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Recent work

Putting the CEPA principles into practice: In support of the 2024 ECOSOC cycle of work, the CEPA working group provided policy recommendations on the application of the principles of effective governance for sustainable development for the achievement of the SDGs with a particular focus on the principle of leaving no one behind.


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. 

Explore CEPA principles


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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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What action does ECOSOC recommend?

ECOSOC 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 2023/28, 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 2023/28, 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 2023/28, para. 14).

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.

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Expert papers on this topic (2016-present)
MDREA Membership ApplicationBuilding 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 | Spanish
  
MDREA Membership Application

Promoting 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 | Spanish

  
MDREA Membership Application

The 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)

  
MDREA Membership ApplicationKnowing better where countries stand on their way to 2030 (conference room paper, 20 December 2022)
  
MDREA Membership Application

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 | Spanish   

  
MDREA Membership ApplicationImplementation of principles of effective public administration in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (conference room paper, 7 April 2021) 
  
MDREA Membership ApplicationThe status of implementation of the principles of effective governance for sustainable development in Kenya (conference room paper, 25 November 2020) 
  
MDREA Membership Application

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 | Spanish

  
MDREA Membership Application

Relating 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 | Spanish

  
MDREA Membership Application

Elaborating principles of effective governance for sustainable development (E/C.16/2018/5, 14 February 2018)    
Arabic  |  Chinese |  English |  French |  Russian |  Spanish    

  
MDREA Membership Application

Towards a set of internationally recognized principles of responsible and effective governance (E/C.16/2017/6, 3 February 2017)    
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish  

  
MDREA Membership ApplicationPossible development of a set of internationally-recognized principles of governance by CEPA (background note, 15 April 2016) 

 

See also:  

 

MDREA Membership ApplicationAPRM baseline study on the implementation of CEPA principles in Africa (Executive summary, March 2021)
  
MDREA Membership Application

Praia City Group Handbook on Governance Statistics (February 2020)

Related meetings 

 

Meeting Icon Presentation Icon Board Meeting Icon Meeting Icon PNG  Transparent Background, Free Download #233 - FreeIconsPNGVirtual workshop on subsidiarity and decentralization for sustainable development (12 March 2024) 
  
Meeting Icon Presentation Icon Board Meeting Icon Meeting Icon PNG  Transparent Background, Free Download #233 - FreeIconsPNGAfrican regional workshop on strengthening Institutional capacities in Africa for effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063: Follow-up to the 2023 Summit (26 to 28 October 2023, Cape Town, South Africa)  
  
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African regional workshop on strengthening national institutional capacities for the UN decade of action and delivery for sustainable development and AU Agenda 2063 (27 to 29 October 2022, Cape Town, South Africa)  

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Virtual workshop on promotion of intergenerational equity for sustainable development (8 March 2022)

Meeting Icon Presentation Icon Board Meeting Icon Meeting Icon PNG  Transparent Background, Free Download #233 - FreeIconsPNGRegional webinar on policy coherence in Africa in response to COVID-19  (17 January 2022)
  
Meeting Icon Presentation Icon Board Meeting Icon Meeting Icon PNG  Transparent Background, Free Download #233 - FreeIconsPNGVirtual regional workshop on sound policymaking for sustainable development with a focus on Latin America (18 February 2021)
  
Meeting Icon Presentation Icon Board Meeting Icon Meeting Icon PNG  Transparent Background, Free Download #233 - FreeIconsPNGVirtual regional workshop on sound policymaking for sustainable development with a focus on Africa (16 February 2021)
  
Meeting Icon Presentation Icon Board Meeting Icon Meeting Icon PNG  Transparent Background, Free Download #233 - FreeIconsPNGRegional webinar on strategic planning and foresight in Africa in response to COVID-19 (8 December 2021)
  
Meeting Icon Presentation Icon Board Meeting Icon Meeting Icon PNG  Transparent Background, Free Download #233 - FreeIconsPNGJoint UN DESA-APRM regional workshop on effective governance for sustainable development: putting principles into practice (30 October to 1 November 2019, Pretoria, South Africa)