Major groups and other stakeholders have been actively working towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through projects, initiatives, knowledge-sharing, advocacy and monitoring of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To that end, they contribute significantly to efforts to strengthen inclusion, including by giving voice to the voiceless and to marginalized and vulnerable populations, promoting accountability, transparency and responsiveness, engaging in capacity-building activities, sharing their experiences and knowledge in planning, implementation and review processes, and strengthening participation in and ownership of development processes by diverse communities at the national, subnational and local levels. Clearly, major groups and other stakeholders play an essential role in enhancing the reach, effectiveness and durability of development initiatives and outcomes.
In General Assembly resolution 70/1 on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the need was recognized for major groups and other relevant stakeholders to be involved in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including in follow-up and review processes. In that regard, governments, the United Nations system, civil society, the private sector and other actors were called upon in the context of an enhanced global partnership to deliver on the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals and targets, which lie at the core of the Agenda.
A high-level political forum, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, was also established to carry out regular reviews in line with resolution 67/290. The reviews are intended to provide a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders. In addition, major groups and other relevant stakeholders were called upon to report on their contribution to the implementation of the Agenda. Furthermore, citizens of African countries, civil society organizations and all other identifiable groups are engaged in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the African Union, which is being implemented in coordination with the 2030 Agenda.
Accordingly, the effective implementation of the two Agendas requires various actors to work together and strengthen their collaborative and integrated approaches with major groups and other stakeholders. For the contributions of major groups and other stakeholders towards the successful implementation of the Agendas to be meaningful and useful, capacity development is required to enhance their knowledge of processes and procedures for engagement. They need access to information so that they fully understand their roles and the platforms that can be used to engage effectively with one another, governments and other development partners.
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, has been organizing workshops since 2015 to strengthen the capacity of major groups and other stakeholders to articulate inputs to the follow-up and review of progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda at regional and global levels. Through the capacity development workshops, major groups and other stakeholders have been actively engaged in the work of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, which is one of the mechanisms providing inputs to the follow-up and review process at the high-level political forum on sustainable development.