In 2015, world leaders endorsed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with a powerful pledge: to leave no one behind. Ten years later, that promise is on shaky ground.

Progress is stalling across many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

As the global community enters the final five-year stretch toward the SDG deadline, the time for rhetorical commitment is over. Accountability is now the litmus test of credibility. 

At the center of that test lies the Voluntary National Review (VNR) process—the mechanism through which countries report on their progress toward the SDGs. 

Launched with high hopes, VNRs were meant to be catalysts for national dialogue, policy alignment, and citizen engagement. But a new civil society-led review—drawing on eight years of independent monitoring and an analysis of 366 VNRs from 191 countries—suggests the process has fallen dangerously short of expectations. 

The Good: Where VNRs Have Opened Doors 

Despite structural flaws, the VNR process has delivered value in some contexts. In countries like Brazil, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, it has helped surface urgent issues—from poverty to climate vulnerability—and sparked public debate. A handful of governments, including Indonesia, Colombia, and Botswana, have used the VNRs to align national development strategies with SDG targets. 

Encouragingly, local governments are stepping up where national efforts falter. Over 300 Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) have been produced worldwide, many in collaboration with civil society, demonstrating the potential of bottom-up accountability. 

The Reality Check: A System Undermined by Weakness 

Yet these successes are exceptions. For the most part, the global VNR mechanism remains symbolic, fragmented, and deeply uneven. 

Participation is still voluntary. Major countries like the United States have never submitted a VNR, while others, such as Haiti or Myanmar, have dropped out. In some cases, governments narrow the scope of reporting to avoid difficult topics. Colombia’s decision to focus solely on SDG 2 in its 2024 review is just one example of the trend toward selective disclosure. 

Worse, civil society voices are often sidelined or outright silenced. In Pakistan and Brazil, civil society contributions were excluded. In Mexico, legal restrictions suspended public dialogue ahead of the 2024 VNR. In too many countries, consultation processes exist only on paper. 

There is no independent oversight, no formal peer review, and minimal follow-up. Shadow or “spotlight” reports produced by civil society—rich in ground-level data and analysis—remain structurally excluded from official UN spaces. 

The Cost of Inaction 

These gaps matter because they go to the heart of the SDG promise. When groups that have been historically marginalized —Indigenous Peoples, informal workers, persons with disabilities—are invisible in official data, they are also excluded from solutions. When disaggregated data by income, gender, or geography is missing, progress remains performative. 

And when governments use VNRs as reputation tools rather than accountability tools, the credibility of the entire 2030 Agenda is at stake. 

What Needs to Happen Now 

The next five years are the moment of truth for the SDGs and the VNR system must be reimagined if it is to play a meaningful role in delivering them. 

Four critical reforms which emerged from our latest collaborative report with Forus members are needed: 

A Final Wake-Up Call 

The VNR mechanism is at a crossroads. Without structural reform, it will remain a ritual of reporting—detached from reality and devoid of consequence. 

Civil society is not waiting. Across regions, movements are mobilizing to reclaim accountability, document ground-level progress, and push for greater transparency. What’s less clear is whether governments, donors, and the UN system are prepared to meet them halfway. 

Ten years in, the world must ask: will VNRs remain polished documents filed away in UN archives—or will they become blueprints for action? 

The future of the SDGs may depend on the answer. 

For further insights, read our full report which will be launched at the UN High-Level Political Forum.