Doha: The National Planning Council (NPC) hosted its 2nd National Workshop on Qatar's 4th Voluntary National Review (VNR) 2025, which aims to assess progress towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to Qatar News Agency, the workshop was attended by representatives from the government, civil society, academia, international institutions, and VNR-related stakeholders. The objective of the event was to deepen collaboration and build on the discussions initiated during the first national workshop organised by NPC in February. It also served as a platform for sharing insights and data related to the sectors in which the stakeholders operate.
The workshop focused on enhancing alignment with Qatar National Vision 2030, Qatar's Third National Development Strategy (2024-2030), and the SDGs, while sharing the definition and inviting participation and collaboration in Qatar's 4th VNR.
Assistant Secretary-General for NPC Affairs Abdulaziz Ahmed Al Fehani commented on the workshop, stating that it marks a significant milestone in tracking Qatar's progress toward achieving the SDGs. He emphasized the crucial importance of partnership and cooperation with key stakeholders to ensure that the VNR is prepared in a transparent and inclusive manner, fully aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the 3rd National Development Strategy.
The workshop is part of the preparations for Qatar's 4th VNR, following the Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) approval for the State of Qatar's participation in the upcoming High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), taking place on July 14-23 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The HLPF will convene under the theme "Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its overarching goal for leaving no one behind."
The VNR preparation process includes the formation of an internal working group and the appointment of technical teams, the development of a roadmap, and the clear delineation of roles and responsibilities among team members. The collection of relevant data and statistics and updating sustainable development indicators is also a key part of the process.
The VNRs are the primary mechanism for assessing countries' progress toward achieving the SDGs at the national level and conveying the outcomes to regional and global platforms. Governments are committed to systematically and voluntarily tracking and reviewing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the national level, following a robust, participatory, transparent, effective, and integrated framework.
The State of Qatar has previously prepared three VNRs; in 2017, in 2018, and in 2021. These VNRs highlight the progress made towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which comprises 17 goals, 169 targets, and 248 indicators. They also showcase multiple national efforts to achieve comprehensive sustainable development and Qatar National Vision 2030.