The SDGs: a call to action to leave no one behind

On 8 September 2015, Nabeeha Mujeeb Kazi, President and CEO at Humanitas Global, and Chair of the Community for Zero Hunger, posted a blog, presenting the proceedings of the IFPRI Policy Seminar on The road to New York: Keeping the SDGs agenda in focus which took place on 2 September. Panelists comprised Shenggen Fan and Claudia Ringler from IFPRI, Francisco Ferreira from the World Bank, Homi Kharas from the Brookings Institution, and Andrew Steer from the World Resources Institute. They discussed and debated SDG implementation. The panelists raised cross-cutting issues and opportunities, including accountability, measurement, multisectoral engagement, financing, and overall coordination and alignment. 

A challenge for adoption is not necessarily the number of goals and targets, but financing. Panelists discussed the barriers and considerations associated with “paying for the SDGs.” Kharas noted that while a clear and comprehensive financing mechanism has yet to emerge, we have an opportunity to go beyond external pathways and enhance the pot with domestic sources, including funds that governments will invest into their own programmes, and innovative financing approaches. 

Policies and programmes must be designed for multiple wins. The global community is concerned about tradeoffs. For example, can we realistically expect a doubling in agricultural production without an impact on the environment? Fan argued that we must leverage technology and multisectoral knowledge to get the greatest bang for our buck. In fact, innovations in agriculture have already demonstrated that we can increase crop yields while also reducing both water use and carbon emissions, and improving the vitamin and mineral profile of key crops. Fan also noted that our policies must deliberately prevent tradeoffs instead of reinforcing them, which is the concern around subsidies for fertilizers, water, and energy.

Sustainability is front and center, but a well-defined action plan must emerge. We have come a long way from 15 years ago when the writers of the MDGs almost forgot about the environment. While “sustainability” reigns supreme in the SDGs, Ringler noted that we risk falling short. The environment and natural resource-specific targets must be supported by well-informed indicators, and a well-defined implementation plan that accounts for what is measured, how it is measured, and clear standards for measurement and progress to which we all are agreeing.

Multistakeholder platforms are best equipped to promote accountability and support measurement. There is agreement that progress toward the SDGs requires the participation of individuals and institutions from a range of sectors and levels. Steer noted that multistakeholder platforms are critical for swift action, are best able to hold governments and institutions accountable, play a central role in monitoring, and ensure that implementation is well coordinated. Siloed, top-down approaches have proven to be ineffective in building sustained change and impact at scale.

The role of communities needs to be recognised. Communities should inform country-level programs related to the SDGs, and participate in implementation and a scale up of what is well accepted and works. Ferreira noted that the goals are not meant to be an international community effort, rather an effort that must be driven by individual countries, and more specifically communities. 

The discussion around the SDGs reinforced that much work is still required, but also emphasized that we are all in this together and must carry the momentum forward. In addition, with countries and communities at the forefront, progress can be made.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that the 17 goals and the 168 targets were “people centered and planet sensitive,” and are meant to leave no one behind.  Leaving no one behind is the ultimate mandate, and the dominant call to action on the road to New York and beyond. It also will determine how successful the development communities is in its efforts to finish what was started with the MDGs.