The United States and the SDGs: Voluntary National Reviews

Local U.S. Efforts – Voluntary Local Reviews

As noted previously, several U.S. cities and states have tried to make up for the federal government’s lack of compliance with the 2030 Agenda, by preparing Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) on SDG progress in their areas. For example, Pittsburgh has done work on reducing racial inequality by creating a “racial equity toolkit” and discussing the toolkit in its 2020 VLR. [10] Los Angeles has produced two VLRs, focused on all 17 SDGs, and has recognized that “The work of cities and local governments is the action at the heart of sustainable development. Through services and programs that directly serve residents, cities can deliver progress toward the Global Goals, set norms, share models from which to learn, and scale what works.” [11] Moreover, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), “the progress of … cities [working on VLRs] offers a remarkable baseline on which the federal government can build. Doing so will require excellent engagement between the Domestic Policy Council and the National Security Council through an established policy process that draws data from diverse agencies, including the Department of Education, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, and others.” [12]

The CSIS recommended that the federal government commit to a VNR and an internal review so that all agencies and offices of the U.S. government will become sensitized to the SDGs. It suggested that the government look at previous submissions to the United Nations, such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Furthermore, the government should “[p]rovide tangible support and incentives for local governments to incorporate the SDGs into policy or to participate in international levers, such as submitting a VLR for a future HLPF.”

The Brookings Institution Report provided similar recommendations as the CSIS, but on a broader scale (the CSIS report focused on SDG 16). The Brookings Report noted that the U.S. is the only G7, G20 and OECD country that has not submitted a VNR, and strongly recommended that the U.S. commit to producing a VNR, based on the efforts that it already has made to track its progress. The VNR would offer a “unified, measurable vision” of U.S. development priorities. The Report stated that the process of producing a VNR should “entail hosting a series of regional forums that meaningfully engage mayors and governors, universities, business leaders, civil society groups, and other stakeholders already working to advance the SDGs.” The Report also recommended that the U.S. government “should support creation of a dedicated initiative for civil society to offer a parallel VNR that highlights the needs and priorities of communities that are most impacted by gaps in SDG efforts. Findings from this process can feed into the setting of national priorities and reinforce the reporting advanced by the U.S. government.” [13]

The Open Government Partnership in the U.N. and the U.S.

In 2011, the U.S. government helped launch the Open Government Partnership at the U.N. General Assembly. [14] As part of its membership in the OGP, the U.S. has submitted five National Action Plans. Its fifth plan submitted in December 2022 and covering the period 2022-2024 states that its themes include:

• Improve Access to Government Data, Research, and Information
• Increase Civic Space to Engage the Public
• Transform Government Service Delivery
• Counter Corruption and Ensure Government Integrity and Accountability to the Public
• Ensure Equal Justice Under the Law [15]

Nowhere in the National Action Plan are the SDGs mentioned, although many of the actions and activities fall squarely within the ambit of the SDGs. If the U.S. government can take the time to prepare this plan, which acknowledges some of the inadequacies and failings, why can’t it produce a VNR? Given the resources available to it, the number of existing reports and plans, the options to foster cooperation and participation, as well as its stated commitments to human rights and democracy, it makes no sense for the U.S. to avoid creating a VNR.

In the current geopolitical environment, the one thing that the world has agreed and continues to agree on are the SDGs. For example, during the pandemic, scientific communities around the globe worked closely together to find ways to deal with COVID-19 and at the same time, reach SDG 3. Supporting the SDGs provides a great opportunity for the US to demonstrate that it agrees on core common issues with other countries. Refusing to take concrete steps in support of the SDGs sends the wrong message. It contradicts the perception of American exceptionalism, defined as the idea that the U.S. is “a unique and even morally superior country for historical, ideological, or religious reasons. Proponents of American exceptionalism generally pair the belief with the claim that the United States is obligated to play a special role in global politics.” [16]

Failing to commit to preparing a VNR is a missed opportunity for the U.S. to demonstrate its exceptionalism, its ability to lead by example, and its commitment to human rights, democracy, and the SDGs. If it continues to refuse to present a VNR, to its detriment the U.S. could instead be identified with the other four countries who have not created a VNR, and become known by the company it keeps, rather than the a country to which others should look to for leadership and exceptionalism.