2021•09•10     Tokyo

A new UNU-IAS Policy Brief presents findings and recommendations on aligning national development plans with the SDGs. It identifies how the SDGs can be harnessed in national planning to mainstream sustainable development principles and accelerate localisation of the 2030 Agenda. The brief, Accelerating 2030 Agenda Integration: Aligning National Development Plans with the Sustainable Development Goals, draws on analysis of national planning in six countries in Asia and the Pacific, East Africa, and the Middle East. Authored by Tarek Katramiz and Mahesti Okitasari, the brief is an output of the UNU-IAS project Governance for Sustainable Development.

Highlights

Achieving the SDGs and the transformation required by the 2030 Agenda hinges on effective national policies. National development plans play a critical role as they are at the centre of the policymaking process. To accelerate localisation of the SDGs national planning must be aligned with the SDGs through improving the policymaking process, removing systemic barriers, and engaging diverse stakeholders to innovate and sustain change.

Recommendations:

• Harness the SDGs as an opportunity to promote national goal-setting processes and influence domestic policymaking.
• Use the SDGs as a platform to mainstream sustainable development principles in national policymaking.
• Strengthen national development planning by promoting approaches relevant to the SDGs.
• Position human, social, environmental, economic, and institutional objectives at the same level.
• Ensure inclusive participation and effective stakeholder engagement in implementing the 2030 Agenda and national development plans.