Challenges for Measuring Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

With the adoption, in September 2015, of the Sustainable Development Goals with a time horizon of 2030, there is a dire need to exploit avenues for the monitoring of progress towards meeting the targets pertaining to sexual and reproductive health, whether at global, regional, national or grassroots level. The current process for the selection of indicators, to complement the targets, provides an opportunity for a concerted effort to improve monitoring procedures and ensure their relevance for programme adjustment and accountability. It is imperative for national processes to ensure effective reporting besides linkages with related sectors.

International collaboration for sexual and reproductive health

“…The issue of Science, Technology and Innovation, with its unfortunate but widely accepted abbreviation ‘STI’, is currently the subject of intense consideration for its crucial role as a means of implementation. Consultations are ongoing through the UN Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators for the finalisation of a proposed set of 230 global indicators, including about 26 for health: they will be supplemented by additional indicators for use at regional and national levels 14. Their measurement will certainly necessitate the strengthening of national capacities for the prompt reporting of reliable health statistics.…”