Monitoring the SDGs: digital and social technologies to ensure citizen participation, inclusiveness and transparency

Raymond Saner, Lichia Yiu and Melanie Nguyen, (2019)

Abstract

This article discusses how monitoring can be used to support the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a special focus on measuring their attainment through citizen participation. The article argues why monitoring must be an integral part of managing the SDG implementation process and shows that the measurement of SDG attainment remains vague and incomplete. Countries are supposed to review their progress in SDG implementation every four years, but the method of reviewing is left open even though the first review is scheduled to take place in 2019. In addition, and even more urgent, is the inadequate definition of monitoring methods that countries are supposed to deploy. This article studies the various options currently available to conduct the four-year review and breaks down monitoring into two types: micro-monitoring and macro-monitoring, both of which are necessary to ensure effective and efficient monitoring in achieving