Together 2030 Post-HLPF Membership Survey by Mabel Tola-Winjobi

Together 2030 Post-HLPF Membership Survey September 2017

1. About this report This report presents the main outcomes of the surveys conducted with the Together 2030 membership regarding members expectations and the Initiativeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s engagement in preparation, during and after the HLPF 2017. The report is organized in three sections: 1) Together 2030 members expectations prior to the HLPF; 2) Members review of Together 2030 work and 3) Recommendations for following years. Analysis was based on the responses to two questionnaires: the first one, shared with those planning to attend the HLPF (92 responses) and the second survey, circulated to the whole Together 2030 membership, after the HLPF (24 responses). The recommendations and reflections from this report will be used to guide the work of Together 2030 in the forthcoming sessions of the HLPF. A full report of the Together 2030 engagement with the HLPF 2017 can be found here.

2. Members Expectations At the pre-HLPF survey, when asked about why they were attending the HLPF, Together 2030 Members flagged the following issues:

Response

Number of Positive Responses

I would like to connect with CSOs that also work on the 2030 Agenda

I want to engage on global advocacy with regards to the 2030 Agenda

I would like to connect with government officials working on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda

I want to exchange information and learn from my colleagues

I want to share my experience in the implementation and follow up of the 2030 Agenda

I want to have direct access to information and materials

Table 1: Responses to why are you attending the HLPF? (92 respondents)

When questioned about “What does your organization want to get out of your participation in the HLPF?”, respondents presented a wide range of prospects, which reflects the diversity of Together 2030 membership. Many respondents expressed their interest in fostering and strengthening regional and global coalitions; to share knowledge and experiences; and to leverage the work of potential partners. Others identified their priority as gaining visibility for their organizations, or member organizations (in the case of coalitions and networks), in order to increase their influence at the national level. This desire of improved participation was presented both in the context of the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), as well as national implementation and accountability of the SDGs. Finally, respondents identified other topics of interest, such as theme-based partnerships, lobbying their national delegates, learning about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and bringing that knowledge back home.

Meeting Expectations In an attempt to grasp on whether those expectations where matched or not, the post-HLPF survey also asked its members what they found useful about the HLPF:

Response

Number of Positive Responses

The HLPF was helpful to strengthen global coalitions

I strengthened and created new relationships with other experienced organizations

I was able to follow and participate in discussions about the specific issues my organization works on

The HLPF was helpful to support the creation or strengthening of regional coalitions

I was able to share my organization’s experience on implementing the SDGs

The HLPF was helpful to support the creation or strengthening of national coalitions

I was able to engage with national government delegations

The HLPF was a good opportunity for my organization and constituents to be visible at the global level and influence governments in the SDG implementation

I don’t think the HLPF was useful for my organization’s advocacy purposes

Table 2: Responses to what did you find useful about the HLPF? (24 respondents)

Recognizing that respondents of the pre and post-HLPF survey may not be the same, a review and broad comparison between Tables 1 and 2 show that some expectations were fulfilled, while others were not. A large number of respondents indicated their desire to connect with other CSOs working on the 2030 Agenda (pre-HLPF survey), and a large majority said that the HLPF helped them strengthen and create new relationships with other experienced organizations (post-HLPF survey). Additionally, almost every respondent explained in the Pre-HLPF survey they wanted to engage in global advocacy, and 18 of the 24 respondents of the Post-HLPF survey said the HLPF was helpful to strengthen global coalitions. Moreover, following and participating in thematic discussions was also one of the goals that many respondents said was fulfilled. On the down side, other expectations were not met by attending the HLPF. Members expressed high interest in connecting with government officials (65% - 59 of 92 respondents of the pre-HLPF survey), but only 40% (10 of 24 respondents of the post-HLPF survey) reported being able to engage with government delegations. Furthermore, 6 respondents (25% of the post-HLPF survey) even indicated that the HLPF was not useful for their organization’s advocacy purposes.

3. Members Evaluation of Together 2030 Work This section is solely based on the outcomes of a survey conducted with the Together 2030 membership after the HLPF. The survey was made available in English and open from August 14-31 2017. 24 Together 2030 members responded to the Survey. The engagement of Together 2030 with the HLPF had the following objectives: 1) Share and promote collective perspectives and inputs from Together 2030 members to Governments and stakeholders on the HLPF themes; 2) Share information on the processes and opportunities for participation to Together 2030 members; 3) Produce expert, analytical reflections to contribute to the HLPF debate and 4) Facilitate, create and maximize space for the participation of Together 2030 members in the HLPF-related spaces. A full report of the Together 2030 engagement with the HLPF can be found here.

Of the 24 survey respondents, 62% did not attend the HLPF and engaged remotely with Together 2030 work. The results of this section show how satisfied members were with Together 2030’s performance during the HLPF in four areas; a) Information sharing on the HLPF process, b) Opportunities for civil society engagement, c) Awareness of process for drafting documents, and d) Knowledge on how to engage with Together 2030 during the HLPF.

Overall, respondents rated Together 2030 work with the highest scores in each category, indicating a high level of satisfaction. For detailed information on each score, see graphics below:

Given that Together 2030 is a self-organized civil society initiative that promotes and tracks progress of the 2030 Agenda, we asked Together 2030 members to evaluate their own participation during the HLPF. This section aimed to spark a sense of self-awareness on the efforts and resources put by each member toward the successful functioning of the Initiative. Members positioned themselves according to their level of engagement. The spectrum ranged from 1 (Very Active) to 5 (Not Active). Responses were distributed along the spectrum, with 21% of the respondents with moderate engagement (score 3); almost 42% of respondents scoring 4 or 5 (low engagement); and 37,5% scoring 1 or 2 (high engagement). These results show that there is room for improvement in terms of member participation, and also indicates that there are still some untapped talents and expertise among Together 2030 members that could deepen the impact the Initiative has today in the global stage.

4. Members Comments and Recommendations At the HLPF Almost 80% of the respondents reported to have read Together 2030 Special Blog series and participated in the initiativeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mailing list specific for this event. Half of those respondents (40%) wrote blogs for the Special series and the same proportion reported to have actively participated in the drafting of statements and Together 2030 Open Letter. 54% of the respondents used Together 2030 Social Media Toolkit and most members reported that the use of social Media was best way to track Together 2030 preparatory work for the HLPF. On the open sections of the survey, some colleagues requested webinars to be held in other languages, including French. Others expressed their interest in gaining a deeper understanding on the HLPF as a whole, and the thematic areas through which they could engage. Some mentioned the need for funding and invitation letters to attend the HLPF, specially organizations from developing countries.

Next Steps and Recommendations The effort of keeping people informed and the organization of meetings during the HLPF, with very few resources, was welcomed by several respondents. They celebrated the close coordination of Together 2030 membership, which allowed for swift and thoughtful responses to official documents and statements, positioning the Initiative as a key player and representative of civil society. Together 2030 constant and timely requests for participation was also very valued. Members expressed their appreciation for being invited to write blogs on Together 2030 Special Blog series and share their work during the strategy meetings at the HLPF. Drawing from this successful experience, some suggested that more online and offline meetings could foster common understandings and fruitful working relationships. 6

Members also reflected on the importance of strategizing better, in order to create focused streams of work that will facilitate the success of the SDGs. Further support for local Civil Society Organizations and their involvement in high-level meetings and opportunities to meet government officials was also highlighted by some. “Everything is perfect, though more improvement on leaning towards challenges and innovative approaches that can accelerate the implementation and benefit to marginalized groups could be considered.” One respondent wrote.

Key points identified and Recommendations A few reflections were extracted from the survey responses, including: ● Despite being already recognized as a valuable space for the creation and strengthening of partnerships among CSOs, the HLPF is yet to become a place where CSOs can directly engage with their government officials in order to influence national policy. ● Spaces to foster regional and national dialogues are still limited at the HLPF, even though survey respondents showed high interest in regional work. The need to strengthen CSO coordination in each region, before the HLPF, was identified. Webinars and capacity building strategies via Together 2030 partners in the different regions were suggested as potential tools. ● The need to capacity building on advocacy at UN and other intergovernmental spaces related to the SDGs was highlighted. ● Appropriate and meaningful spaces for CSOs to share their experiences in the implementation of the SDGs and gain visibility needs to be strengthened. ● The creation of spaces for Together 2030 members to meet and work together seems to be important for members of the Initiative. This practice should be maintained and enhanced. ● Communications and information-sharing by Together 2030 showed to be effective and valuable for its members.

In order to improve and deepen Together 2030’s work on the 2018 HLPF, members offered: ○ Dedicated volunteer support in the lead up and during the 2018 HLPF. ○ Collaboration with or leading a consultation among Together 2030 members and report back on country implementation of the SDGs. ○ Collaboration with or lead a project mapping Together 2030 members’ capacities and interests.

About this report: This report was prepared by Milagros de Hoz and Naiara Costa, from the Together 2030 International Secretariat. It was submitted to the Together 2030 Core Group for review and comments with direct contributions from Camilo Gamba, from Cepei. Together 2030 is grateful to all members who engaged on the surveys and with the HLPF work.

About Together 2030 Together 2030 (www.together2030.org) is a civil society initiative that promotes national implementation and track progress of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Initiative, set up in December 2015, aims at generating knowledge and project voices from different civil society and stakeholders around the world on the challenges and opportunities for the 2030 Agenda. Together 2030 brings together actors to discuss the way to formulate and implement roadmaps at national level and hold governments to account at all levels.