As part of its follow-up and review mechanisms, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encourages member states to "conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels, which are country-led and country-driven" (paragraph 79). These are referred to as Voluntary National Reviews, or VNRs.
To assist Member States, a Handbook for the Preparation of VNRs has been prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), together with the Secretary-General’s Voluntary Common Reporting Guidelines for the VNRs at the HLPF.
To further complement these guidance documents, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), with financial support provided by the European Union, has prepared a Draft Biodiversity Guidance for VNRs, providing good-practice examples taken from VNRs prepared for the 2017 and 2018 High-level Political Forums, and references to relevant outputs and products prepared under the CBD
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The CBD's Biodiversity Guidance for VNRs is meant to provide Parties to the CBD with supplementary guidance for reporting on progress in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in their VNRs and for articulating the important cross-cutting role that biodiversity plays in supporting each of the SDGs. This biodiversity-specific guidance document is organized according to the eight sections outlined in the Secretary-General’s Voluntary Common Reporting Guidelines for VNRs. It also identifies commonalities in reporting between VNRs and the Sixth National Reports due under the CBD. |
Disclaimer: This is funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the CBD Secretariat and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Presentations from the Voluntary National Reviews Webinar:
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