This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate due to take place on 22 November 2018 in the House of Lords on the motion moved by Baroness Suttie (Liberal Democrat), “that this House takes note of the progress made across government departments in integrating the universal sustainable developments goals into domestic policy in preparation for the United Kingdom’s Voluntary National Review presentation at the United Nations in September 2019”.
UN Sustainable Development Goals: Integration into UK Policy (253 KB , PDF)
In 2015, UN members states, including the UK, adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and 169 associated targets. The goals cover issues ranging from poverty and gender equality to waste reduction and achieving sustainable consumption.
The UK Government welcomed the adoption of the SDGs and associated targets, with the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, calling for “world leaders to meet their promises”. The Department for International Development is the lead government department on implementing the SDGs. Other departments are required to embed the goals in their single departmental plans (SDP) and associated reporting mechanisms. The Cabinet Office has a role in coordinating domestic delivery of the goals through the SDP process. The Office for National Statistics is responsible for reporting the UK’s data for the SDG global indicators to the UN.
As part of the UN’s review and monitoring process, member states are encouraged to conduct “regular and inclusive [national] reviews”. The national reports are produced in the form of voluntary national reviews (VNRs). A country delivers a VNR to the UN on its progress, successes and challenges, and will have this discussed by other states and stakeholders. The UK government has stated that it will be delivering its VNR to the UN in July 2019. The Government has launched an online platform for businesses and civil society to submit their contribution to the VNR.
This briefing provides a summary of the SDGs and an overview of the UN’s monitoring and review process. It then briefly describes the UK Government’s implementation and reporting mechanisms, and summaries the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s report on the issue. The final section provides information on the UK’s preparations for the VNR.
UN Sustainable Development Goals: Integration into UK Policy (253 KB , PDF)
This briefing is the first of a series on the post-war history of the UK economy. The series will go decade-by-decade from the 1950s onwards, providing an overview of the key macroeconomic developments of each decade. This first briefing looks at the 1950s. The economy expanded significantly over the course of this decade, fluctuating between periods of high and low growth, generating broad-based real-terms income growth across the country.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly 75 years ago, on 10 December 1948. The declaration set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. As such it became a foundational instrument of the modern international human rights system. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on member states to “rejuvenate” the declaration.
North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes in defiance of international sanctions. Long viewed as a threat to regional stability, there are growing fears that these new capabilities mean that North Korea’s aggressive military posture could now pose a risk to global security. This briefing examines those issues and the response of the international community ahead of a forthcoming debate in the House of Lords.
