participatory process. To achieve the SDGs until 2030, innovative practices and solutions including multistakeholder cooperation and diversification of funding sources should be developed. To realise this, it is important to ensure the ownership of all relevant parties. In this regard, in the implementation process of SDGs are addressed at various levels including the contributions of local implementers and NGOs. 3.1.1. High-Level Ownership of SDGs The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a comprehensive and result-oriented framework that encourages all countries to take action at local, national and international levels. Strong ownership and leadership offered by governments is a key feature for effective and timely implementation of this framework. Turkey emphasises its commitment on every occasion to contribute to a sustainable world since the adoption of the SDGs. In his speech at the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 20th, at the first anniversary of the adoption of SDGs, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan drew attention to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes ambitious and transformative goals for all and has been developed collectively with contribution of all relevant parties. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on member states to maintain meaningful ODA support, which constitutes the most important source of funding for the least developed countries (LDCs). In line with this conviction, Turkey’s ODA continues to increase annually and surpasses its commitments. The preparations for Turkey’s 2nd VNR Report was formally launchedthrough a presidential letter conveyed to all institutions, demonstrating highest-level political ownership. 3.1.2. Inclusion of SDGs in the Agenda of TGNA Paragraph 45 of the Agenda 2030 acknowledges the essential role of national parliaments through their enactment of legislative bills and adoption of budgets, and their role in ensuring accountability for the effective implementation of SDGs. Parliaments, as part of the legislative, budgetary and monitoring mechanisms, assume an important role in the implementation of the SDGs. To achieve these goals, it is vital for governments to uphold accountability as a core principle in the implementation process along with ensuring political ownership. High-level ownership by parliaments find reflection in parliamentarians’ involvement in negotiation and implementation process of SDGs; impact of SDGs on the legislative process following the inclusion of SDGs in the agenda of parliamentary committees; SDG related issues are pointed out in national or international meetings; partnerships and collaborations are established with other parliaments; systematic briefings are prepared on SDGs; Members of Parliament (MPs)’ work on SDGs conducted in the electoral districts. In the implementation of SDGs, TGNA has been involved in various ways and played a strong role. Representatives from Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) group of TGNA participated in HLPF-2017, convened under the theme of “Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity in a Changing World.” At the Forum, IPU representatives shared the SDG review progress in Turkey with other countries. Our country considers political ownership and commitment during the implementation of SDGs as a prerequisite for achieving successful results. Since 2016, MPs are briefed on the process and activities related to SDGs, during the TGNA Plan and Budget Commission meetings and presentation of budget to the General Assembly. Turkey’s commitment to embed SDGs into its national policies and improve the practices is highlighted at the ministerial level during budget deliberations of the Parliament. During budget deliberations, the following items were underlined; 17 TURKEY’s 2nd VNR 2019 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS “Strong Ground towards Common Goals”
• Scope and content of the goals, role of means of
implementation in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development,
• Conducted activities and coordination of the process at the
national level in addition to the partnerships,
• Stocktaking Analysis Project implemented for determining
the level of coherence between national policies and SDGs,
• Importance of ownership by the Parliament was emphasised
including particularly the activities of IPU Group; and the
expectation for more structured mechanisms to inform the
Parliament,
• It was recommended to organize informative meetings
on HLPF agenda at least once a year for MPs that are not
members of the IPU Group and relevant commissions in
TGNA.
Putting SDGs on the agenda during the budget process
demonsrates our country’s determination to support the
projects and practices that will contribute to SDGs.
MPs who are members of the IPU Group of TGNA are regularly
informed on the progress and status of SDGs by PSB as the
national SDGs focal point. In this way, policy coherence is
ensured at various levels.
Turkey hosted the 3rd Meeting of Eurasian Parliament
Speakers in Antalya on October 8-11th, 2018. At the meeting,
the Speaker of TGNA informed other speakers of parliament on
our country’s progress towards SDGs, and conveyed Turkey’s
decision to prepare VNR for the second time in 2019. Turkey
also hosted the Third Meeting of MIKTA (Mexico, Indonesia,
Korea, Turkey and Australia) Speakers of Parliament in
Istanbul on September 28-29th, 2017 on the theme of “2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Role of National
Parliaments”.
3.1.3. Audit by the Turkish Court of Accounts
Another important role of TGNA is related to the auditing
process. As stated in Article 160 of the Turkish Constitution
and Article 4 “Remit of Audit” of Law No. 6085, the Court of
Accounts is charged, on behalf of TGNA, with auditing all public
administrative bodies that utilise public funds, including public
administrations and social security institutions under the
central administration budget, local administrations, joint-
stock associations founded by special laws or presidential
decrees with direct or indirect public shareholding, other
public administrations, all public accounts including special
accounts, funds and Public Economic Enterprises. According
to paragraph 4 of Article 6 of Law No. 6085 on Turkish Court
of Accounts, “the Turkish Court of Accounts may also audit
the accounts, transactions, activities and assets of public
administrations as of the pertaining year or years irrespective
of their account or activity period; as well as based on sector,
programme, project and topic.” Within that framework, the
Court of Accounts started on February 2019 the process
of “thematic audit” regarding the “Preparatory Processes
for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals”.
The thematic audit is an objective, systematic review of the
commitments, systems, operations, programmes, activities
and projects of the public administrations in terms of economy,
productivity and efficiency to ensure good governance,
transparency and accountability. Following the audit of the
Court of Accounts on the preparation process regarding
the implementation of SDGs, it will be possible to disclose
independent and impartial information to the public as well as
assess the roadmap drawn by Turkey in the first VNR report on
the preparations for the implementation of SDGs.
3.1.4. Role of Local administrations on SDGs
Success in the implementation of SDGs depends on ensuring
ownership and policy coherence at national and local levels.
Local administrations have a critical and comparatively
advantageous role in the implementation of SDGs as they
provide direct services to citizens. Local administrations had
the opportunity to convey their views and contribute to the
preparation of the Agenda during the negotiation process of
SDGs.
Although the main interest area of local governments is under
the SDG 11, the remit of local administrations includes a range
of targets under various goals including education, healthcare,
urban infrastructure services, climate change, eradication of
poverty.
The United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) formed
a working group named the Global Taskforce of Local and
Regional Governments with a view to transposing SDGs at local
level and integrating into policies. The Working Group aims to
build a bridge between the UN and the local administrations.
UCLG brings together all local administrations across the
world under the same umbrella. One of nine sections of UCLG,
namely the Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA) is
headquartered in Istanbul.
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