Chapter 2: Preparing for implementation

Taking stock and identifying priorities for implementation

Before embarking on SDG implementation, stakeholders should take stock of where their country, sector, region, or city stands with regards to achieving all seventeen goals. A quick ‘temperature check’ of the key dimensions of sustainable development, including economic development, social inclusion, and sustainable environmental management, can help develop a shared understanding of priorities for implementation. In this way, national and local government actors and other key stakeholders can commence a dialogue on implementation of the SDGs with a common understanding of current conditions and the business-as-usual (BAU) trajectory.

Quick indicators for assessing a country or city’s broad performance on the SDGs are captured in Table 1. They were selected based on several criteria: (i) maximum data availability, (ii) applicability in broad range of country settings, (iii) broad coverage of goal priorities. Of course these metrics do not measure the full range of SDG challenges, and they should not be misunderstood as doing so. They can also not serve as a management tool or accountability framework for implementing the goals — they are just a basis for getting started quickly through a rapid self-assessment. The SDSN Report Indicator and a Monitoring Framework (Box 4) discussed criteria for SDG indicators in greater detail.

Box 4: Principles for Indicator Selection

10 Principles for Selecting Global Monitoring Indicators

1. Limited in number and globally harmonized
2. Simple, single-variable indicators, with straightforward policy implications
3. Allow for high frequency monitoring
4. Consensus based, in line with international standards and system-based information
5. Constructed from well-established data sources
6. Disaggregated
7. Universal
8. Mainly outcome-focused
9. Science-based and forward-looking
10. A proxy for broader issues or conditions

5 Principles for Selecting Quick Stock-Taking Indicators

1. Limited in number (2–3 per goal) but capturing core elements of each goal
2. Applicable to broad range of country settings
3. Recent high-quality data available for as many countries as possible
4. Consensus based, in line with international standards and system-based information
5. Constructed from well-established and accessible data sources

For more information see Sustainable Development Solutions Network, (2015), Indicators and a Monitoring Framework for Sustainable Development Goals: Launching a data revolution for the SDGs. p. 17.

Since an initial snapshot is a rapid exercise to support initial national and local dialogues, data should be taken from existing official statistics including surveys, census, administrative records, geospatial imagery, or other forms of open data. The latest available data should be used and disaggregated to the greatest extent possible, so that it is possible to see how different socio-economic groups are fairing in as close to real-time as possible.

In many cases there will be data gaps, but these are instructive in and of themselves, because they demonstrate which areas do not receive sufficient attention, where institutional capacity may be insufficient, or where deeper analyses are required to understand what needs to be measured and how.

This information can help discern where countries or regions are lagging far behind the SDG targets and to articulate priority goals. Identifying priorities does not mean choosing one goal at the expense of another; the SDGs were crafted as an integrated set, which are interdependent and complementary. Instead, prioritization means identifying those areas lagging furthest behind and catalyzing resources, awareness, and policy actions in those areas to spur rapid progress.

Prioritization can also mean identifying specific areas to pursue in the short or medium term as an entry point to the broader transformation towards sustainable development. For example, a country or region subject to acute drought may decide to focus on sustainable water resource management as one of its immediate objectives, recognizing that a comprehensive water resource management strategy will consider the balance of the local ecosystem (SDGs 14/15), water use within local industry (SDG 12), the impact of the water shortages upon poverty, agriculture and employment (SDGs 1/2/8), and so on.

Table 1: Illustrative indicators for a quick assessment of a country or region’s starting position with regards to sustainable development

A stocktaking and prioritization exercise is not only relevant for national and local governments. The SDGs are universal goals that apply to all key stakeholders and should serve as a lens for critical internal reflection. For example, companies should see the SDGs as an opportunity to take stock of their business practices in their interactions with customers, suppliers, and the natural environment; civil society should use them as an opportunity to think through more holistic, cross-sectoral approaches to poverty alleviation and environmental management; and universities and knowledge institutions should consider whether the evidence and knowledge they are generating contributes to the pursuit of a more sustainable world for people and planet. For this reason, stakeholders should also seek to establish a set of measures against which to take stock of their performance on the SDGs.

The Global Reporting Initiative, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the Global Compact have already developed a set of Key Performance Indicators with which businesses can measure their current performance on sustainable development and track their future contributions. The SDG Compass sets out an inventory of business indicators, mapped against the SDGs. It allows businesses “to explore commonly used indicators and other relevant indicators that may be useful when measuring and reporting your organization’s contribution to the SDGs.”

Civil society organizations, faith-based groups, and knowledge institutions should conduct a similar stocktaking exercise to consider how they contribute to each of the goals and identify priority areas for action. Each will need to consider its respective strengths and expertise as part of such an exercise.

Quick stocktaking exercises will be crucial to ensure that all stakeholders come to the table with a sense of their respective contributions towards the SDG agenda, as well as an informed opinion on priority concerns for the country, region, city, or sector.

Preparing to develop SDG strategies

Once national and local governments and key stakeholders have taken stock of their starting point and have started to articulate priority issues, it is necessary to embark upon a roadmap exercise to develop a national SDG strategy.

Do we really need a plan?

It may be necessary to explain to key stakeholders why an SDG strategy, built upon set of sector-specific strategies, is required. The idea of long-term strategies and planning is deeply frowned upon by some; ‘isn’t that how the old centrally planned economies collapsed?’ But in order to achieve goals as complex as the SDGs, societies will certainly need plans, with government taking the lead supported by the active engagement of business, academia, and civil society. There need not be rigid central planning of every sector in micro-detail, but basic and quantified strategies that look ahead are useful. These help governments and other stakeholders think over a 15-year time horizon and answer the question how can my country or my city achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals and/or what can my company, organization or institution contribute? This forward-looking planning is particularly important since the complexity of the goals requires integrated sustainable development plans that speak to one another and prioritize social, economic, and environmental considerations concurrently.

A plan needs to take the SDGs seriously as time-bound, quantitative objectives and articulate the major shifts in policy, programs, and investments required to achieve each goal. Take SDG 4 for example, on quality education for all. Consider a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa. Perhaps today only 25% or 30% of kids 16 or 17 years old are completing a secondary education. Perhaps three-fourths are not. But according to SDG 4 there should be universal completion, 100% completion, by 2030. The key stakeholders in that country — the government, business community, academia, and civil society — must think very hard about a sound strategy to close an enormous education gap, and to do so successfully by 2030. Such a strategy must identify a pathway to many more schools, more access for poor students, more and better-trained teachers, and of course and expanded education budget. A successful strategy will have to deploy every innovative technique at hand, such as a vast scale-up of free, online education; distance learning; and distance training of teachers via smart phones, tablets, and every other kind of device to accelerate the uptake and the quality of education in the country. All of this will require a rollout plan, a financing model, and a functional international partnership to support low-income countries.

Another argument for long-term plans is that the SDGs set out ambitions over a 15-year period. Few sitting governments today will be in power 15 years from now. To overcome this challenge, each nation needs long-term plans and strategies that transcend normal day-to-day politics and electoral cycles. These SDG plans should empower all major political groups to say “Of course we’re on board; the SDGs are a global and national objective, not a partisan objective. And we therefore need national, rather than partisan, strategies that help to see our country through to success by 2030.”

There is one further reason for comprehensive SDG planning process at national and local levels: When the 193 member states of the United Nations were debating this new agenda they realized that the extent of global challenges could not be captured by fewer than 17 goals. This is a big number, but they went further, setting out 169 quantitative and qualitative targets or strategic objectives under each goal area. The targets are intended to help guide implementation, but as recognized by member states repeatedly, this long list of targets is only indicative; every country has its own national circumstances and national priorities. The challenges facing the United States or Ghana or Tajikistan are very different and highly context-specific. They are dependent on geography, on the state of development, on the history of the country, and on the nature of the country’s relations with world markets and regional economies. For this reason an SDG planning process is necessary to help governments rationalize the targets and identify the ones that are most relevant to their specific challenges.

Who should be engaged?

Developing SDG strategies and plans should be a multi-stakeholder process, engaging national and local government representatives, civil society, businesses, faith-based groups and representatives from academia and science. As noted in Transforming our World, inclusive development means “all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this plan [SDG Agenda].”[2.1]

Effective multi-stakeholder engagement will build on the expertise of individual actors to do collective problem solving. Different actors will need clearly defined roles and responsibilities to make the process work. This section discusses what various stakeholders can contribute to the process and how they may best be included.

Table 2: Stakeholder Groups at National and Local Levels — Although stakeholders vary from country to country, the following is a general list of the main actors at the national level. The list also includes specific stakeholder groups that play an important role in urban and regional development.

National Governments

National governments are the ultimate duty-bearers of the SDG agenda. Having endorsed the agenda on September 25th, 2015, national governments are now bound to embark upon a comprehensive program of implementation, developing a national strategy (-ies), agreeing upon a national monitoring framework and a process for annual reporting, and establishing multi-stakeholder advisory groups to support implementation. Above all, governments need to show a strong public commitment to implementing the SDGs. They will be accountable to their citizens through national formal and informal mechanisms, and to the international community via annual dialogues at the High-Level Political Forum (see the section on “Institutional arrangements” below).

Local Governments

Home to half of the world’s people and three quarters of its economic output, cities will be a critical frontline of implementing the sustainable development agenda. Cities will be dynamic test beds for new sustainable development strategies and approaches, and they will generate and compile considerable amounts of social, environmental, economic, and private sector data. City and local governments will provide a crucial conduit from the national level to local citizens and community groups.

Academia

Universities and institutions of higher education can play a major role in the planning and implementation process. The SDSN was created to support universities and other knowledge centers to play this role. Through research and development (R&D) they can create and incubate new technologies, they can identify strategic priorities and best practices in strategy and innovation, and they can help to monitor the agenda through the collection, analysis, and interpretation of primary data. Universities of course are also the key nodes of higher education, training a new generation of sustainable development leaders, and playing a key role in public awareness and education as well. Universities can be a critical and invaluable source of long-term independent technical assistance to governments to design and support implementation of SDG plans, working with specific ministries and/or national statistical offices.

Civil society

Civil society groups will play a pivotal role for SDG-based planning in two main ways. First, many represent the needs of underrepresented communities and regions. This makes them critical partners in ensuring that SDG strategies target the needs of all segments of society and ensuring accountability for SDG implementation. Second, they have extensive experience in delivering services to the poor and can recommend appropriate interventions in different parts of the country. They therefore need to be represented in multi-stakeholder bodies and thematic working groups for public consultations on important issues for SDG planning.

UN country teams

The UN country teams have access to specialized technical expertise that can support strategic planning, in particular they are often the collectors of core household survey data, such as the Multi-Indicator Cluster Surveys led by UNICEF. As trusted partners of governments and civil society, UN country teams are also well positioned to support the setting up of consultative processes for the design of SDG-based national development strategies. In support of such work the UN has already released an interim Reference Guide for UN Country Teams, entitled Mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

International financial institutions

International financial institutions should participate both in strategy formation and in goal-based or sectoral committees. In particular, the World Bank’s sectoral and economic expertise can make an important contribution to SDG needs assessments (see Chapter 3). The International Monetary Fund (IMF), regional development banks, sub-regional development banks, and aid coordination groups can lend guidance on the process of developing an SDG-consistent Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and macroeconomic framework.

Development partners

Donors can contribute technical and managerial expertise and may provide critical financial support for the preparation and implementation of the SDG-based national development strategy. Their participation is needed to develop a broad consensus on the country’s investment needs and priorities for achieving the SDGs. Such a consensus will form the basis for an honest dialogue about needed development assistance. Starting early in the process, agencies may want to designate a focal point for participating in the government-led working groups.

Business

Business should be represented in the SDG planning process, as opportunities for collaboration abound. Some include: (i) sustainable production processes, (ii) regenerative use of natural resources, (iii) improved social protection for labor, (iv) corporate social responsibility initiatives, and (v) philanthropic donations. When working in partnership with business, governments should keep in mind the profit-driven nature of companies and figure out how to capitalize on that for the benefit of development priorities. For instance, governments should set up incentives to attract businesses to participate in the SDG process. Many companies already see the SDG Agenda as critical to their growth, and data shows that businesses that incorporate sustainable practices into their model outperform their competitors[2.2]. Similarly, sustainability is valuable to the longevity of a company when the business model is in alignment with the interests of the community it is operating in. On the other side, governments must consider criteria for choosing companies to partner with. Performance indicators include records in human rights violations, corruption scandals, financial transparency, and compliance with the law and tax system.

Institutional arrangements

The integrated nature of the SDGs requires corresponding institutional arrangements, within and across national and local governments, involving multiple ministries, departments, and government institutions. This level of cross-sectoral cooperation requires innovative planning instruments that use frameworks and incentives to coordinate cross-ministerial activity. Currently, ministries largely have separate budgets, communication channels, and monitoring systems. Cross-sectoral planning asks governments to improve the capacity of ministries to collaborate effectively in areas including information sharing, human resources, technology, strategy design, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E).

Box 5: The Role of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

In 2012, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) to mobilize global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical problem solving for sustainable development, including the design and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following their adoption, the SDSN is now committed to supporting the implementation of the SDGs at local, national, and global scales.

To this end, SDSN works with partners in academia, government, business, civil society, and the United Nations to promote practical solutions for sustainable development. We mobilize universities and other knowledge institutions around the world for the implementation of the goals and promote the exchange of lessons and learning.

The SDSN is governed by a remarkable Leadership Council comprised of some 100 global leaders on sustainable development from science, civil society, business, government, and international organizations.

SDSN Priorities

Support for the SDGs

The SDSN provides analysis and technical recommendations to support the implementation of the 2030 agenda, drawing on our global network and the Leadership Council. In particular the work focuses on integrated sustainable development pathways, data, monitoring and review, financing for development, and the climate change agenda.

A global network of problem solvers

More than 20 National and Regional SDSNs have been launched, mobilizing and empowering universities and other knowledge institutions in support of the SDGs. With more than 350 member institutions from over 80 countries, we are building a global network of problem solvers. Our technical expertise is organized across Thematic Networks that foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among expert communities. In addition, SDSN Youth mobilizes young people around the world to prioritize the SDGs and to promote practical youth-led solutions.

Solution initiatives and long-term pathways

Thematic Networks and National and Regional SDSNs are committed to finding novel solutions — often using modern technologies or new business models. This includes helping countries chart long-term pathways for achieving the SDGs. One example, the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project, supports countries in mapping out how they can transform their energy systems to promote economic growth and reduce emissions, to keep the rise in global temperatures to less than 2°C, as agreed by all countries.

Education for sustainable development

SDSN’s flagship online education initiative, SDSNedu, is training the largest-ever cohort of students of sustainable development through free online courses from the world’s leading experts. Uniquely, SDSNedu is operated through a consortium of institutions and works with SDSN members around the world to integrate high-quality online education into universities’ curricula.

There are a variety of ways for a country to design a coordination mechanism to oversee SDG-based national planning. For example, Ghana established a high-level inter-ministerial commission that brings together sectoral working groups across ministries. Mexico and Colombia have aligned SDG efforts with the President’s Office to ensure the highest level of commitment. And the United States has established an inter-agency organizational structure that includes foreign and domestic agencies[3.7]. Countries can build upon existing ministries, such as the Ministry of Planning, or their National Council on Sustainable Development (NCSD) (see Table 2), which over 100 countries have created in response to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit[3.8]. Some countries may want to create a new Ministry of Sustainable Development to oversee implementation. All countries will need a coordination process. A key step in the inception meeting is to map out a new organizational structure for government and stakeholders to engage on the SDGs with a 15-year time horizon.

Table 3: Examples of National Councils on Sustainable Development (NCSD)

Whatever the organizational structure, these commissions or inter-ministerial groups should be endorsed at the highest level (by the Head of State or Government), and should engage ministries of planning, finance and economy, health, education and social development, agriculture, environment, the Chambers of Commerce, and the National Statistical Office. Furthermore, commissions should have local government participation (both city and regional representation), as well as representation from civil society and academia. To create an efficient process, representation should be limited; non-governmental representatives should act as interlocutors on behalf of their broader constituency.

Box 6: The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE)

The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) is an “advisory body mandated by and reporting back to the German Federal Government.”[2.vi] It is comprised of 15 council members appointed on an individual basis for three-year terms by the Chancellor. Its role is to advise “the government on its sustainable development policy and, by presenting proposals for targets and indicators, seeks to advance the Sustainability Strategy as well as propose projects for its realization.” It also serves to “foster social dialogue on the issue of sustainability” and “increase the level of awareness among all concerned and the population as to what sustainable development actually means by demonstrating the consequences of social action and discussing

Box 7: Sweden spearheads High-Level Group for SDG implementation

Realizing that the “true test” of the 2030 Agenda was going to be its implementation, as well as “maintaining strong political momentum,” the Swedish Government formed a High-Level Group with nine leaders from various countries, e.g. South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, to ensure that the all stakeholders genuinely commit to the implementation of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. Likewise, it will also “work in various ways to promote exchange of experience and discussions on challenges and solutions between governments, civil society, the private sector and international organizations.”[2.v]

The primary responsibilities of such a group should be the following;

• To develop or coordinate SDG implementation strategies
• To develop a national monitoring framework and accompanying set of national indicators
• To compile or update an annual sustainable development report (with major revisions at 5-year intervals)
• To consult with key stakeholders
• To prepare for regional and global dialogues on SDG implementation

Box 8: Aligning international processes with the SDGs

As with national planning, relevant international institutions and processes also need coordination and to be aligned with the SDGs, as the central lodestar for their endeavors. This should involve the United Nations agencies, but also the Groups of 7 and 20, the European Union, WTO and many more. The G20 have already broken ground in this regard with their recent commitment in Antalya (15–15 November 2015) to develop an action plan for the SDGs. Another forum which provides an opportunity for coordination of these various processes is the High Level Political Forum on SDG follow-up and review. This mechanism should seek to encourage other multilateral processes, agencies and entities to participate and present the alignment of their work with the SDGs and their contribution to the process. For more on this see G20 Leaders’ Communiqué, and Espey, J., Walecik, K., and M. Kuhner (2015) Follow up and review of the SDGs: Fulfilling our commitments, Working Paper, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, New York, USA: SDSN.