This guide provides a first and preliminary attempt to explain how countries, regions, cities, or sectors might start the process of operationalizing and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. As underscored, creative problem solving and intensive discussions among key stakeholders are required at local, national, regional, and global levels to make the SDGs a reality by 2030.
This guide focuses on the early steps. It is far from exhaustive and does not address the complex tasks of program design, budgeting, financing, service delivery, monitoring and evaluation, etc. We do hope that the ideas described here can help support multi-stakeholder discussions on achieving the SDGs in every country, every region, and every city. The National and Regional SDSNs will help initiate such discussions and mobilize knowledge institutions to support them in as many countries as possible.
We welcome comments and suggestions for improvement of this document and request that they be sent to info@unsdsn.org. We plan to publish periodic updates to this guide, including a more detailed handbook on implementation during early 2016. Until then, many more resources are also available below and on our website: www.unsdsn.org.
Resources from SDSN
Additional Reports & Resources
Indicators and a Monitoring Framework for Sustainable Development Goals: Launching a data revolution for the SDGs — also available online at indicators.report.
Data for Development: A Needs Assessment for SDG Monitoring and Statistical Capacity Development — This study, prepared by a broad coalition of data for development experts convened by SDSN, attempts to respond to that challenge. ‘Data for Development: A Needs Assessment for SDG Monitoring and Statistical Capacity Development’ estimates that the IDA-eligible countries will need to spend $1 billion a year to upgrade their statistical systems and carry out regular data collection for the SDGs.
Investment Needs to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals: Understanding the Billions and Trillions — This paper proposes an analytical framework for SDG needs assessments that translates the 17 SDGs into eight investment areas and integrates climate change adaptation and mitigation. It reviews available needs assessments to provide a first, preliminary estimate of incremental public and private investment needs to meet the goals. The paper also presents a financing analysis and discusses major gaps in our understanding of how the SDGs can be financed.
Resources from SDSNedu (sdsnedu.org)
High-quality, massive open online education in collaboration with the member institutions and partners of the SDSN
Transforming Our World: Achieving the SDGs— This mini-series presents and explains the 17 newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals. “Transforming Our World: Achieving the SDGs” is a call to action that extends beyond policy makers to civil society, business, and universities, and is led by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, the Director of the Earth Institute and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Watch the trailer for Transforming Our World: Achieving the SDGs
The Age of Sustainable Development — This course provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of sustainable development, drawing on the most recent developments in the social, policy, and physical sciences.
Watch the trailer for The Age of Sustainable Development
