New IPU toolkit to empower parliaments to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals
The IPU has published a new toolkit to encourage parliaments and policymakers worldwide to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their functions and legislative efforts in a comprehensive manner.
The toolkit, SDG-informed legislative scrutiny, helps parliaments to translate the SDGs into national laws, to hold governments accountable for the implementation of the goals and to align budgets with national sustainable development plans.
It has been specifically designed to help parliaments address the interrelated nature of the SDGs and ensure that no one is left behind.
Adopted by the United Nations in 2015, the 17 SDGs provide a common set of goals for countries to reach by 2030. They address a wide range of areas, from poverty eradication and climate change to gender equality and sustainable production and consumption.
However, according to the latest United Nations report, with only five years to go, only 17% of the SDG targets are currently on track. Nearly half show minimal or moderate progress, and over one-third are stalled or regressing.
Drawing from expert insights and parliamentary experiences, the IPU toolkit offers step-by-step guidelines for scrutinizing legislation through an SDG lens, both before and after laws are enacted, as well as checklists to support SDG-focused scrutiny.
The toolkit features case studies on scrutiny of climate change and gender related legislation. It also offers examples of innovative parliamentary practice from around the world through case studies, including the following:
. Ecuador’s National Assembly uses a verification checklist to ensure legislation aligns with the SDGs.
. Indonesia’s House of Representatives, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Development Planning and Statistics, has developed an SDG monitoring portal which is accessible to the public.
. In Mexico’s Senate, a special cross-party commission offers technical opinions, makes recommendations to federal agencies, and consults with government representatives at the State level.
. In Thailand, a special parliamentary subcommittee oversees national compliance and progress on the SDGs.
