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Current work
Putting the CEPA principles into practice: In support of the 2025 ECOSOC cycle of work, the CEPA working group will provide policy advice on the application of the principles of effective governance for the delivery of equitable and sustainable development for all.
Background
The Committee noted early on that the SDGs would call for specific governance improvements in a variety of contexts. It accordingly defined a set of voluntary principles and practices of effective governance for sustainable development grounded in the 2030 Agenda and other United Nations agreements. The 11 principles of effective governance for sustainable development were endorsed by ECOSOC in July 2018. They are linked to 62 commonly used strategies for operationalizing responsive and effective governance, many of which have been recognized and endorsed over the years in various UN forums, resolutions, and treaties. Over the years, the Committee has discussed different ways of putting these governance principles into practice.
CEPA observations and insights
- Building inclusive institutions that leave no one behind at the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda
Implementing the principle of leaving no one behind requires a deep understanding of its significance in any given context, the identification and mapping of vulnerable groups and the development of integrated, people-centred strategies that take into account the needs and aspirations of all segments of society as a matter of priority. This further calls for inclusive, targeted interventions that engage all relevant stakeholders in addition to equity-based, responsive laws and policies that address systemic inequalities, discrimination and exclusion, based on existing good practices. (CEPA 23rd session, 2024)
- Promoting the CEPA governance principle of participation in support of the SDGs
Public participation is a cornerstone of sustainable development and intrinsic to the common vision of the 2030 Agenda. Countries should build their own models of public participation that leave no one behind, paying particular attention to women, young people and vulnerable groups whose voices might otherwise not be heard in policy processes, even when their interests are directly affected. Governments should adopt whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, encompassing a truly multilevel and multi-stakeholder governance system that puts people at the centre of development. They should create an enabling environment for participation, by protecting the right of participation and civic space. (CEPA 22nd session, 2023)
- Indicators of effective governance for sustainable development
With regards to governance indicators, multidimensional coverage of each of the 11 principles could provide a useful way to enhance policy analysis related to SDG 16. Indicators should be detailed enough to capture the quality of a government’s response to the SDGs at the national and subnational levels and address analytical gaps in review processes, while speaking to the way in which different dimensions of institution-building might reinforce or undermine each other in a range of national contexts. (CEPA 22nd session, 2023)
- Application of the CEPA governance principles at the subnational level
Subnational governments are very diverse in terms of capacities, access to resources and engagement with other actors. The preparedness of subnational governments to implement each of the 11 principles as well as general strengths and shortcomings of governance and public administration at the subnational level need to be explored. Overall, as an analytical framework, the principles have been helpful in drawing attention to questions of effectiveness, accountability and inclusiveness, as well as good practices, while highlighting areas where governance improvements could be pursued, considering the context, needs and priorities of each country. (CEPA 21st session, 2022)
- Strengthening the analytical basis for reform policies based on CEPA governance principles
There is a need to strengthen the analytical basis for reform policies based on the governance principles. In addition to the need for ownership of the principles to accelerate action on building strong institutions and action on the SDGs, more in-depth consideration of regional studies could be useful, as could further discussion of the public sector situation and trends in specific practice areas, such as strategic foresight, building on the work of past sessions and using CEPA strategy guidance notes as a point of reference where applicable. (CEPA 20th session, 2021)
What action does ECOSOC recommend?
ECOSOC reaffirms the need for pragmatic ongoing improvements in national and subnational governance capabilities to achieve the 2030 Agenda and other international agreements, and encourages governments at all levels to apply the principles of effective governance for sustainable development, endorsed by the Council in its resolution 2018/12 of 2 July 2018, to all public institutions and in support of the implementation of all Sustainable Development Goals, taking into account different governance structures, national and subnational realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities (ECOSOC resolution 2024/L.14, para. 12)
ECOSOC encourages the Committee to continue to identify and review related technical guidelines and experiences to operationalize the principles at the national and subnational levels, including from sectoral perspectives, and to further engage the relevant United Nations organizations, regional organizations and professional and academic communities in this regard, in an inclusive manner, together with all relevant stakeholders (ECOSOC resolution 2024/L.14, para. 13).
ECOSOC welcomes the ongoing initiative of the African Peer Review Mechanism of the African Union to promote the application of the principles among its member States in collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat, and encourages other regional mechanisms, such as those associated with the United Nations regional commissions, to develop and implement similar initiatives in alignment with their own mandates and processes (ECOSOC resolution 2024/L.14, para. 14).
ECOSOC notes the increasing demands for assistance with operationalization of the principles of effective governance for sustainable development and the Committee's emphasis on the need to strengthen the secretariat of the Committee to enable it to respond effectively (ECOSOC resolution 2024/L.14, para. 15).
ECOSOC encourages governments at all levels to enhance efforts to promote the meaningful participation of stakeholders in matters that directly affect them, including the poorest and most vulnerable, and to implement models of participation based on whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches that leave no one behind (ECOSOC resolution 2024/L.14, para. 11).
ECOSOC notes the renewed efforts of the Committee to associate a set of agreed global Sustainable Development Goal indicators with each of the principles with a view to contributing to strengthening the analytical basis for assessing the impact of reform policies on building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels (ECOSOC resolution 2023/28, para. 15).
- Technical guidance for government officials
UN DESA's work is supported by a growing series of strategy guidance notes on the many facets of effective governance for sustainable development which embody the knowledge and experience of hundreds of committed expert practitioners and academics from around the world.
- Expert papers on this topic (2016-present)
Building inclusive institutions that leave no one behind at the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (E/C.16/2024/4, 29 January 2024)
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | SpanishPromoting the governance principle of participation in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (E/C.16/2023/4, 23 January 2023)
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | SpanishThe use of governance indicators on Voluntary National Review and Voluntary Local Review processes and what it may mean for building strong institutions (conference room paper, 20 January 2023)
Knowing better where countries stand on their way to 2030 (conference room paper, 20 December 2022) Application of the principles of effective governance for sustainable development at the subnational level (E/C.16/2022/5, 24 January 2022)
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | SpanishImplementation of principles of effective public administration in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (conference room paper, 7 April 2021) The status of implementation of the principles of effective governance for sustainable development in Kenya (conference room paper, 25 November 2020) Effective governance for sustainable development: putting principles into practice and reviewing outcomes (E/C.16/2020/3, 20 January 2020)
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | SpanishRelating the principles of effective governance for sustainable development to practices and results (E/C.16/2019/4) (23 January 2019)
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | SpanishElaborating principles of effective governance for sustainable development (E/C.16/2018/5, 14 February 2018)
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | SpanishTowards a set of internationally recognized principles of responsible and effective governance (E/C.16/2017/6, 3 February 2017)
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | SpanishPossible development of a set of internationally-recognized principles of governance by CEPA (background note, 15 April 2016) See also:
APRM baseline study on the implementation of CEPA principles in Africa (Executive summary, March 2021) Praia City Group Handbook on Governance Statistics (February 2020)
- Related meetings
- Blogs by CEPA members
2023
Promoting the effective governance principle of participation to anchor the whole-of-society and the whole-of-government approaches and meet the SDGs by Najat Zarrouk, Member of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration
Better Data for SDGs - empowering stakeholders and decision-makers by Rolf Alter, Member of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration