We, Speakers and members of parliament from the Asia-Pacificregion gathered in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 27 to 28 May 2019 for theRegional Seminar “Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals for People andthe Planet”. The Seminar was jointly organized by the State Great Hural ofMongolia and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

The seminar built on the conclusions of our previousregional seminar held in Viet Nam in 2017 and examined additional issues thatare crucial in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in theregion. We welcomed the active engagement of all participants as they sharedtheir lessons learned, and benefited from the rich contribution ofparliamentarians, Government representatives, United Nations experts, the IPUand civil society.

With only 11 years left to implement the SDGs, we arecognizant of the fact that a real transformation can be achieved only byprioritizing those left behind. During the seminar we examined practical stepsparliaments could take to institutionalize the SDGs in our respective countriesand in the region as a whole. Particular emphasis was placed on heighteningunderstanding about how parliaments could institutionalize the SDGs, promoteconvergence between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and nationalaction plans and build coherence around the SDGs at the policy level.

Our discussions further highlighted the interconnectednature of the SDGs and addressed the following questions: what practical stepscan parliaments take to support the implementation of the SDGs in our countriesand in the region; how can parliaments advance their national health agenda andimprove access to healthcare for women, girls and other marginalized andvulnerable populations; how can parliamentarians promote “environmentalliteracy” and increase awareness on climate change and disaster risk reduction;and how can parliamentarians ensure access to high quality data in order tomeasure and monitor progress towards the SDGs?

We proactively engaged on these issues and drew up thefollowing strategies, actions and recommendations to advance parliamentaryengagement with the SDGs in the Asia-Pacific region:

The SDGs are a groundbreaking universal framework that isintended to help focus and coordinate national policies towards anall-inclusive development from the economic, social and environmental perspective.The SDGs also provide a platform for cooperation and dialogue. We commend thedevelopment gains our countries have made and are also aware of the strongengagement that is still required to ensure that the SDGs will be effectivelyachieved by 2030. According to United Nations data, the region is laggingbehind in SDG implementation with no country currently on track to achieve theSDGs. We need to do things differently to make a difference, and politicalcommitment and an inclusive approach are imperative in this regard.

In order to contribute to this transformation, eachParliament needs to examine its capacities to deliver on the SDGs as soon aspossible, and identify its own priorities and strategic actions. Knowledge andawareness raising on the SDGs should be enhanced within parliaments throughtrainings and seminars so as to ensure that parliamentarians and parliamentarystaff can strengthen their competences and take informed   decisions on the practical steps they shouldput in place to advance the implementation of the goals and monitor progress.

The IPU/UNDP SDGs Self-Assessment Toolkit has proved animportant catalyst for parliamentary action on the SDGs and we congratulate theparliaments that have undertaken the self-assessment exercise. We appreciatethe commitment shown by several parliaments from the Asia-Pacific region totranslate the IPU/UNDP SDGs Self-assessment Toolkit into their nationallanguage so as to enhance the sense of national ownership and raise furtherawareness about the SDGs in parliaments. We strongly encourage all parliamentsto use this toolkit in order to identify the most suitable mechanism for theirengagement in SDGs implementation.

Each parliament has to find effective ways to holdgovernment accountable for the goals they have subscribed to, and to ensurethat enabling laws are passed and budgets are adopted. Parliament’s oversightfunction is one of the bases of democracy. Oversight mechanisms, such asparliamentary questions and committee hearings, inquiries and reports, areimportant tools for assessing the concrete impact of government policies andprogrammes. Appropriate means for coordination should also be identifiedthrough the self-assessment exercise in order to ensure that the SDGs aretransversally and comprehensively integrated into the work of parliament.

We stress the importance of taking measures to ensure thatgender equality is adequately taken into account in a cross-cutting manner andthat SDG-related policies and programmes reflect the specific needs of thepoor, marginalized and vulnerable groups. As elected representatives of thepeople, members of parliament have an important role in reaching out to andengaging marginalized populations. Parliamentarians also have importantresponsibilities in ensuring that public policies are informed by the citizenswhose lives they impact.  

We believe that women’s equal participation in politics isessential not just because it could ensure that our parliaments are morerepresentative and inclusive, but also because gender equality is essential fordemocratic governance and for the achievement of the SDGs. As we celebrate theincreasing number of women in our parliaments, we express concern that progressis stagnating and there is a need to make substantial efforts to ensure thatour institutions will adequately represent the composition of our societies. Weurge all parliaments to increase women’s participation in every aspect oflegislative work with a view to attaining gender equality and parity in politicsand in parliaments by 2030. 

We believe that quality, accessible, timely and reliabledisaggregated data are essential for measuring progress against the nationalpriorities that we have defined. Each country needs to constantly update andimprove its statistical capacities to collect and process data, including inrelation to identification of marginalized populations and programming for thepoor. 

As noted in the Doha Declaration adopted at the 140th IPUAssembly, education is a fundamental human right which provides individualswith tangible skills that not only enable productive employment, but alsodevelops life skills that foster civic engagement and guarantee social cohesionbased on common values. We acknowledge that ensuring quality education iscentral in the achievement of all SDGs and in breaking the cycle of poverty. Weare committed to supporting mechanisms and financing measures that work towardspromoting quality education and enabling equitable access to education for all. 

We recognize that the health and well-being of citizens iscentral to the attainment of the SDGs. Parliaments should take action toadvance national health agendas and promote the mainstreaming of health withinnational development plans and strategies. We acknowledge that health servicesand healthcare facilities must cater to the needs of all citizens, includingwomen, girls, adolescents, and other vulnerable and marginalized populations.Despite progress in the region on maternal and child health, access to HIV treatmentand prevention, and access to sexual and reproductive health services, there isa need for stronger laws and policies, as well as stronger enforcement, toaddress the persisting social and financial barriers that restrict equity inaccess to healthcare. Furthermore, parliaments are encouraged to invest ineducating citizens about health, in particular, that of children and youngpeople. 

We support efforts to build political will and strengthencommitment to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and sustainable health systems.Members of parliament have an important responsibility to insist on providingquality data that identify the marginalized and underserved groups and adoptlegal frameworks that support access to quality health services and financial protectionfor all. Health crises and emerging health threats in relation to climatechange in the Asia-Pacific region have shown that resilient health systems arenecessary for the prevention and response to disease outbreaks. 

Climate change presents a serious threat to human health andwell-being, and threatens the development gains in the Asia Pacific region.Thus, it is important we build a culture of prevention and promote transitionto a low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially-inclusive economy. Inparticular, parliamentarians should promote “environmental literacy” andincrease awareness on climate change and disaster risk reduction amongcitizens. In order to do so, they need to maximize their roles as legislatorsand overseers, and enhance cooperation and partnerships with a view to sharinginformation and experiences on a regional and global scale.

Disaster risk and environmental degradation presentimportant challenges to our region and therefore need to be part and parcel ofthe parliamentary engagement on climate change and national educationprogrammes. We need to ensure that legislation protects the environment andthat prevention measures are included in the budget to avert the impact ofclimate change and natural disasters.

Parliaments in all countries should play an active role inpreparation and oversight of the Voluntary National Report to the High-LevelPolitical Forum (HLPF). Parliaments should also be represented on the nationaldelegation to the HLPF in order to further strengthen the ownership of thereport and facilitate the engagement of parliament in follow up to the resultsand recommendations.

In order to inspire action on the SDGs, we will bring thisOutcome Document to the attention of our parliamentary colleagues through allpossible channels. We also undertake to bring it to the attention of otherrelevant stakeholders.

We request the IPU and the State Great Hural of Mongolia tobring our conclusions and recommendations to the attention of the globalparliamentary community at the 141st IPU Assembly in Belgrade, Serbia. We urgethe IPU to promote parliamentary engagement with the SDGs and to continue towork with the United Nations and other relevant partners towards the successfulimplementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.