The Voluntary National Review (VNR) provides a broad overview of the various Belgian initiatives contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A wealth of information has been gathered thanks to close collaboration between all federal entities and in consultation with civil society. This report is a first in this field and brings together the voices of all Belgian governments. The presentation of a national overview is a first step in the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This report was presented to the United Nations during the High Level Political Forum. This Forum is the central platform on the international stage where all countries come together to discuss progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Although sustainable development strategies were already in place before the adoption of Agenda 2030, a process of adaptation and integration was necessary to meet these new commitments.
This process is ongoing, and this first VNR has played a decisive and educational role, maximising the potential for peer learning within the Belgian federal system. Coordinated by a political steering committee chaired by the Prime Minister, and with the active participation of representatives of federal and federated entities, it has provided the necessary political impetus at the highest level. This process has:
- intensified reflection on the most effective way to implement the SDGs within public services;
- promoted progress in the work on indicators for monitoring the SDGs;
- emphasised the need to ensure that all relevant actors are genuinely involved in an integrated approach that coherently combines foreign policy instruments in the areas of development, defence, diplomacy and the rule of law;
- given new impetus to collaboration with civil society and private sector stakeholders.
Above all, it provided, for the first time, an overview of the range of actions currently underway, both in Belgium and abroad, to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.
The results of the VNR highlight the Belgian authorities' commitment to implementing the SDGs as a whole, taking into account key principles such as “leaving no one behind”, adopting a rights-based approach and integrating gender issues into the SDGs.
The focus is on all SDGs, through cross-cutting strategies and initiatives that address the interconnections between SDGs and strengthen cooperation within and between governments.
In Belgium, governments have begun to align their thematic and sectoral policy projects at national, subnational and local levels with the 2030 Agenda. This alignment has, for example, already contributed to a major overhaul of Belgian international development policies. The VNR has also highlighted the commitment of civil society organisations and private sector actors, which are launching numerous initiatives and often setting up new umbrella organisations or reviving and adapting existing ones.
The 17 SDGs, as well as the vast majority of their 169 targets, are addressed in one way or another by numerous actions, particularly those relating to the SDGs on health, gender equality, sustainable and inclusive economic growth and decent work, as well as terrestrial biodiversity and peaceful societies.
This review also highlighted that additional efforts are needed in several areas to address specific issues, and that the extent of the resources deployed by governments determines their respective capacities to systematically integrate the SDGs into their areas of competence.
The civil society actors consulted as part of this ENV indicated that they considered that more attention should be paid to:
- issues relating to lifelong learning;
- water and air quality (including fine particulate matter);
- energy intensity and renewable energies;
- greenhouse gas emissions;
- people at risk of poverty;
- and the mobilisation of the resources necessary to implement the SDGs.
The review of the implementation of the SDGs in Belgium, and by Belgium, is well underway. However, given the challenges involved in conducting a comprehensive review of progress and impacts covering the entire scope of the 2030 Agenda, this first edition of the Belgian NVR should above all be considered as a