Learn how the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) underpin all our work, and how we’re supporting other countries to fulfil their commitments.
Sightsavers and the SDGs
To achieve the UN’s ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), countries must devise strategies to build economic growth and ensure access to education, health, social protection and job opportunities.
Sightsavers works directly with governments and partners to make sure these commitments are met. We review evidence, implement effective data disaggregation and support voluntary national reviews (VNRs).
We also advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities by lobbying governments to perform inclusive consultations, and we support organisations of people with disabilities to take a key role alongside decision-makers.
Learn more about Sightsavers’ advocacy work
Policy and advocacySDG indicators
To ensure the SDGs are being implemented, the UN General Assembly has adopted a framework of indicators and statistical data to monitor progress towards the agreed targets, inform policy and ensure governments and other organisations are accountable. These indicators are disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and more.
Sightsavers is contributing to or reviewing the national indicators in several countries where we work, to ensure they reflect the level of disaggregation needed to fulfil SDG commitments.
- India: read the India advocacy brief [pdf]
- Pakistan: read the Pakistan learning brief [pdf]
- Senegal: read the blog about inclusive data (in French)
- Kenya
- Nigeria
- Cameroon
The global indicator framework
The framework was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 6 July 2017. The indicators are refined each year, and will be comprehensively reviewed by the by the Statistical Commission in 2025.
More on the UN websiteReports and publications
Sightsavers is part of the steering group for the report, which explores the global response to COVID-19.
It reveals data gaps that leave many people unable to access support, disproportionately affecting those who are already marginalised.
Sightsavers is one of several organisations supporting the publication of these implementation reports.
They provide an independent analysis of VNRs. Prepared by Cooperation Canada, they examine trends in reporting and identify good practice.
Sightsavers participated in this forthcoming report, produced by the STRINGS project.
A consortium of seven leading universities, research centres and the UN Development Programme explore how science, technology and innovation can help to achieve the SDGs.
Voluntary national reviews
Sightsavers has supported 32 VNRs processes in 17 countries. We work with partners to promote opportunities for the voice and participation of people with disabilities in national development planning processes.
Supporting civil society groups
Along with our partners, we promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in national development planning. We support civil society forums and help to create inclusive groups within existing coalitions, and we build sector-specific coalitions and formalise relationships with the main SDG coalition. In Cameroon and Sierra Leone, Sightsavers fostered collaboration between civil society organisations and the national government during the VNR process.
Working with decision-makers and governments
We have formed technical working groups in several countries to support the drafting and writing of VNRs. This has included meeting focal points for clarification, developing briefing notes, organising group retreats to work on draft documents and arranging public presentation of drafts for feedback. We work with governments to ensure that VNR reports are validated before reaching the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and help administrations agree on delegates to represent their country at the High-Level Political Forum.
Read about Sightsavers’ VNR support in the SDGs Good Practices document [pdf]
What can we learn from VNRs?
Voluntary national review reports, submitted by governments as part of the SDGs review process, provide details about good practices, lessons learned and implementation challenges, as well as offering a basis for global peer learning and accountability.
Latest SDGs news and blogs
How can inclusive data advocacy help us to achieve the SDGs?
Sightsavers’ Aissata Ndiaye and Tichafara Chisaka share some lessons on inclusive data advocacy based on our experiences in Pakistan, Cameroon and Senegal.
Sightsavers, July 2022
How Maroua’s voluntary local review can help Cameroon achieve the SDGs
Sightsavers’ Joseph Oye and Aissata Ndiaye share insights and recommendations from the Commune of Maroua I’s review into SDG implementation at the local level.
Sightsavers, July 2022
Sightsavers partnership aims to research the impact of climate change on NTDs
Sightsavers and the Walker Institute will explore different climate change scenarios to predict areas that will be most affected by neglected tropical diseases in the future.
March 2022
