SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
IN ACTION
Special report on Voluntary Commitments and
Partnerships for Sustainable Development

UNDESA | JULY 2014

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Sustainable Development in Action
Special report on Voluntary Commitments and
Partnerships for Sustainable Development,
2014 July edition

Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2
Sustainable Development Action Networks and other initiatives ............................ 3
Small Island Developing States – genuine and durable partnerships .................4
Every Woman Every Child ................................................................................................... 6
Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All).................................................................................. 9
Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) ...................................................... 10
Sustainable Transport and SLoCaT ................................................................................ 12
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Cloud of Commitments ..... 14
Accountability Framework and existing mechanisms ................................................. 17
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 17
Existing accountability mechanisms .............................................................................. 19
Options for enhanced Accountability Framework .................................................. 22
Access to High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development ............ 23
Sustainable Development Goals Voluntary Monitoring Framework ............ 23
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 25

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Introduction
Partnerships and voluntary commitments for sustainable development are multi-stakeholder initiatives voluntarily undertaken by Governments, intergovernmental organizations, major groups and others stakeholders to contribute to the implementation of inter-governmentally agreed development goals and commitments, as included in Agenda 21, the
Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, the Millennium Declaration, the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development (Rio+20) entitled “The Future We Want”, and the upcoming post-2015 sustainable development agenda.
In a development era with a mix of state and non-state actors as essential partners in the implementation of sustainable development, the importance of engagement at all levels has been repeatedly emphasized at various international conferences and their follow up processes.
The Rio+20 Conference demonstrated enhanced inclusiveness in its deliberations. With the presence of hundreds of thousands of participants from governments, the United Nations System, business, civil society groups, universities, as well those virtually following from afar, the Conference further strengthened the role of non-state actors in shaping the international agenda for a sustainable future. It created unprecedented momentum in parallel to the political process in witnessing the announcements of over 700 concrete multistakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments for the implementation of sustainable development and poverty eradication.
The intergovernmental process duly acknowledged the complementary nature of these voluntary initiatives to the political outcome. The Secretary-General was invited, through paragraph 283 of the outcome document the Future We
Want, to establish and maintain a comprehensive registry of voluntary initiatives - which were to be periodically updated, fully transparent and accessible to the public.
The United Nations Secretariat following its designated mandate launched the
SD in Action Registry shortly after Rio+20. The registry, which