IAEG-SDGs

Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators

Mandate and Membership

On 6 March 2015, at its forty-sixth session, the United Nations Statistical Commission created the Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), composed of Member States and including regional and international agencies as observers. The IAEG-SDGs was tasked to develop and implement the global indicator framework for the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda. The global indicator framework was developed by the IAEG-SDGs and agreed upon, including refinements on several indicators, at the 48th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission held in March 2017.

The global indicator framework was subsequently adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017 and is contained in the Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (A/RES/71/313).

The group's current terms of reference are below, as found in E/CN.3/2017/2, Annex I.

Terms of reference

In establishing the IAEG-SDGs, the United Nations Statistical Commission requested the use of existing regional mechanisms in order to ensure equitable regional representation and technical expertise. The Chair of the United Nations Statistical Commission is an ex-officio member of the IAEG-SDGs. In accordance with its terms of reference, the IAEG-SDGs updated its membership in June 2019 (see list of IAEG-SDG Members at the link below).

List of IAEG-SDG Members

Work Programme

The annual work programme of the IAEG-SDGs, agreed by the UN Statistical Commission every year in March, focuses on the implementation of the indicator framework. Work of the group includes regularly reviewing methodological developments and issues related to the indicators and their metadata; a work stream on data disaggregation; three separate working groups (elaborated below in Working Groups) and the sharing of experiences and best practices on Sustainable Development Goal monitoring. The links below provide information on the work of the Expert Group in these areas, as well as the annual reports to the UN Statistical Commission summarizing their activities.

Working Groups and Task Team

Currently, the three working groups of the IAEG-SDGs address Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX), geospatial information, and measurement of development support. A task team has also been established to develop a proposal on sustainable tourism indicators. The links for more information on the three groups and task team can be found below. The working groups and task team are responsible for their own detailed work plans, methods of work, and communication and coordination mechanisms with other partners. Countries that are not members of the IAEG-SDGs, international organisations, civil society, academia and the private sector were invited to participate in these groups subject to criteria established by each working group and task team. Each of the three working groups and the task team reports on its progress at each of the meetings of the IAEG-SDGs.