Workshop format
The format and length of the workshop can be tailored to the needs of the host country. For an in-person workshop, a half or full day is recommended, while an online workshop should be at least 2 hours long. The following sessions are recommended:
Opening session
Purpose: This session invites Welcome Remarks by the host country, the OECD and the APRM. Depending on the nature and dissemination of the workshop, these remarks could be delivered at technical level or at senior (political) level.
Length of session: 15 minutes (3-5 minutes per speaker).
Format:
· Intervention by the host country.
· Intervention by the OECD.
· Intervention by the APRM.
Session 1. Enhancing policy coherence for sustainable development
Purpose: This session invites the host country to present progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063, and the role of policy coherence. Depending on the outcomes of the scoping and preparatory phase, the focus may be put on a specific sectoral policy area that is particularly challenging from a PCSD perspective. The session also introduces the participants to the concept of PCSD and the work of the OECD and the APRM to strengthen governments’ capacities to design and implement more coherent policies.
Length of session: 30-45 minutes (10-15 minutes per presentation)
Format:
· Presentation by the host country.
· Presentation by the OECD (template slides).
· Presentation by the APRM (template slides).
· Open discussion.
Background documentation:
Questions for discussion include:
Session 2. PCSD Self-assessment – group exercise
Purpose: This session invites participants to consider existing national mechanisms for policy coherence in line with the OECD Recommendation on PCSD.
Length of session: This can vary depending on the time allocated to the group exercise.
Format:
· Introduction to the PCSD Self-assessment and the group exercise, presentation by the OECD (template slides).
· Breakout groups: Each group is facilitated by an expert from the host country, the OECD and/or the APRM.
Questions for Pillar 1 Vision and leadership
1.1 Commitment at National Level
• Is there a clear policy framework at the highest-level spelling out the government’s commitment to PCSD?
1.2 Commitment at sub-continental and Continental Levels
• Is there a clear political statement at the sub-continental level spelling out the commitment to PCSD?
• Is there a clear political statement at the continental level spelling out the commitment to PCSD?
1.3 Sustainable Development integration
• Has PCSD been integrated into the national strategy for sustainable development?
• How has PCSD been integrated (defined priority areas, time-bound actions, performance indicators, other or none)? 1.4 Lead institution
• Is there a lead institution responsible for overseeing the implementation of PCSD measures? (e.g. central unit, ministry, inter-ministerial committee)
1.5 Level of awareness
• How would you rate the level awareness of both Agendas among AU Member States executive and legislative branches? High, medium or low?
1.6 Long-term timeframe
• Does the existing strategic framework for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include long-term time frames as well as inter-generational principles and indicators?
• If yes, does this framework also apply to the 2063 Agenda?
• To what extent has your country aligned its long-term development vision to the timeframe of the Agendas?
1.7 Long-term planning tools
• Does the government make use of tools to assess long-term sustainable development goals and balance them with short-term priorities? (e.g. impact assessments, guidelines, strategic foresight, scenario development, integrated modelling tools or systems-thinking approaches)
• If yes, please specify which tools.
• For strategic visioning and long-term planning, what are the implications of the two Agendas’ different timeframes?
• How does this impact the programming of donors?
1.8 Electoral cycles
• Are there any provisions or mechanisms to promote sustained commitment to PCSD beyond electoral cycles or government terms?
1.9 Normative framework
• Has sustainable development been integrated:
o For the 2030 Agenda?
o For Agenda 2063?
• Is there a normative framework (e.g., legislation, directives, and ministerial decrees) that supports the integration of sustainable development into existing and new sectoral strategies, plans, programmes or policies:
o For the 2030 Agenda?
o For Agenda 2063?
1.10 Budgeting
• Is sustainable development integrated into the budgetary processes?
1.11 Sustainable Procurement
• Are there mechanisms for assessing public procurement with regards to sustainable development?
1.12 Financing strategies implementation and operationalization
• Are there instruments developed and used to operationalize the financing strategies vertically and horizontally (through partnerships) for the implementation of the Agendas?
1.13 Sub-continental and continental initiatives
• Have sub-continental and continental initiatives been integrated to enhance consistency, remove policy overlaps and redundancies and create space for the management of diversity and uniqueness in the continent?
• If so, could you please kindly provide some examples.
Questions for Pillar 2 Policy interactions
2.1 Coordination mechanism
• Is there a national mechanism dedicated to coordinating the implementation of SDGs and Agenda 2063 across the government, with an explicit mandate to resolve policy divergences and tradeoffs?
• How do staff working on the 2030 Agenda coordinate with staff working on 2063 Agenda and vice versa, if they are not on the same team?
2.2 Administrative culture
• Are there governance arrangements and/or working practices that support effective communication on PCSD between ministries and departments?
2.3 Transboundary impacts
• Does the national sustainable development coordination mechanism consider the international dimension of sustainable development, notably the potential transboundary impacts of policies?
2.4 Subnational engagement
• Are there any provisions or mechanisms in place to engage subnational governments in PCSD?
2.5 Policy alignment
• Are there any provisions that facilitate alignment between national and sub-national plans, policies, budgets and regulatory frameworks for sustainable development?
• What are the mechanisms in place to address policy coherence between global and continental levels?
• What are the mechanisms in place to address policy coherence between continental and sub-continental levels?
• What are the mechanisms in place to address policy coherence between sub-continental and national levels?
• What are the mechanisms in place to address policy coherence between national and sub-national levels?
2.6 Consultation
• Are there any mechanisms in place for consulting stakeholders and feeding their inputs into decision making for sustainable development?
2.7 Stakeholder initiatives
• Are PCSD initiatives from stakeholders encouraged and rewarded by the government?
2.8 Multi-stakeholder dialogue
• Does the government facilitate constructive dialogue between stakeholders on policy incoherencies or areas of disagreement regarding SDG implementation?
• Does this also apply to Agenda 2063?
2.9 Communication strategy
• Has a communication strategy been developed to inform the public and to involve them in Agenda 2030 implementation?
• And for Agenda 2063?
Questions for Pillar 3 Impact
3.1 Impact assessment
• Have quantitative tools been developed to assess the potential impacts of policy proposals, as well as existing laws and regulations, on the Sustainable Development Goals?
• Does this also apply to Agenda 2063?
3.2 Assessment of transboundary impacts
• Does the government make use of ex-ante and ex-post impact assessment practices to consider transboundary impacts of policies on sustainable development?
3.3 Skills for impact assessment
• Are there measures to build capacity in the public service to collect and analyse evidence about the impacts of different policies on sustainable development?
3.4 Monitoring, evaluation and reporting
• Are there monitoring and evaluation tools to track SDGs implementation?
• And to track Agenda 2063 implementation?
• If yes, are these integrated to track implementation of both Agendas?
• Has a PCSD lens been embedded in evaluation systems to inform decision-making regarding the linkages and potential trade-offs between sectoral policies as well as transboundary impacts? (e.g. indicators of progress, cost/benefit analysis, impact assessments)?
o Strengths in PCSD.
o Gaps in PCSD.
o Options for enhancing PCSD (what could/should change?), e.g.
· How can existing mechanisms be used more proactively to maximise synergies and anticipate trade-offs between sectoral policies and between short-term and long-term priorities?
· How can negative impacts domestically and abroad be anticipated, or addressed?
· What civil service skills for SDG implementation need strengthening in order to leverage the full potential of the mechanisms and processes in place?
o Report-back by group rapporteur (template slide).
Background documentation:
Closing session. Wrap-up and next steps (drop-down menu)
Purpose: This session aims to summarise the findings and discussions from all sessions, and to outline ideas for next steps. It invites Closing Remarks from the host country. Depending on the nature and dissemination of the workshop, these remarks could be delivered at technical level or at senior (political) level.
Length of session: 15 minutes
Format:
· Intervention by the project manager(s) from the OECD and/or the APRM.
· Intervention by the host country.