Monitor SDGs (GE0072)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: Georgia Action Plan 2018-2019
Action Plan Cycle: 2018
Status:
Institutions
Lead Institution: Administration of the Government of Georgia
Support Institution(s): LEPL – Data Exchange Agency UNDP in Georgia; IDFI
Policy Areas
Capacity Building, Sustainable Development GoalsIRM Review
IRM Report: Georgia Transitional Results Report 2018-2019, Georgia Design Report 2018-2019
Early Results: No IRM Data
Design i
Verifiable: Yes
Relevant to OGP Values: Yes
Ambition (see definition): High
Implementation i
Description
Commitment 7: Public monitoring of sustainable development goals (SDGs)
Administration of the GoG in cooperation with partner agencies shall develop and introduce in 2018 a new electronic system (SDG Tracker), the purpose of which will be the effective and transparent conduct of monitoring of the UN Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs). By means of said system any stakeholder will have a possibility to retrieve information online about the progress achieved in accordance with specific goals.
The SDG Tracker will ensure at a national scale the gathering of the newest information about the activities carried out by the public agencies for meeting the SDGs in once space and its citizen accessibility.
Commitment 7: SDG Tracker
Lead Agency Administration of the Government of Georgia
Partners Public Agency LEPL – Data Exchange Agency
Civil Society/ Private Sector /International organization UNDP in Georgia; IDFI
Issues to be Addressed The UN SDGs are a constituent part of the internal reforms of the GoG. The goals’ nationalization and introduction process started in 2015, while the direct implementation phase continues since 2018. This process involves 11 ministries and many other governmental organizations. The monitoring and accountability goals require the creation of a common electronic platform, which will simplify interagency coordination and make the goals implementation process and outcomes transparent in the country. The system will link the UN goals and tasks with the country’s internal policy documents and provide information about the public financial resources in a specific direction. All this will enable citizens and stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the government aspirations of the next year, to see the planned and conducted activities and assess the progress.
Main Objective Along with the UN SDGs, assessment and efficient management of the governmental policy.
OGP Principles Transparency Accountability Citizens Participation Technologies and Innovations
Milestones to Fulfill the Commitment New or ongoing commitment Start date: End date:
Activation of the internal electronic system (the internal operations system will be accessible only for governmental agencies). New September 2018 December 2018
Activation/functional setup of the SDG web-page, including SDG Tracker and other components, where the internal system data are generated. New October 2018 December 2018
Promoting the SDG Tracker as the governmental policy monitoring and assessment possibility. New February 2019 December 2019
Activation of the information part of SDG Tracker web-page – placement of a schedule/information related to all the projects, ongoing or planned activities at a national scale. New February 2019 December 2019
Indicator The SDGs Monitoring and Assessment System has been developed and introduced; the SDGs Tracker web-page is functioning.
IRM Midterm Status Summary
Commitment 7: Public Monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Language of the commitment as it appears in the action plan:
“Administration of the GoG in cooperation with partner agencies shall develop and introduce in 2018 a new electronic system (SDG Tracker), the purpose of which will be the effective and transparent conduct of monitoring of the UN Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs). By means of said system any stakeholder will have a possibility to retrieve information online about the progress achieved in accordance with specific goals.
The SDG Tracker will ensure at a national scale the gathering of the newest information about the activities carried out by the public agencies for meeting the SDGs in once space and its citizen accessibility.
The UN SDGs are a constituent part of the internal reforms of the GoG. The goals’ nationalization and introduction process started in 2015, while the direct implementation phase continues since 2018. This process involves 11 ministries and many other governmental organizations. The monitoring and accountability goals require the creation of a common electronic platform, which will simplify interagency coordination and make the goals implementation process and outcomes transparent in the country. The system will link the UN goals and tasks with the country’s internal policy documents and provide information about the public financial resources in a specific direction. All this will enable citizens and stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the government aspirations of the next year, to see the planned and conducted activities and assess the progress.”
Milestones:
- Activation of the internal electronic system (the internal operations system will be accessible only for governmental agencies)
- Activation/functional setup of the SDG web-page, including SDG Tracker and other components, where the internal system data are generated
- Promoting the SDG Tracker as the governmental policy monitoring and assessment possibility
- Activation of the information part of SDG Tracker web-page — placement of a schedule/information related to all the projects, ongoing or planned activities at a national scale
Start Date: September 2018
End Date: December 2019
Editorial note: For the full text of this commitment, please see https://www.opengovpartnership.org/documents/georgia-action-plan-2018-2019/.
Context and Objectives
This commitment aims to establish a new electronic system to track Georgia’s progress in implementing its United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), known as the SDGs Tracker. The government of Georgia has partnered with Geostat to set baseline indicators for each SDG-aligned national target. However, there are several challenges associated with the monitoring process, such as the lack of statistical data to identify reliable quantitative indicators. [38] Also, according to the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), the existing practice of collecting SDG-related data manually from the responsible agencies is ineffective, due to a lack coordination between the responsible organizations. [39]
Along with the internal e-system that would allow data collection and reporting within government agencies, this commitment plans to develop a national SDG webpage to integrate the aggregated data and make it available publicly. [40] This webpage would provide access to up-to-date national SDG information, the performance of public agencies, and implementation of national SDG targets. It could also enable effective and transparent monitoring of the entire national SDGs agenda, which is not currently available publicly. [41]
The commitment is specific enough to be verified. If fully implemented, the SDGs Tracker could have a moderate impact on improving public access to Georgia’s progress in implementing its SDGs. Namely it could help provide a more accessible space for the public to monitor progress toward the SDGs and government policies and activities. As explained during the IRM researcher’s focus group discussion with stakeholders, [42] the new tracking system could allow government representatives, civil society organizations (CSOs), and citizens to track progress on major policy areas. Such areas might include environmental protection, education, poverty reduction, economic development, inclusive environment, and democratic governance. [43] Additionally, according to a former IDFI representative, [44] this tracking system could serve as a valuable tool for collecting data. Hence, it could encourage evidence-based policy making. It could also promote governmental reforms and achievements and attract donor funds for both government and CSOs.
Next steps
Given the importance of this commitment to stakeholders, the IRM researcher recommends carrying it forward to the next action plan. Once the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Tracker becomes operational, the IRM researcher recommends the following:
- Execute an outreach campaign to inform a wider range of citizens, representatives of the private sector, representatives of local governance, and other governmental agencies. This effort would increase awareness regarding the United Nations SDGs and the role of SDGs in national policy making.
- Enable the SDGs Tracker to integrate a tool that allows civil society to participate in the planning of indicators on the national level. This tool should also enable civil society to assess key performance indicator completion levels. It will, thus, encourage their participation in the overall SDG monitoring process.
[38] Sustainable Development Goals, Knowledge Platform, “Georgia,” https://bit.ly/32pAhGx.
[39] Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, “Supporting the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in Georgia,” 13 January 2017, https://bit.ly/2xdVcgF.
[40] Saba Buadze, former Anti-Corruption Direction Lead, Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, interview with the IRM researcher, 22 May 2019.
[41] IRM researcher’s focus group discussion with experts, researchers, and master’s students of public administration, 18 June 2018.
[42] IRM researcher’s focus group discussion with experts, researchers, and master’s students of public administration, 18 June 2018.
[43] Tamar Tatishvili, MPA Nonprofit Management and Head of Nonprofit Management Program at Consulting and Training Center, interview with the IRM researcher, 18 June 2019.
[44] Buadze interview, May 2019.
IRM End of Term Status Summary
7. Public monitoring of sustainable development goals (SDGs)
Theme II: Increasing Public Integrity
Complete
AoG launched both the internal and external interfaces of the SDG Tracker, available at sdg.gov.ge, in December 2019. The tracker includes performances of public agencies in implementing national SDG targets. AoG partnered with Geostat to determine the baseline indicators for each SDG-aligned national target. In 2018, AoG also conducted personnel trainings on the internal government system and an awareness-raising campaign for the public interface with participation of business, academia, and other interested parties. [40] Thus, this commitment was fully completed.
Unlike the previous practice of collecting SDG data manually, the new system allows the government to collect aggregated data and reporting from responsible agencies. The new system also allows the government to integrate the aggregated data and make it available publicly. Users can select between different indicators and attributes, such as age and gender, and observe the data visualization diagram changes in real-time. This helps interested groups easily find baseline indicators for each SDG (both global and national), compare indicators for different SDGs, and monitor the progress towards SDG-related national targets.
Civil society stakeholders assessed the new tracker as a positive step toward proactive publishing of consolidated data on Georgia’s progress toward the SDGs that was not available before. However, they emphasized several shortcomings in the tracker’s functionality and utility. [41] For example, there are some inconsistencies such as the “download” function not working, as well as missing baselines for some of the SDG indicators and targets, which reduce the reliability of the available data and limit the capacity of users to track progress. [42] They also noted the need for wider public awareness of the platform to further realize the potential benefits of public monitoring.