Civil society reporting represents an unofficial mechanism for monitoring and holding governments accountable on SDG implementation. As such, the processes for creating and utilizing these reports are not formalized in the same way as official, government-led reporting. Given this reality, it is critical for CSOs to take care in determining whether civil society reporting is the most effective accountability mechanism to use in monitoring SDG implementation and, if so, to ensure that their reports are properly prepared and disseminated for maximum impact.^[1]

Is the context right for a civil society report?

Prior to beginning the reporting process it is essential to understand the political climate for reporting. CSOs thinking of creating SDG reports should be mindful of the political climate in their respective home countries—specifically taking into account the risks of such monitoring and accountability efforts. Before undertaking reporting efforts, CSOs must consider if the environment is safe by asking questions like, “How does my government respond to criticism?” or “What are the national laws in my country concerning freedom of speech?”

While it is important to hold national governments accountable to international norms, it is also necessary that CSOs pursue such actions in safe spaces, using regional and international forums or partners if independent reporting within a country is too risky. They should also determine whether an enabling environment for drafting an impactful report exists. If the purpose of drafting a SDG civil society report is to encourage a national government in action, then it is key to assess the likelihood that such work will bring about change, before investing in producing a report.^[2]

Reporting Process and Key Steps

1. Preparation: Identifying partners, funding and project plans 

• • A comprehensive civil society spotlight report that monitors Agenda 2030 implementation at the national level and involves numerous CSOs can take several months to produce. This depends on the number of people and organizations involved and the amount of time they can spend working on the report.
  • It is important to secure the necessary finances and other resources early on by, for instance, approaching international or larger NGOs for grant opportunities or partnering with other CSOs who could make a financial contribution to the project. Conducting a joint project involving multiple CSOs can be a challenge, so building out a coherent project management plan and putting together a balanced team of subject matter experts is critical to ensuring timely, effective report production.^[3]
  • A collective effort to develop a CSO spotlight report will likely require one or a few organizations to form a “core team.” This team should take the lead on drafting the report – at least in the early stages – and do some advance planning, including identifying potential partners with the necessary expertise.
  • It is important from early on to identify other organizations or experts who might be interested in collaborating on the spotlight report or in “signing on” to the report once it is completed.
    
    

2. Adapting to Context

• • What do you want to achieve? Clarifying goals and scope: In preparing to draft a civil society report, it is important to be clear about the goals and scope of the report from the outset. Often, many CSOs do not have the capacity to carry out a full assessment of the implementation of all 17 SDGs. National or local civil society coordination platforms can be very important in this regard. One of the best ways to make a civil society report effective with limited time and resources is to decide on a limited number of key messages or priority areas to highlight for the country in question. From this basis it should be possible to build the data and narrative of the report.^[1]
  • Concrete, realistic and action-oriented recommendations: General or sweeping statements are difficult for governments to respond to, and easy for them to ignore. The reports should make constructive recommendations about how progress on the national implementation of Agenda 2030 should be achieved. Recommendations should be concrete, realistic and action-oriented. It is useful to suggest practical and realistic solutions and, where appropriate, time frames for their implementation and the specific body responsible.^[2]
  • CSOs should consider linking SDG commitments to laws in the country. This will help identify gaps in the implementation of SDGs and where the government may be legally bound to take action.^[3]
  • Data and information: It is important to ensure that the report contains data and information that is credible, relevant and up-to-date. Focus on qualitative as well as quantitative data. For example, qualitative data such as interviews with individuals who have expert knowledge in specific areas can be a good way of filling information gaps. It is important to identify experts who both have an in-depth knowledge of the relevant subject areas and also are unlikely to be affected by affiliation with the government or a political party.
    • Also consider other sources of information for the spotlight report including focus groups, thematic discussions with relevant stakeholders, media reports, responses to written questions to authorities, structured surveys and case studies. See the following link for more information on data (http://civicus.org/thedatashift/)^[1]

3. Outreach and Consultations

• • Once key partners are identified, organize consultations with wider group of CSOs and local authorities for a more inclusive process, through the following steps: ^[1]
    • Hold consultations with other civil society actors working on SDG16+ issues to encourage their input and contributions;
    • Consult local authorities where appropriate;
    • If resources allow, make sure consultations are held not only in capital cities but also in smaller towns and rural areas;
    • If resources allow, create an online tool to collect further data (online surveys, WhatsApp outreach); and
    • Ensure outreach to minority groups, women, youth and other underrepresented groups.
  • Reach out to the government and UN regarding the report process (if feasible): If politically viable, engage government and UN offices to provide information about the forthcoming report. If possible, ask government and UN offices to provide any data or evidence of implementation efforts.
  • Focus on constructive working relationships with governments and public officials if possible: Civil society reports should avoid focusing exclusively on the shortcomings of governments in their implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Working in constructive ways with governments can be helpful, ideally by building trust and rapport so that governments see civil society as partners to be engaged in achieving shared goals, instead of the government perceiving the report to be confrontational in nature. Thus, providing civil society reports on SDG implementation can serve as a way for civil society to build a positive working relationship with governments in support of the SDGs.

4. Report Development

• • For specific steps on the drafting process, see section below: “Drafting framework and proposed outline”
  • Be clear and brief: It is important for CSO spotlight reports to be clear and brief. Instead of including long explanations in the report, references can be made and links provided to reports which provide more detail or evidence, and supplementary information can be provided in annexes to the report.^[1]
  • Neutral & balanced style: The report should try to be balanced – reflecting both positive and negative aspects – and should adopt a practical style using neutral language. The report must not contain unfounded statements that are not supported by facts or documents, especially if statements relate to particular individuals or legal entities. Such statements should be verified by using several sources. The report should contain references to the information sources used.^[2]
  • Utilize a rating system: CSOs could try to find a consistent approach to rating the government’s success in implementing different aspects of the 2030 Agenda. For example, some spotlight reports use the visual aid of a “traffic light system” for evaluating government performance in different areas. A green light indicates positive progress, an orange light indicates intermediate progress and a red light indicates little or no progress at all. Alternatively, the spotlight report might use a simple rating scale such as (i) Substantive action taken, (ii) Initial action taken, and (iii) No action taken.^[3]
  • CSOs should consider citing examples of the activities they will be undertaking to deliver the 2030 Agenda, either independently, alongside other stakeholders or in partnership with governments.^[4]

5. Production and Dissemination

• • Report dissemination – At this time, there are no formal mechanisms for collecting civil society reports focused on SDG implementation. However, many civil society coalitions, including the TAP Network, are working to formalize collection and dissemination processes for civil society reports in order to increase their reach and impact. It is not enough to just document a government’s successes or challenges in implementing different aspects of the 2030 Agenda. Distribution of these findings is critical, and if done effectively, such reports can have impact at not just the national level, but also regional and global levels, including at the HLPF. At a minimum, CSOs should make sure their final reports can be uploaded and disseminated online. These reports should be published as stand-alone, downloadable documents that can be easily shared and disseminated online.^[5]
  • Beyond passive publication, CSOs also should make efforts to use their reporting to start dialogues and build relationships with others working on SDG monitoring and implementation. CSOs can do this by developing advocacy strategies around the publicization of their reports and plans for distributing findings to interested actors, including:
    • National-level actors:
      • Governmental officials at all relevant levels and ministries, including in the executive branch, parliamentarians, local authorities and relevant agencies responsible for SDG implementation; and
      • Non-governmental institutions and groups, including SAIs, NHRIs, civil society groups and the media (traditional and social – see chapter on media);
    • Regional and global-level actors:
      • UN agencies, including UNDP country offices;
      • Civil society actors that have created SDG civil society report submission portals and distribution networks, such as the TAP Network; and
      • Other relevant bodies working on SDG monitoring, including IHRIs and the media.