UK’s progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Voluntary National Review: Government Response to the Committee’s Twelfth Report
Thirteenth Special Report
On 16 July 2019, the International Development Committee published its Twelfth Report of Session 2017–19, on UK’s progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Voluntary National Review (HC 1732). The Government response was received on 17 September 2019. The response is appended below.
Appendix: Government Response
Overview
The UK’s first Voluntary National Review (VNR) was launched domestically on 26 June and presented at the UN High-Level Political Forum on 16 July by the former Secretary of State for International Development, the Rt Hon Rory Stewart MP.
This document contains the Government Response to the fourteen International Development Committee (IDC) recommendations in the “UK progress on Sustainable Development Goals: The Voluntary National Review” report of 16 July 2019. The response has been prepared in collaboration with all interested departments, including Cabinet Office.
1.When embarking on future VNRs, the Government should produce a detailed, publicly available timeline at least 18 months before presentation of the Review, including the main deliverables and deadlines. This would help to focus minds across Government and the devolved administrations and enable stakeholders to engage more effectively with the process. This timeline should be realistic and allow adequate time for contributions to be prepared and consolidated, and for meaningful stakeholder engagement to take place. It should also provide time for meaningful and collaborative discussions between all the UK’s administrations about taking account of different approaches and priorities. (Paragraph 13)
Government response: Partially Agree
- An overarching timeline for the VNR was published online in November 2018 and reviewed regularly. The Department for International Development (DFID) sought to keep stakeholders and the wider UK public as informed as possible on the VNR process, timelines and opportunities for engagement through the www.gov.uk/sustainabledevelopmentgoals website. There were regular exchanges throughout the VNR process with key umbrella organisations such as BOND and UK Stakeholders for Sustainable Development (UKSSD) to outline planned activities and hear stakeholder views and ideas on engagement. There were four principal phases of external stakeholder engagement, outlined in detail on page 8 of the VNR.
- Preparation of the UK’s first VNR was a significant undertaking involving a large number of government departments, the devolved administrations and a wide range of external stakeholders. The final report tells the story of the breadth of activity from across the UK contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs or Global Goals).
- Conducting the VNR yielded many lessons and insights. While we are pleased with the final product which is both detailed and comprehensive, we acknowledge that, as with any undertaking of this scope, there are things that we need to reflect on and learn from. We are currently conducting a lessons learnt process with partners from across Government, the devolved administrations and external stakeholders. A survey for external stakeholders was launched on 22 July to gather views and feedback. It is scheduled to close on 27 September. A summary of the key findings from this will be published in due course on www.gov.uk/sustainabledevelopmentgoals.
- In summary, we agree with the importance of setting clear and realistic timelines in good time to support meaningful stakeholder engagement. We will draw on this recommendation, along with the feedback from the VNR lessons learnt process, to inform ongoing activity.
2.In its response, the Government should provide further details on its plans to develop a formal mechanism for stakeholder engagement on domestic implementation of the SDGs, including:
a)when it will be established;
b)who will be involved (and how marginalised and hard-to-reach communities will be engaged);
c)which government department will coordinate it;
d)what its terms of reference will be, and
e)proposed methods of engagement.
Parliamentarians must be included as key stakeholders in this process going forward. (Paragraph 29)
Government response: Partially Agree
- We are committed to supporting implementation of the SDGs and have worked closely with stakeholders outside of government as well as a significant number of government departments and the devolved administrations to deliver the first VNR. We are committed to using the VNR to galvanise future action and activity on the SDGs.
- Building on the Single Departmental Plan (SDP) process in the VNR, the Government committed to both a review of official and ministerial level structures to support domestic SDG implementation and the establishment of an effective mechanism to enhance stakeholder engagement in the domestic sphere. There are long-standing, as well as new and innovative approaches which the Government is using to strengthen its commitment to development, sustainability and inclusivity.
- Early scoping work to develop the stakeholder engagement mechanism is underway, with close involvement of both DFID and Cabinet Office. We recognise the importance of early input from our stakeholders to inform this and we are therefore currently inviting stakeholders to share their views via our lessons learnt survey, which also considers how we engage going forward. The survey can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/survey-on-the-uks-first-voluntary-national-review-of-progress-towards-the-sustainable-development-goals and will be complemented by a stakeholder roundtable. We will ensure the IDC is kept informed, as further details become available.
- We recognise the importance of continuing to engage proactively with Parliamentarians to support implementation of the SDGs. We have welcomed the important contributions of Parliamentarians in shaping the VNR, including the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Goals, the International Development Committee and Environmental Audit Committee. Baroness Sugg met with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Goals on 9 September to continue this important engagement.
3.Whilst we welcome the commitment to create a mechanism for stakeholder engagement on domestic implementation of the SDGs, we recommend that the Government commits to establishing a similar mechanism focused on the UK’s global contribution to the SDGs and would welcome its commitment to do so in the response to this Report. (Paragraph 30)
Government response: Disagree
- We fully acknowledge that the UK’s domestic contribution to the SDGs should not and cannot be viewed in isolation from its global contribution. A key tenet of the SDGs is the importance of interlinkages.
- We are keen to ensure that any new mechanism complements and does not duplicate existing international SDG priorities and governance structures. A wide range of existing Government activity already involves collaboration with stakeholders in support of furthering the SDGs internationally.
- For example, in 2018 DFID launched a Strategic Vision for Gender Equality, a call to action for DFID and partners to step up action on gender equality. This recognised that we only had 12 years left to achieve the SDGs and that advancing gender equality requires long-term commitment to shift deeply entrenched discrimination. The development of the Strategic Vision was informed by wide consultation with stakeholders. This led to a new priority being placed on recent evidence on the importance of women’s political empowerment, alongside existing areas of focus including girls’ education and ending violence against women and girls. We continue working with stakeholders on implementation, for example liaising closely with gender and humanitarian stakeholder groups, recognising our commitment to place greater focus on women and girls in humanitarian crises.
- More generally, civil society is a core partner for delivery and learning on the SDGs and UK aid. Approximately a quarter of DFID’s bilateral spend is through Civil Society Organisations. Since 2015, DFID’s centrally managed funds have worked with civil society to deliver across the Goals in the world’s 50 poorest and most fragile countries. Since 2015, we have spent £155 million through our centrally managed aid programmes, UK Aid Match and UK Aid Direct. This has reached over 29 million beneficiaries, working with over 150 Civil Society Organisations. Our new programme UK Aid Connect, is also working with at least 90 Civil Society Organisations in consortium groups to tackle eight complex, thematic challenges in development including global security and stability; disability inclusion; sexual and reproductive health; civil society effectiveness; child labour and modern slavery; building open societies; LGBT inclusion; freedom of religion, all of which contribute to SDG 10 and the commitment to Leave No One Behind.
- In light of the above, we do not consider it necessary to also establish a new international stakeholder engagement mechanism. We will, however, ensure we continue to engage regularly with international-focussed representative bodies such as Bond, when taking forward commitments in the VNR.
4.Placing the responsibility for implementation of the SDGs—and by extension the Voluntary National Review—in an internationally-focused department where Ministers have previously said they have “relatively few, if any, domestic levers” is not the right decision. The view prevails, on this Committee, as in the evidence received to this inquiry, that the VNR—and UK implementation of the SDGs more generally—should be the responsibility of the Cabinet Office. Unfortunately, the Cabinet Office’s Minister for Implementation, Oliver Dowden MP, declined our invitation to give oral evidence to this inquiry so we were unable to put this matter to him. (Paragraph 34)
Government response: Partially Agree
- DFID, which played a key role in the development of the SDGs and has strong expertise on the 2030 Agenda, is best placed to retain oversight of the Goals. Through its coordination of the VNR report, DFID has increased awareness and spurred greater cross-departmental focus on the SDGs.
- Cabinet Office is committed to supporting DFID on domestic coordination and ensures that progress on the Government’s priorities, including the SDGs, is maximised. The responsible Ministers are the Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, supported by Simon Hart MP, the Minister for Implementation.
- Single Departmental Plans (SDPs) remain central to the way that the Government plans delivery of its priorities, including the SDGs. The SDGs are embedded within SDPs alongside other public commitments. Departments are specifically required to show what work they are doing that contributes to the SDG Global Targets at home and abroad. The 2019/20 SDPs saw an over 50% increase in the number of planned and existing areas of Government work that were reported as supporting SDGs compared with the previous year.
- On 5 July 2019 the Government published a report highlighting examples of how delivery of the Government’s programme supports the delivery of the SDGs. Development, sustainability and inclusivity underline much of our domestic approach to policy making and delivery.
- Cabinet Office continue to develop and refine the SDP process to support transparency and accountability of Government. The current Minister for the Cabinet Office held a workshop earlier this year inviting the views of key stakeholders on how Government can more effectively incorporate the Goals in performance and planning. The recommendations from this will inform the 20/21 SDP planning round.
- In summary, we agree that there is benefit in reviewing and further strengthening the existing means and mechanisms to oversee the UK Government’s contribution to domestic delivery of the Goals. This will be taken forward through the VNR commitment to review ministerial and officials level structures. This work is being led by Cabinet Office.
5.DFID stated that the VNR process was governed by a “pre-existing official-level cross-Whitehall Group on the SDGs… co-chaired by DFID and Cabinet Office.” However, the role of these officials, their connection to Champions, SROs and the VNR team in DFID, and the percentage of their time, day-to-day, allocated to the implementation of the SDGs, remains unclear. The only evidence we saw of the cross-Whitehall Group during this inquiry was their attendance at the parliamentary stakeholder event on the VNR in early March. In its response to this inquiry, we would be grateful if the Government could provide some further detail on this Group including its membership, terms of reference and outputs since 2015. (Paragraph 40)
Government response: Agree
- The Inter-Departmental Group for planning and performance for the SDGs was set up in September 2017.
- The Group has met regularly and is co-chaired by Senior Civil Servants from DFID and the Cabinet Office. The group was established to:
- improve coordination of SDG implementation across government;
- identify and take advantage of opportunities to help embed the SDGs in departmental activity through the SDP process; and
- support the identification of opportunities to improve the quality of performance reporting information that will support Government in communicating its progress in delivering the SDGs.
- Since 2017, the Group has been key in ensuring that the SDGs are embedded within each department’s planning processes and that departmental contributions to the Goals are captured in their SDP. Over the course of last year, the focus has been on encouraging greater granularity of planning and policy coherence around the Goals.
- As part of preparation of the VNR, each Goal-focussed chapter was assigned a lead department for the purpose of the VNR, with an assigned Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the duration of production. SDG Champions were also established in each government department contributing to the VNR.
- The future format and focus of the Inter-Departmental Group is being considered as part of the VNR commitment to review official and ministerial level structures.
6.We urge the Government to retain the Director-level SDG Champion roles in all government departments, to continue to communicate, and encourage progress towards, the Goals beyond the VNR. However, the roles should be better defined. In its response to this Report, we would like to see the Government commit to retaining ‘Champions’ in all government departments and set out a clear job description for the role. Champions should be provided with appropriate resources, in terms of staff and budget, to enable them to continue to raise awareness of the 2030 Agenda in their departments beyond the 2019 HLPF. (Paragraph 41)
Government response: Partially Agree
- Each department is already responsible for ensuring implementation of the Goals that relate to their policy area(s) and ensuring appropriate resources within their respective department.
- SDG Champions, Senior Responsible Owners and members of the Inter-Departmental Group all played important roles in supporting delivery of the VNR.
- The VNR commits to a review of ministerial and official level structures to further support domestic implementation. The future role and purpose of SDG Champions needs to be considered as part of this and the above recommendation will be reflected upon as this moves forward.
7.For future VNRs, it is essential that an appropriate mechanism is created—at the heart of Government, in the Cabinet Office—to lead on communication and implementation of the SDGs. If such a mechanism had been in place, bringing together the VNR would have been much more straightforward. Instead, the process was incredibly fragmented, with chapters of the VNR drafted, at least initially, in isolation, by different departments. The process to bring all of the sections of the report together was then very complex, and was made more difficult by the coordinating department, DFID, having limited influence across government departments and the devolved administrations. (Paragraph 45)
Government response: Partially Agree
- We agree the production of the VNR was a significant cross-government undertaking. Given the scale of the exercise, there were many structures put in place to oversee and support report production across Government.
- All Departments were appropriately supported throughout the process. In addition, departments responsible for drafting goal-specific chapters were provided with targeted support. The DFID SDGs Team held weekly meetings from November 2018 to ensure clear, regular and timely communication. A VNR outreach team was also established by DFID to support departments with their external engagement. As drafting work advanced, a focal-point structure was formed, whereby a nominated DFID staff member led on individual Goal-chapters and corresponded directly with key contact points in departments and the devolved administrations.
- While we acknowledge that production of the VNR required significant input and coordination from a wide range of parties, it has increased awareness and cross-government collaboration on the SDGs.
- The VNR lessons learnt process with partners from across Government, the devolved administrations and external stakeholders will help inform future activities on the SDGs.
8.Coordination with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, for the purposes of the VNR, could also be improved. We recommend early communication between the UK Government and the devolved administrations, and agreement of a common style, structure and reporting framework, well in advance of the next VNR. (Paragraph 46)
Government response: Partially Agree
- We are committed to ensuring that engagement with devolved administrations is undertaken early, meaningfully, and as a fundamental part of the decision-making process, respecting the structures of devolution and the principles which underpin them.
- We worked proactively with the devolved administrations to deliver a VNR that reflects the UK’s unique constitutional arrangements and tells the story from across the UK. Specifically, to support VNR preparations, there were regular meetings with officials in the devolved administrations from November 2018 and these became weekly meetings from February 2019.
- The SDGs touch on a wide range of devolved policy matters. This is outlined in the chapter “Incorporating the Goals in policy and planning frameworks” of the VNR.
- The final VNR report tells the story of the UK’s shared commitment towards the SDGs and captures the diversity of approaches across the UK, recognising different contexts. Each Goal-focussed chapter contains an ‘Action in the UK’ section which outlines domestic activity in the UK as a whole and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.
- The VNR lessons learnt process is wide ranging and involves Other Government Departments including the Territorial Offices, the devolved administrations and external stakeholders. We have reached out proactively to all three devolved administrations to collectively reflect on the VNR process and identify opportunities to further improve coordination and collaboration in the future. These lessons will be considered in terms of their wider applicability as we continue to work together and pool our strengths across all parts of the UK.
- In summary, we agree that collaboration across all parts of the UK is vital to deliver a VNR which tells a coherent account of SDG implementation.
9.For its next VNR, the Government should be more ambitious and rigorous in its review of the UK’s progress along the trajectories indicated by the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in those areas we highlight above. We hope that the Government will also provide in future VNRs more contextualised data, and analyses, showing trends and comparisons with other countries to illuminate the UK’s performance against SDG targets, including the variations across the four UK nations. (Paragraph 98)
Government response: Partially Agree
- VNRs are important mechanisms for monitoring progress in delivering the Goals and for learning lessons on how to proceed. The UK’s first VNR reviews the UK’s international and domestic activities since the SDGs were implemented and identifies future priorities. For each Goal, the VNR takes stock of progress both quantitively and qualitatively. Full detail on our approach to data is set out in the “Using Data” chapter of the VNR.
- The UK’s first VNR includes over 100 charts that explore longer-term trends (i.e. comparing to pre-2015 baselines) to help readers understand both positive and negative trends in the available data. The data picture boxes are not limited to Global Indicator data but cover broader topics to explore other relevant contextual data from Government sources (e.g. Gender Pay Gap statistics) and non-government sources (e.g. WRAP food waste statistics). The UK’s VNR is not fully exhaustive and cannot cover all the data series that are important or relevant to the UK.
- One of the reasons why the UK’s VNR does not include a quantitative assessment of progress against each international target, is the use of unspecific targets in the Global Framework which make progress hard to quantify. In these cases, there is nothing to benchmark progress against. An alternative approach would be to look at data points over time, identifying the direction of travel, or trend, and testing for statistical significance between the data points where possible, or assessments could be made against relevant domestic targets. However, to make this work meaningful and robust we would need more data points than are currently available (only 2015, 2016 and in some cases 2017 data are available at present). In data terms, this is still relatively early in the SDG process; over time we will build a fuller picture that will allow us to analyse which areas are making progress and which are not. Therefore, we will explore methodologies for building on the baseline of the first VNR. We will also collect more disaggregated data, so that we can identify those most at risk of being left behind.
- Comparing UK progress to that of other countries is not in the spirit of the SDGs. In addition, drawing comparisons between UK nations is often not appropriate—the UK’s devolution arrangements mean that data availability and definitions have diverged, as statisticians in devolved administrations collect and produce data that best meet the needs of the local policy context. The fact that data is collected in the UK in different ways, to suit different policy requirements, is in line with the spirit of the Goals. Further detail on our work with the devolved administrations is provided in our response to recommendation 8.
- The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is due to publish the report “Sustainable Development Goals in the UK, an update on progress: November 2019” on 7th November 2019. This report provides an opportunity for the ONS to review progress made towards measuring SDGs and set out a forward look of plans for the next 12 months. It will include an update on progress and future plans in relation to: data acquisition (highlighting that we are now able to report data for 74% of headline indicators); the ONS Inclusive Data Charter Action Plan and the challenges surrounding sourcing disaggregated data; improvements to the data platform, including a programme of user testing, as well as the adoption of the site by other countries this year; engagement and reporting to explain and make publicly available analysis of the SDG data; and data innovations, such as the development of automated data acquisition, and further use of geo-spatial techniques.
10.It is also vital that the next Prime Minister attends the SDGs Summit at the United Nations General Assembly in September, to speak to the UK’s progress on the SDGs and its first VNR. It is crucial that the UK reinforces its commitment to this transformative global agenda, supports the push—by Project Everyone and others—to deliver the SDGs by 2030, and demonstrates that the country remains a force for good on the international stage. (Paragraph 102)
Government response: Agree
- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) SDG Summit in September is a key moment to demonstrate our continued global leadership on the SDGs and support accelerated action on the Goals, as we enter the ‘decade of delivery’. We expect the Prime Minister to attend UNGA including the SDG Summit.
- The UK remains committed to the 2030 Agenda and is one of the few countries to honour our promise to spend 0.7% of gross national income on Official Development Assistance. We are a strong supporter of the OECD Development Assistance Committee and work to ensure that the rules-based international system for international development supports delivery of the SDGs.
- Below are some examples of how we work on the international stage to help deliver the SDGs.
- With support from the UK on Goal 2 (zero hunger), the international agriculture research system CGIAR (the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) is supporting crop productivity to help 30 million people exit poverty by 2022.
- The UK is the second largest global health donor and is committed to supporting progress globally towards Goal 3 (good health and well-being). The UK is investing up to £1.2 billion (2016–2019) in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. The Fund ensured 17.5 million people received antiretroviral therapy for HIV and 197 million mosquito nets were distributed for malaria in 2017.
- Since 2015, UK aid has provided 16.9 million women and girls with modern methods of family planning; reached at least 8.2 million women and girls with humanitarian assistance; and supported 5.6 million girls to gain a decent education. All in support of Goal 5 (gender equality).
- In 2018, the UK doubled its contribution to the UN Peacebuilding Fund to £32 million (to 2020), to help prevent conflicts. It also launched a National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security which puts women and girls at the heart of the UK’s work to prevent and resolve conflict, recognising the important link between Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and Goal 5 (gender equality).
11.To make up for the limited and hasty consultation during preparation of the Voluntary National Review (VNR), and to allow for detailed scrutiny of the Review (so that a more neutral baseline for future assessments can emerge), the Government should commit at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) to a process of public review meetings on the VNR with UK stakeholders. The meetings should include: devolved administrations; human rights institutions; trades unions; NGOs; Parliamentarians, and UK academia and should take place during the autumn. This review should aim at learning lessons from the VNR and supplementing the limited review of progress and performance contained within it. It should address both domestic and overseas implementation, and have a component addressing the UK’s Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories. Key points and recommendations could be summarised, appended to the VNR and submitted to the UN at next year’s HLPF. (Paragraph 104)
Taken with
12.This process would allow the Government to raise awareness of the Goals by launching a national conversation about the VNR alongside these meetings. It would also ensure an accurate and comprehensive baseline for future reporting. (Paragraph 105)
Government response: Agree
- The UK undertook wide ranging and timely engagement to inform preparation of the VNR. We adopted a comprehensive approach to stakeholder engagement to reflect best practice and ensure inclusivity. Starting in 2018, and with frequent liaison with key umbrella organisations, we carried out engagement activities through four key stages designed to capture as many views as possible at different stages of the VNR report.
- Phase 1 consisted of a national call for contributions which gave organisations over six months to submit their case studies through the VNR website and resulted in over 270 submissions from across the UK, many of which were incorporated into the final VNR.
- Phase 2 involved DFID attendance at stakeholder events across the UK. At these, officials communicated directly with stakeholders to discuss the VNR process, hear views and inform early drafting.
- Phase 3 involved goal specific outreach by Government departments leading on Goal-specific chapters.
- Phase 4 involved sector specific engagement events held in March. These included sector-specific engagement events targeting civil society, faith groups, the private sector and Parliamentarians amongst others and details were published on the VNR website in early 2019. The events were supplemented by a survey which allowed anyone who could not attend in person to submit their views electronically.
- In total more than 380 organisations were engaged throughout the VNR process. A list of all past VNR engagement events is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-voluntary-national-review-engagement-events/uk-voluntary-national-review-2019. In addition, the DFID-led Investing in a Better World project also ran an engagement programme on investing in the SDGs, in London, Bristol, Liverpool, and Edinburgh.
- The former Secretary of State for International Development Rt Hon Rory Stewart MP presented the UK’s VNR at the UN High Level Political Forum on 16 July 2019 alongside; Dr Claire Melamed of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD), Michele Giddens of Bridges (UK impact investor) and Rebecca Hawkins of The Climate Coalition. The contribution of stakeholders to the UK’s VNR presentation reflects the emphasis placed by the VNR on telling the story of activity from across the UK in support of the Goals.
- Now that the VNR has been published it is important that we continue to engage a wide range of stakeholders to consider lessons learnt. The VNR lessons learnt process is currently underway and involves government departments, the devolved administrations and external stakeholders. As noted above, a survey is available on https://www.gov.uk/government/news/survey-on-the-uks-first-voluntary-national-review-of-progress-towards-the-sustainable-development-goals. The survey has been promoted through umbrella organisations.
- DFID also plans to hold a stakeholder roundtable focussed specifically on lessons learnt from the VNR to which we will invite a range of organisations. The objective of this will be to hear the views and voices of those who engaged and contributed to the VNR to identify lessons and inform next steps.
- We are also carrying out wider review activities to identify lessons learnt among departments and devolved administrations, including internal workshops.
- In summary, we agree with the importance of learning from our first VNR and hearing the views of a wide range of stakeholders. A summary of the key findings from the external lessons learnt process will be published in due course on www.gov.uk/sustainabledevelopmentgoals.
13.In a spirit of peer learning and global engagement, the Government should assemble a peer review panel comprised of experts from global partner countries, both developed and developing, to provide input to this domestic review process. This process would be two-way, also allowing for key learning from the detail of the UK’s VNR to be drawn out and applied elsewhere. In the absence of leadership by Government, this process could be taken forward by Parliament. (Paragraph 106)
Taken with
14.This national review process would kickstart implementation, but also aim to establish an ongoing process of inclusive national review of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals with parliament at its core, as outlined in the 2030 Agenda. This mechanism would be a powerful legacy of the VNR. (Paragraph 107)
Government response: Disagree
- The UK is a founding member of the Group of Friends of VNRs, Follow-up and Review of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). A Group of Friends is a collection of UN Member States who have a common interest in an issue, and whose UN delegates meet on an ad-hoc basis. The Group of Friends of VNRs is chaired by Mexico and aims to provide advice and peer-review on VNRs, as well as discussing the upcoming Follow-up and Review of the HLPF. This will help us to share and exchange views and learn lessons with other countries.
- In light of this ongoing work through the Group of Friends, we do not consider it necessary for Parliament to take this forward.
- The VNR has been a rich learning process and while the report identifies challenges and next steps, it is primarily backward looking. The focus now is on using the VNR to galvanise action and activity in pursuit of the Goals and support a period of implementation.