Spotlights instead of "shadow reports" is the tool of civil society to ensure accountability of the SDGs

Roberto Bissio (coordinator of Social Watch) said that it is vital that NGOs play a watchdog role on the SDGs and this is even more important because the official assessment, evaluation and review of the SDGs is very week, currently the reporting process is voluntary and there is no assessment of the reports that governments submit. For example in the human rights framework with the Universal Periodic Review, what governments say is really scrutinize and recommendations are formulated officially as to what governments should do. This is not the case on the SDGs, not yet at least, and that is why precisely the watchdog, looking at what governments report and what governments plan with a critical view and pushing the agenda forward making sure that the promises are met is an important rol for NGOs.

Roberto Bissio (coordinator of Social Watch) participated in the Workshop "Implementing SDGs in and by Europe: How to mobilize NGOs further?" that was held on September 19, 2017 in Paris.

The interview is available here.