Target 16.8: Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance

The official indicator for 16.8 focuses only on developing countries’ governmental-level participation in UN bodies. Indicators which reflect a greater role for civil society in international meetings and in the domestic implementation of Agenda 2030 should also be included. This would link the indicator with other Goal 16 targets including accountable and transparent institutions (16.6), inclusive participation (16.7), and civic space (16.10), as well as the inclusion of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in domestic and international processes (16.a). It would also bolster the improvement of partnerships in SDG17.

One area that should be addressed is meaningful CSO participation in international meetings. This includes allowing CSOs to participate as separate delegations – in accordance with the framework of Major Groups originally set up under Agenda 21⁴ – and, in keeping with recent initiatives, to broaden the Major Groups system to foster greater inclusivity. CSOs should be recognised as full partners and have a significant role in discussions, debates and decisions at meetings such as the HLPF and in the global, regional forums.⁵ The Almaty Guidelines on Promoting the Application of the Principles of the Aarhus Convention in International Forums sets out principles on public participation that all signatories of the Aarhus Convention should promote in international fora.⁶ The UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Assembly and Association has also produced detailed recommendations on the engagement of CSOs in Agenda 2030.⁷

Additionally, it is also important to ensure that there are broad-based delegations to the bodies which reflect different interests and knowledge, including CSOs and national human rights institutions. In their 2022 guide, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) recommended including CSOs in official delegations, noting that they are increasingly commonly included by governments.⁸

Another area to monitor is the relationship between inclusive domestic government policymaking and Agenda 2030. A possible indicator relating to this is CSO participation in Voluntary National Review (VNR) processes. UN DESA reported in their 2022 VNRs Synthesis Report that “most countries registered processes for establishing and consolidating stakeholder consultation mechanisms for the SDGs, including the VNR process”.⁹ An assessment by a coalition of civil society organisations of the 2022 VNR process found that countries reported that non-state actors were formally included in the processes in 66 per cent of VNR reports, down from 70 per cent in 2019 and 2020.¹⁰ There was little change in CSO engagement in lead councils or committees, but there were improvements in engagement in technical working groups. Participation in high-level governance mechanisms was described as “generally low and imprecise in its nature and scope.” According to reviews for the Global Alliance by the law firm White and Case, nearly all states (37 of 40 in 2021) reported that their VNRs were “the result of inclusive and participatory process”.¹¹

However, the joint NGO review found that countries ‘rarely’ referred to CSO spotlight reports in official reports.¹² It also reported that civic space, which facilitates discussion and the implementation of Agenda 2030 (see Target 16.10 review chapter) was shrinking with 12 countries reporting attacks on journalists and environmentalists in the VNRs.

It is important to note that CSO participation is rarely conducted in a meaningful way. NGOs often reported their level of engagement as substantially low. A recent report from UNDP and UN DESA described stakeholder engagement by countries as “insufficient or superficial”.¹³ The agencies have created a new analytical framework to assess stakeholder engagement covering inclusion, participation and accountability.