Engaging stakeholders for the SDGs in the LAC region
The main goal of this Global Forum project is to advance the promotion of sustainable development in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. It focuses on the countries of Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Mexico.
Partners and members
Project partners
- The Global Forum member Grupo FARO in Ecuador coordinated the regional exchanges across the participating members, as well as the development of a regional website that includes information supplied by each country involved.
Involved Global Forum members/countries
- Chile
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Panamá
- México
The project
The project’s main purpose was to aid the promotion of sustainable development in the Latin American and Caribbean region. It aimed to capture the reflections and examples of meaningful stakeholder engagement processes and institutions for SDG delivery.
The project had three goals:
- creation of a joint website for sharing information about the SDGs in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Mexico
- generating national dialogue and accompanying communication material
- regional cooperation and communication on the means of achieving transformation and the role of multi-stakeholder advice in guiding this pathway.
The project aimed to promote the potential of "whole-of-society" approaches in accelerating the achievement of the SDGs, through regional cooperation and the exchange of experiences and good practices.
National dialogues, called Sustainable Forums, were set up in each country, as well as regional events for sharing best practice, experiences, and challenges related to the SDGs.
Stakeholders greatly appreciated these regional exchanges and expressed interest in continuing to share experience in these newly established Sustainable Forums. The fact that the countries involved all face similar challenges and opportunities in advancing the SDGs makes these conversational spaces highly valuable and worth fostering so that worthwhile dialogue can continue.
What did we do?
At the national level, the five countries established dialogues and forums and the outcomes of these illustrated the value of engaging diverse sectors of society in discussions about the implementation of the SDGs.
The interest of these sectors was significant, and they expressed a keenness to keep contributing to the discussion about the best way to fulfill the SDGs. However, for this to happen it requires an institution or entity to co-ordinate these spaces. A basic methodology was therefore developed to conduct the dialogues and gather comparable information.
The methodology was designed to be flexible and adaptable to the national context of each country. The dialogues focused on three thematic topics: (1) information gaps and data management; (2) impact on public policy; and (3) involvement of stakeholders for achieving the SDGs.
Creating a website as a joint platform to share this information about the SDGs in the five countries is a useful way to engage diverse stakeholders in producing and disseminating data and information - and to this end the ODS Latinoamerica website has been developed. ODS Latinoamerica provides an opportunity for stakeholders to share their initiatives and has been designed for long term use. Similar web pages were created for each of the five countries, with an administrator appointed responsible for regularly updating and uploading new resources.
Why a digital approach to monitoring?
The creation of a website takes advantage of digital advocacy opportunities, creating a network of active stakeholders in the region. It captures the added value of the project by enabling, through a combination of eye-catching data visuals and storytelling, a conversation to begin about the role that continuous whole of-society approaches can play in achieving the 2030 Agenda. In addition, the website will enhance public communication and raise awareness, as well as support the monitoring of the SDGs.
Outcome
This project helped to reveal the complex trade-offs that are necessary to achieve sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean. One of the project's most significant achievements is the connections it generated between diverse stakeholders working on various topics, all of whom contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. This has enabled the possibility of ongoing collaboration towards the SDGs as well jointly identifying the many opportunities that exist in this endeavour.
While the virtual tools used in the dialogues allowed online participation by people from different regions, people also appreciated in-person meetings. This is an important lesson to consider for future events and engagements.
Creating regional webpages to share information about the SDGs is a major step forward, however they require significant ongoing effort to maintain, consolidate and improve, as well as generate suitable information for dissemination. The Global Forum will therefore seek to ensure the long-term maintenance of these webpages.
