Beyond rhetoric
While the rhetoric of transformation in the 2030 Agenda is strong, there is concern that the implementation through the 17 SDGs may not be ambitious enough. Some goals and indicators for progress remain vague or inadequate. Others – especially those obsessed with a growth paradigm – are contradictory.
The achievement of the 2030 Agenda will depend on transformative actions on each and every goal, and on strong political will and accountability. The 2030 Agenda promises a systemic review process “to support accountability to our citizens”, which is to happen at national levels, but is weak on accountability, transparency, and participation (Donlad, 2016).
Unlike the MDGs, which did not have a sufficiently robust system of accountability, an effective follow-up and review framework for the 2030 Agenda must ensure accountability to all people, including children and excluded groups who often do not have the opportunity to participate in formal accountability processes. Regular dialogue and engagement with people of all ages and backgrounds must happen at all levels (Save the Children, n.d.). Governments should be actively consulting with civil society and support meaning- ful dialogues. As highlighted by the UN Secretary-General in his 2014 Synthesis Report, there is a need for a “new paradigm of accountability” to spur people-centred, planet-sen- sitive development (ibid.). In the field of tourism there is a lot to catch up in this regard, as civil society participation is weak in political decision-making related to tourism and the vulnerability of people is high.
Given the important role of the private sector in travel and tourism, strengthening the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and incorporating them into the implementation of the SDGs and their accountability processes is an important opportunity to ensure that both are central to gauging private sector effectiveness and accountability in the development space (Gneiting, n.d.).