This article analyzes how Civil Society and other Stakeholders (CSoS) participated in the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicator framework from 2015 to 2016. After the UN General Assembly (UNGA) approved the 17 SDGs and 169 targets, the UN Statistical Commission formed the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) to negotiate indicators to measure the SDGs. Using a democratic governance framework of participation, this article analyzes how the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service, several teams in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the IAEG-SDGs included CSoS in consultations and negotiations and who participated. The term CSoS is broadly used to include nongovernmental organizations, academia, the private sector, and other groups (e.g., Major Groups or campaigns). The paper assesses the extent of democratic consultation. The research relies on interviews, document and video analysis, and an author-created database of respondents to initial open consultations. Analysis shows that organizations from the Global North and those with more access to resources or networked coalitions dominated. The research indicates that the UN can be committed to supporting democratic governance, but concerns arise related to the extent of participation that is encouraged or allowed by UN bureaucracy and Member States. Insight from this article can be applied to ongoing consultations and inclusive practices in international negotiations at the UN.
Policy Implications
- Intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations (UN) can place more emphasis on creating an enabling environment for civil society and other stakeholders to support democratic global governance in international policy process and outcomes. This includes funding for translation in multiple languages, offering multiple forms of engagement in consultations, and avoiding overreliance on surveys, parallel conferences, or after-session committee consultations.
- Including civil society and other stakeholders in the full process, from start to finish, will mean greater commitment on the part of UN secretariat civil servants as well as UN member-country delegates. Trainings that offer support for how to engage with civil society and other stakeholders should be offered regularly to ensure adequate and equitable interactions.
- UN secretariat civil servants and UN member-country delegates must be more deliberate in reaching out to civil society and other stakeholders from the Global South and encouraging participation in consultations.
- Adequate consideration of the input and feed back from civil society and other stakeholders after con-ducting consultations is important to facilitate trust in the process, both for current and for future consultations. If consultations are perceived as performative, civil society and other stakeholders will lose trust in the people, system, and process, and goals of any kind will be more difficult than ever to achieve.
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