Sustainable Development Goals
- Global sustainability goals, which are to be reached by 2030
- 15 years to transform the world
*A world without hunger
without environmental pollution
without poverty
without war
Objective: Produce a set of universal goals that meet urgent social, economic and environmental challenges
- Global goals, which are to be reached by 2030
- Launched in 2015
- Clustered into 17 goals –> based on MDGs
- Officially Adopted by 193 Countries
*Result of a 3 year stakeholder process - Overall 300 issues were determined
- They are all interconnected and therefore indivisible
- SDGs are universal: goals and targets apply to all countries
- SDGs require policy coherence and government wide approaches –> If a specific policy is developed, it has to be made sure, that it is in line with the SDGs goals and targets
- Designed for all sectors (application in business) large multinational companies were the first to sign on
- Enhance communication, because all use the same “terminology”
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
– agreed on in 2000 (UN Summit for Sustainable Development) by leaders from 189 nations
8 Goals –> 21 Targets –> 60 Indicators
MDG report 2015
- Millennium Development Goals Report 2015:
– Final assessment of global and regional progress
towards the MDGs
– Based on official statistics
– compiled by the Inter Agency and Expert Group (IAEG) on MDG indicators - Main findings
– Significant progress across all goals
– Examples : * Drinking water sources: 91% in 2015, 91%, 76% in 1990 - Poverty: 50% lived on less than $1.25 a day in
MDG report 2015: identified challenges (unsolved issues)
unsolved issues:
*…the progress has been uneven across regions/countries
Millions of people are being left behind, esp. the poorest and those disadvantaged because of their sex, age, disability, ethnicity, geographic location, e.g.
data:
* Large data gaps remain in several development areas:
→ Poor data quality (e.g. old/outdated and/or no disaggregated data)
Some critics related to MDGs
* Too narrow scope
* Some relevant aspects of SD are missing (e.g. many environmental impacts , education quality, human rights, economic growth, infrastructure
* Focus on global and national average
* Role of industrialized countries: performance is not measured
* Financing: money was given by the developing countries, without considering local resources
MDGs and SDGs
*Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
– agreed in Sept 2000 (UN Summit for Sustainable
Development) by leaders from 189 nations
– 8 goals
– 21 targets
– 60 indicators
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
– Agreed in 2015 (follow up of MDGs)
– 17 goals
– 169 targets
– > 200 indicators
Better understand the impacts: requires to look at all groups, also the minority ones
If we do not meet the needs of the most vulnerable, we failed
SDG 17 the heart of the SDGs
- Heart of the SDGs - Partnerships for achieving the SDGs
– SDGs can only be realized with strong global
partnerships and cooperation
– 19 targets
– Strengthening and streamlining cooperation
between nation state - Addresses financing, technology,
capacity building, trade, systematic issues (policy and
institutional coherence)
– Improve access to technology and knowledge
– Coordinating policies to help developing countries manage their debt
– Promoting investment
– Promoting international trade
SDG indicators classification
- Indicator selection process started taking into account 10 criteria (e.g. data availability , universality , science based
Categorization of the indicators in a public consultation process
* Tier I: Indicator conceptually clear, established methodology/standards, data regularly produced by countries –> robust
* Tier II: Indicator conceptually clear, established methodology/standards; data not regularly produced by countries –> harder to quantify
* Tier III: no established methodology/standards (work plans started in Nov 2016) –> even harder
- NOTE: All indicators are equally important; the tier system intends to assist developing implementation strategies & is continuously revised
Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022
- Yearly report
- Reviews progress in the 7 th year of SDGs
- Presents highlights of progress & remaining gaps based on the latest available data
SDG Report 2022 Key findings (1)
- before the Covid 19 outbreak progress was not on track to meet the SDGs by 2030
- Now with the pandemic the SDGs was disrupted abruptly and, in some cases, turned back
- Ukraine Crisis triggered food shortages for the World’s poorest people, set back
global economic recovery, and the global refugee figure hits a record high - Increasing poverty and economic decrease
- Women and children were especially affected by the pandemic
- Access to drinking water and sanitation remains insufficient
- Systematic shifts to combat climate change are needed
- The pandemic is enforcing existing data gaps
- Strengthening multilateralism and global partnership are more important than ever
SDG dashboard for OECD countries
Determination of an overall SDG index for all countries
* Equal weight to all 17 goals
* Worst (0) and the best (100) outcomes
* Inclusion of 85 global indicators plus an additional 30
indicators for the OECD countries
SDG implementation: High Political Forum (HLPF)
- Established in 2012 as the main UN platform for follow up and review of the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - Goal: to keep sustainable development on high on
the political agenda
– To review the progress on (selected) SDGs
– Facilitate cooperation between different stakeholders
– Discuss relevant topics - Participants: Member States and leaders from civil society, business, UN System, specialized agencies, academia and other stakeholders
- Takes part every year
– Specific topics
– National reviews
– Open and closed sessions
HLPF
2022
- Took place at the UN under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) from 5 7 th , 11 15 th , 18 th of July 2022 in New York
- Theme was “Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID 19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”
Voluntary national reviews
VNR countries submit comprehensive written reports &
provide main messages summarizing their key findings
- 2022: 9 countries in Europe, 7 in Asia Pacific, 7 in Latin Ameria, 21 in Africa –> only some countries (193 adopted SDGs)
Implementation at national level
- Implementation at national level
– Shaping policies (e.g. national strategy, local plans)
– Financing sustainable development –> SDGs will require at least US$1.5 trillion extra a year –>Conference on financing in Addis Ababa
– Establishing multi stakeholder expert groups - Measuring progress: Annual SDG report
–> Data collection at local level particularly important for the agenda that seeks to leave no one behind - Regional reports –> Some of Germanys federal states
already adapted their sustainability strategy accordingly, for example Brandenburg
SDG implementation : Who should be engaged ?
- National governments ministries , gov . representatives
– National strategy ( ies ) & monitoring framework - Local governments (e.g. local representatives , planning bodies
– Implementation & data collection; Connects gov. & citizen - Academia (e.g. universities , research centers )
R&D; Experts/advisory; Education - Civil society (e.g. NGOs, organizations movements )
Representing the needs of underrepresented & experience in delivering services - UN country teams
Technical expertise & data collectors - International financial institutions
Provide financial support & DDG needs assessments - Business
Represented in the SDG planning process, e.g. via ( i ) sustainable production processes, (ii) regenerative use of natural resources, (iii) improved social protection for labor, (iv) corporate social responsibility, initiatives, and (v) donations
Partnership with other stakeholders
Addis Ababa Action Agenda
- 2015 Third International Conference on Financing for
Development
– Participants: 174 United Nations member states, 28 heads of State, heads of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), business and civil society…
Outcome: Addis Ababa Action Agenda
– Global framework
– Provides concrete policies and actions to support implementation and financing of the Sustainable Development Agenda - Parallel process alongside SDGs implementation
- Follow up: UN ECOSOC seventh Forum on Financing for
Development ( FfD Forum) took place in April 2022
– Challenges were addressed
– Recommendations were given
– AAAA still in place
Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2022
- published in 2022
Key messages:
– Developed countries saw economic recovery in
2021 following the pandemic shock but
developing countries did not
– Divergence likely to persist or intensify
* War in Ukraine
* 60% of least developed and other low
income countries at risk of debt distress
* Vaccine inequity remains high
* Climate change exacerbating financing
challenges
Review AAAA
Main recommendations
– Harness digital technologies in support of sustainable finance
– Nurture the growing interest in sustainable investment
UN can support policymaking and financial community with definitional parameters within which to set disclosures, metrics and standards
– Aggregate and Advance, Together implementing sustainable development is a task which can only be achieved together !!!
Europe & the SDGs?
- A range of EU policies contribute to this objective, involving many different actors
- 2016 Commission Communication “Next steps for a sustainable European future: European action for Sustainability “
–2 work streams:
i) to fully integrate the SDGs in the European policy framework & assessing where we stand & identifying the most relevant sustainability concerns
ii) developing our longer term vision for after 2020 & new Multiannual Financial Framework beyond 2020 will also reorient the EU budget’s
How the EU will take forward the implementation of the SDGs
Governance:
– Better regulation tools
– The European Semester: Strong focus on employment and social performance thereby promoting a more
sustainable socio economic model
Financing:
– EU budget to tackle challenges both at European and at international level
– The Investment Plan for Europe references specifically the SDGs
Measuring progress at national, UN regional, EU and global level:
– March 2016: 230 SDG indicators were agreed
– Member states & EU are measuring progress and reporting
Shared responsibility for implementation and rewarding excellence:
– The Communication (“Next steps..:”) is a framework for the EU (+Member States)
– The EU will only act when objectives can be better achieved at Union level than by action of Member States
SDGs & business : What is the role of business
Business are:
* Key development function as an engine of economic growth and employment
* Source of finance,
* Driver of innovation and technology
SDGs help business:
* Generate new revenue by creating new opportunities for market differentiation & growth
* Recruit and retain talent by optimizing work force
* Increase supply chain resilience by enhancing supply chain sustainability & operational efficiency
* Assure license to operate by addressing regulatory compliance and managing risks
* Communication tool
Challenges of business:
* SDGs are extremely broad; have not been made immediately accessible or appealing to business
* Wording of SDGs does not instantly resonate with business.
* Perceived as a “cost on business”
* Dismissed as responsibility of governments. Better to wait until public sector take action
* Several tools exist to support business to implement the SDGs
* SDG Compass
Sector roadmap
- Published by the World Business Council For Sustainable
Development (WBCSD) - Guideline to develop sector roadmaps on how to implement the SDGs in different sectors
- 3 step framework is provided
1. Establish current position
2. Identify key impact opportunities
3. Call to action
Identify the most relevant SDGs for the sector
- Identify how the value chain interacts with each SDG -> Analyse
- Identify current level of positive and negative impact on the goals -> Identify
- Assess potential to impact each goal and to create business value -> Analyse potential
- Identify sector priorities -> set priorities
Priority SDGs for business
Most prioritized:
SDG 13: Climate Action
SDG 12: Responsible consumption and produciton
SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth
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Introduction7
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Strategies and indicators17
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SDGs24
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Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement17
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SSPs3
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Mitigation & adaptation & climate funding22
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Poliy Instruments for Climate Change Mitigation16
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EU ETS and German Climate Action Plan14
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Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)3
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Conference of the Parties (COP)11
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United Nations & Montreal Protocol15
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Plastics strategies10
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European Sustainability Strategy & Green Deal20
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German Sustainability Strategy7
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Sustainable consumption & production17
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Green growth and degrowth28
