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Since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015, the Government of Honduras has been committed to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, prioritising the goals and building key co-operation mechanisms at the country level.

With the formulation and implementation of a 2030 National Agenda for SDGs, Honduras quickly realised that to achieve the SDGs the country will need to mobilise and re-allocate financial and non-financial resources and more importantly draw on key co-operation management strategies.

During the 2017 High-Level Political Forum, Honduras presented this National Agenda in its Voluntary National Review and aligned it with the country’s National Planning System to ensure resources for the Agenda’s implementation. Consequently, the National Commission for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals was created, becoming the key governance body for effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The National Commission houses a true multi-stakeholder body called the External Co-operation Committee that is made up of three state institutions – the Secretariat of General Coordination of the Government, the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, and the Secretariat of Finance –  as well as representatives of the civil society, the private sector, and academia.

Through such initiatives, during the last five years, the government has promoted a reform process to modernise the country’s public administration systems to make them more efficient, equitable and transparent. Through the use of indicators, measurable goals and instruments, Honduras is working towards better measurement of its development.

Considering the vast amount of external resources required for the SDGs, the country also identified the need for a National Co-operation Policy for Sustainable Development in Honduras. The policy plans to lay out a coordination mechanism that would work towards Honduras’ national and global development priorities. The strategic objectives of Honduras’ Co-operation Policy are mainly guided by the principles of effectiveness: national ownership, focus on results, inclusive partnerships, and transparency and mutual accountability.

This Co-operation Policy was recently approved, which in itself required extensive consultations with various government institutions, donors, civil society, foundations and academia and the private sector. The policy recognises the need for new, strengthened and systematised partnerships between different actors in development such as bilateral and multi-lateral partners and development banks, for inclusivity and strengthened national capacities.

Working with these key stakeholders, the Government of Honduras has continuously participated in the Global Partnerships’ monitoring rounds (2014 and 2016) that seek to measure progress in the implementation of the effectiveness principles. The fulfillment of these commitments depends on the country as well as on the co-operating partners and other development actors.

The 2016 monitoring round revealed the progress that Honduras has made in regard to national ownership and alignment. There was also a strong impetus for transparency of co-operation, led by the government, through tools such as the Co-operation Management Platform that showed all the development projects and programs underway in the country. However, data also revealed existing gaps such as little predictability of resources in the medium and long-term that was necessary for results-based management and multi-annual planning.

To this end, Honduras organised the First Forum on Effective Co-operation for Sustainable Development in July 2017. Approximately 200 representatives from the government, partner countries, civil society, the private sector and academia participated. As a result, a plan was adopted to inaugurate a Roundtable on Effective Co-operation for Sustainable Development in Honduras – a space that became the only multi-stakeholder roundtable dedicated to effective development co-operation and alignment of projects and programs with the demands of national priorities.

The latest legal reforms have also given rise to another key government coordination mechanism called the Non-Refundable External Co-operation Committee. The Secretariat of General Government Coordination, Secretariat of Finance, and Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation are entities of this Committee. The inter-institutional coordination system manages, evaluates and strengthens the processes of alignment and prioritisation of the co-operation received by Honduras.

Honduras is also currently conducting a Development Finance Assessment (DFA), led by the three Secretariats above, and supported and financed by UNDOCO and UNDP. The report, scheduled to publish in early 2019, will present recommendations to the Government on public policies and management of financial flows for effective implementation of Agenda 2030.

Considering the new institutional reforms in the country, Honduras has once again joined the monitoring round (2018) to gather more up-to-date evidence of progress and opportunities in the implementation of all its effective development co-operation commitments. For this exercise, Honduras has consulted with 23 development partnersincluding private sector and South-South Co-operation partners.

From launching a National Co-operation Policy to hosting its First Forum on Co-operation Effectiveness to continued participation in monitoring effectiveness, Honduras is committed to strengthening its multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms for achieving the SDGs more effectively.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations of Honduras