On Thursday 23 March 2023, the IEU participated in the Global SDG Synthesis Coalition Briefing update on the Partnerships, Planet and People Pillar Syntheses. Presentations covered an up-to-date view of progress on the Partnerships pillar synthesis and preparations for the Planet and People Pillar syntheses. The IEU was represented by Andreas Reumann, Head of the Unit a.i., and Yeonji Kim, Knowledge Management and Uptake Specialist a.i. 

The Global SDG Synthesis Coalition is an initiative spearheaded by the UNDP Independent Evaluation Office and Global Affairs Canada and comprises 37 United Nations entities, multiple bilateral and multilateral organizations, global evaluation bodies and networks, evidence synthesis collaborations, private sector, and foundations. This Coalition on evaluative evidence aims to generate syntheses organized around the five SDG pillars (people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership), and make policy recommendations for accelerating results in the final years of the SDGs and to inform the post-SDG development agenda.

The IEU is co-chairing the Planet Pillar synthesis alongside UNEP-IEO. In his capacity as Co-Chair, Andreas Reumann, Head a.i. of the IEU, spoke at the meeting on the rationale for GCF-IEU to look at synthesized evidence of the SDG Planet pillar, how the SDG Planet Pillar will help climate finance at large, and the methodological challenges and considerations that the Planet Pillar will need to reflect on. He also stressed the relevance of the initiative, given the ongoing substantive, substantial and serious lack of synthesized knowledge on what works, for whom and why concerning climate action in developing countries.

As the Planet Pillar synthesis is at the inception stage, the IEU, together with UNEP-IEO, will ensure that the learnings from this meeting on progress made with the on-going Partnership Synthesis are integrated into the Planet Synthesis. The IEU also looks forward to collaborating with UNDP-IEO serving as the Secretariat to the SDG Synthesis Coalition as well as other UN entities, including those that are leading the People Pillar Synthesis (UNICEF, UN Women and UNESCO). 

You can learn more about the SDG Synthesis Coalition here.