Progress Reporting

The document argues that voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can act as partners in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing granular data and 'best practice' case studies for government reporting. While governments require high-level aggregated data for Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), VSSs offer detailed monitoring that can fill data gaps, particularly in the Global South. An analysis of 13 VSSs showed high coverage of criteria related to SDG 8 (77.81%) and SDG 6 (72.82%), and moderate coverage for SDGs 15, 2, and 12. The brief provides guidelines for governments to engage VSS stakeholders and incorporate their findings into VNR sections such as 'Institutional mechanisms' and 'Progress on goals and targets'. Case studies from Uganda, India, and Tanzania illustrate how VSSs contribute to specific targets, such as improving land tenure for women in Uganda and reducing child labour through school infrastructure in Tanzania.

• Voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can support governments in reporting SDG progress to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) by providing data and 'best practice' case studies for Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), though a gap exists between the 'state-centric' aggregated data governments need and the granular data VSSs collect.
• VSSs demonstrate strong alignment with specific targets, including International Labour Organization Conventions on forced and child labour (SDG 8), water quality and pollution prevention (SDG 6), forest conservation and High Conservation Value Areas (SDG 15), and the prohibition of hazardous chemicals (SDG 12).
• Case studies in Uganda show that Fairtrade International's training of over 1,200 women helped them diversify income and obtain legal land titles, promoting gender equality (SDG 5) and agricultural productivity (SDG 2).
• In Tanzania, the Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) standard contributed to SDG 8.7 by investing in 11 classrooms, 21 latrines, and a girls' dormitory in the Simiyu region, improving learning conditions for over 500 pupils to help prevent child labour.
• The document proposes five guidelines for governments to improve VNR reporting, including soliciting inputs from VSS stakeholders, identifying institutional structures for information gathering, using VSS content criteria to support specific targets, describing how VSSs fill data gaps, and selecting good practice case studies.

APA

Kosolapova, E., & Larrea, C. (2023). Progress Reporting. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-05/ssi-review-standards-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs-summary.pdf

Chicago

Kosolapova, Elena, and Cristina Larrea. Progress Reporting. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2023. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-05/ssi-review-standards-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kosolapova |first1=Elena |last2=Larrea |first2=Cristina |title=Progress Reporting |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-05/ssi-review-standards-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs-summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kosolapova2023progress, author = {Kosolapova, Elena and Larrea, Cristina}, title = {{Progress Reporting}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-05/ssi-review-standards-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }