Background

Southern Voice, together with the United Nations Foundation and Club de Madrid, organized a side event during the High-Level Political Forum on 12 July 2019 in New York. The aim was to discuss progress of the 2030 Agenda, as explored in Southern Voice’s State of the SDGs research initiative (SVSS).

This policy-focused research initiative unpacks some of the critical relationships underpinning the 2030 Agenda to identify those who are “left behind” within diverse contextual realities in the Global South. Against this background, the initiative has conducted an innovative review of the SDGs. It shows the importance of prioritization and sequencing of policies across sectors.

The event took place at the Ford Foundation and gathered more than 60 participants. Government officials, representatives of international organizations and civil society organizations discussed the findings from this research initiative designed and led by researchers from the Global South.

Based on the newest findings from six country case studies conducted in Ghana, Nigeria, India, Sri Lanka, Peru and Bolivia, the round table aimed at answering two recurring questions that are intrinsic to the success of the 2030 Agenda:

1) How do global systemic issues impact the Agenda’s implementation at the national level?

The creation of partnerships has been constantly emphasized in global debates, as coordinated policies at the global level are essential to achieve the Agenda. In addition, gaining an understanding of interactions at the global scale helps countries to factor in the effects of these global trends on the implementation process of the Agenda on the national scale.

2) How do synergies and trade-offs of the different goals and targets play out in practice?

 The achievement of the 2030 Agenda requires that countries understand the nature of interlinkages between SDGs. This way they can reap the benefits from maximizing existing synergies and minimizing trade-offs. However, interlinkages between goals and targets cannot be taken for granted. They are shaped by each country context, and to champion the implementation of the agenda, countries need to gain a deeper understanding of these interconnections.

The event conclusions below are valuable inputs for the State of the SDGs Global Report, to be released this September at the SDGs Summit in New York. 

Key takeaways

  • The implementation of the SDGs demands a more rigorous, sophisticated and complex thinking. This entails looking into the global trends that affect the implementation of the SDGs, which include: i) the global economy ii) governance and conflict, iii) environmental transformations and iv) social changes, among others.
  • At the national level, the Agenda must be understood integrally, keeping in mind the various interactions between goals. However, both of these approaches require more and better data, evidence and research as well as better policy integration between the global, national and local levels.
  • There is a need of better understanding the local context where the SDGs are being implemented and of identifying the transformations needed according to each context. Thus, looking at historical trends and factors that have led to contextual manifestation of developments is something valuable to keep in mind at the moment of designing new programs and policies.
  • Participation is crucial. Those whose lives are affected should be involved in the process.
  • The implementation of the Agenda is not a linear process. It is dynamic and multidimensional. So always keep in mind how interconnections work and affect the achievement of the Agenda.
  • Research agendas need to be constantly adapted in order to understand how different pathways have emerged and to explore how possible pathways are going forward.
  • Data availability and accessibility are key to guarantee evidence-based policy-making, although bear in mind that sometimes data can be manipulated or misinterpreted to support other agendas.

Download the full event summary here:

DOWNLOAD

RELATED POSTS