The 4th ESDN Peer Learning Platform and Visit, which took place on 6-7 March 2019, brought together policymakers from the national and regional level to share, exchange, discuss, and learn from one another about the progress being made in European countries on budgeting for the SDGs since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in September 2015, especially on budgetary provisions for the SDG implementation. The Platform was divided into six main “Spaces for Exchange” with the Visit portion of the Platform occurring in the second half of Day 2 (7 March):
The Peer Learning Visit (on 7 March in the afternoon) focused on the work of the Danish 2030 Cross-Parliamentary Network and Panel. As politicians ultimately set the course regarding the focus a country takes and the priorities it sets, having them fully understand the SDGs is important in making them into a government priority, which could see budgets quickly follow suit and also prioritize the SDGs and policies that seek to realize them. It is also important for policymakers to have the perspective of elected officials in terms of sustainable development and the difficulties elected officials face in pushing a sustainable development or SDG focused working program and budget.
A look at the history of the ESDN reveals that ESDN Peer Learning Platforms have played a prominent role in facilitating policy learning between European policymakers dealing with sustainable development. This section of the website provides a one-stop-shop documentation of all ESDN Peer Learning Platforms so far. Please click on one of the Platforms for more details:
