Facilitating comparability one of the building blocks of the #NFUR00 - National follow up and review - #asd79 as described in the UNDG Guidelines to support country reporting.

The guidelines write about it:

  • Although the 2030 Agenda is country-led and oriented around diverse national contexts, UN Member States have developed a common indicator framework for reviewing progress towards the SDGs. Statistical comparability of these indicators across countries is vital, and national reviews can provide room to lay a foundation for this, even as countries develop indicators more suitable to their circumstances. The MDG experience can provide some insights on this process.
  • First, differences between national and international data sets were mainly due to the need to harmonize data for comparability, based on international standards and definitions; use of estimates produced by international agencies that at times were not communicated effectively and in a timely fashion to national authorities; deficiencies in reporting from national to international systems; and the existence of multiple data sources at the national level.
  • Second, while countries reported progress in terms of agreed global indicators, they also continued monitoring development in terms of national indicators that reflected their own circumstances and aspirations. This helped assess progress in each of the main areas of development, and linked national progress to the global target with a common measuring rod, applicable to the greatest possible extent to all developing countries.
  • Third, none of the agreed global indicators should be rejected if it is not available in an equally accurate and timely fashion from every developing country. Rather, it should form the basis for identifying data and capacity gaps to help design capacity development programmes and strategies, while substitute indicators are used in the interim.


Further reading: UNDG Guidelines to Support Country Reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals

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#NFUR06 - Facilitating comparability in the tree of 2030 Agenda Review Framework: