On Thursday, 27 February, the National Planning Council (NPC) organized its First National Workshop on Qatar's Fourth Voluntary National Review (VNR) 2025 aimed at assessing progress towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The workshop was attended by various stakeholders from across Qatar, including ministries, government agencies, academic institutions, non-government organizations, private sector representatives, and VNR-related stakeholders.
During the workshop, participants were introduced to the VNR 2025, emphasizing its role in assessing progress towards achieving the SDGs, and enhancing understanding of the link between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Qatar's Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030. The workshop also underscored the importance of inclusive stakeholder participation in preparing the report to foster a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities in the preparation process.
And In alignment with Qatar's commitment to safeguarding children's rights, the NPC has integrated the issue of violence against children into the VNR 2025. This inclusion aims to highlight national efforts and strategies implemented to combat all forms of violence against children, ensuring their protection and well-being. By addressing this critical issue, Qatar reaffirms its dedication to creating a safe and nurturing environment for every child, in line with international conventions and the SDGs.
The VNRs are the primary mechanism for assessing the progress made by countries toward achieving the SDGs at the national level and then conveying the outcomes to regional and global platforms. Governments are committed to monitoring the implementation of the Agenda at the national level until 2030 and reviewing it systematically and voluntarily, following a well-structured framework based on participation, effectiveness, transparency and integration.
The workshop highlighted the engagement of UN organizations and explored opportunities for cooperation with the relevant institutions to ensure that the VNR accurately reflects Qatar's achievements in sustainable development in Sustainable Development. Additionally, the participants identified challenges and potential solutions to achieve relevant SDGs.
Commenting on the organization of the workshop, Mr. Abdulaziz Ahmed Al Fehani, Assistant Secretary-General for NPC Affairs stated: "Qatar continues its developmental efforts in line with its QNV 2030, translating it into national development strategies with clear and measurable outcomes. Qatar has been keen to take the SDGs into consideration when developing its successive national strategies. The National Planning Council, in collaboration with ministries and various state agencies, has successfully produced the SDGs' national indicators, covering a significant portion of the total indicators. We take pride in the engagement of various stakeholders in this workshop, which underscores the collective national efforts toward achieving the Third National Development Strategy and Qatar National Vision 2030."
This workshop comes as part of Qatar's preparations for its 4th VNR, following the Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) approval of the participation of the State of Qatar in the next meeting of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on 14-23 July 2025 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The HLPF will be held under the theme "Advancing Sustainable, Inclusive Science-and Evidence-Based Solutions" for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its overarching goal of "leaving no one behind".
The VNR Preparation process involves the formation of an internal working group and technical teams, developing a roadmap, defining roles and responsibilities of team members, in addition to updating sustainable development indicators, and collecting necessary data and statistics.
It is worth noting that the State of Qatar had previously prepared three VNRs: the first in 2017, the second in 2018, and the third in 2021. These VNRs highlight the progress made in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which comprises 17 goals, 169 targets and 248 indicators. They also showcase multiple national efforts in achieving comprehensive sustainable development and Qatar National Vision 2030.
