The Leave No One Behind project was launched in late 2017 as a partnership of 12 international civil society organisations (ICSOs).
In 2018, the partnership set up national coalitions in 5 pilot countries (Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Nepal and Vietnam), bringing together national NGOs and civic platforms, as well as community-based organisations.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were created in the spirit of “leaving no one behind”, meaning all goals need to be reached for everyone. However, data that sufficiently captures the needs of marginalised groups is scarcely found in official monitoring statistics and hence doesn’t play a role
in the planning of public services and policies. As a result, no proper solutions can be offered to improve the livelihoods of these people.
The partnership’s main goal is to deliver a practical solution for this challenge, giving voice and agency to marginalised groups who are at risk of being overlooked in the implementation of the SDGs.
Thereby, the Leave No One Behind partnership wants to make SDG implementation more inclusive and accountable towards those who are furthest behind in society – making their voices heard and count!
Additional information about the partnership’s work can be found at
Through its inclusive approach of “community-driven data”, the coalition aims to fill knowledge gaps in local level SDG monitoring and better understand local drivers of vulnerability and marginalisation. Community-driven data means: the needed evidence and SDG monitoring data is produced at the local level, with the affected communities directly involved in data generation (Making Voices Heard).
At the same time, coalition partners and authorities at the local and national levels (e.g. mayors, local spokespersons, planning and statistics agencies, etc.) have entered into a dialogue aiming to bring community-driven data to practical use as a complimentary source of information for public planning and policy making. Locally generated evidence and feedback are necessary to realise a successful and accountable SDG implementation, which requires policies and public services that are capable of addressing local drivers of vulnerability (Making Voices Count).
Following the successful pilot projects, the five LNOB country coalitions developed and undertook new and expanded data projects in 2020-2021. Building on this momentum, the partnership expanded in late 2021 by launching two new country coalitions in Malawi and Denmark.
Denmark is the first high-income country to join the partnership, which marks an important milestone since the SDGs are often perceived as primarily being relevant for low- and middle-income countries. However, specific communities in high-income countries, such as older people, refugees and people with disabilities, can also be left behind due to underreporting. The discrimination, stigma and negligence these communities often experience—regardless of which country they live in—results in inadequate public policies and services that do not account for their specific needs.
To find out more about our work in the partnership and to enquire possibilities for engagement, please contact the global partnership lead Peter Koblowsky at pkoblowsky@icscentre.org
The new flyer highlights the partnership’s vision, goals, and ambitions and its key initiative, “Making Voices Heard and Count (MVHC) project.”
DownloadThese are the key recommendations derived from our cross-country action towards a more accountable, inclusive and participatory SDG implementation that leaves no one behind.
DownloadThis is a summary of the country action in Bangladesh, highlighting findings and recommendations for national SDG implementation.
DownloadThis is a summary of the country action in India, highlighting findings and recommendations for national SDG implementation.
DownloadThis is a summary of the country action in Kenya, highlighting findings and recommendations for national SDG implementation.
DownloadThis is a summary of the country action in Nepal, highlighting findings and recommendations for national SDG implementation.
DownloadThis is a summary of the country action in Vietnam, highlighting findings and recommendations for national SDG implementation.
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