26 May 2017
SDGs // A Guide to SDG Interactions: From Science to Implementation
By the Internation Council for Science (ICSU). The report offers a blueprint to help countries implement and achieve the 17 goals and the 169 targets that sit underneath them. The ICSU report is a first-of-its-kind attempt to quantify SDG synergies and conflicts. ICSU, leading a consortium of 22 scientists, applied a seven-point scale ranging from +3, which applies when one goal or target is very reinforcing of others, to -3, which applies when goals and targets fundamentally conflict with each other.
The report found that most goals were synergistic but not equally so. For example, one of the strongest relationships was that ensuring access to modern energy for all would go a long way toward combatting climate change and decreasing death and illness from pollution – all aspects of different SDGs. Another positive connection exists between growing the economy and improving health and well-being. Economic growth allows government to increase spending on healthcare, but only if they practice good governance and smart decision-making.
The scale also highlighted where there are conflicts and tradeoffs between SDGs. One major conflict is that achieving food for all could impact efforts to conserve and restore ecosystems. Efforts to end hunger and achieve food security could involve agricultural practices that limit the availability of clean water and renewable energy. Increased agricultural production, if not sustainable, can also result in deforestation and land degradation, jeopardising long-term food security. A careful balance is needed between initiatives to achieve these goals.
The report includes a set of recommendations for future efforts to apply the seven-point scale in countries around the world. The recommendations include identifying the interactions between and among the 17 SDGs in each country, and mapping who can do what to achieve the goals – and where there are capacity gaps. The report further calls for creating mechanisms to increase cross-sector coordination, and monitoring and evaluating progress in the lead-up to 2030.
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ICSU websitePublished
May 2017By
Internation Council for Science (ICSU) The International Council for Science (ICSU) is a non-governmental organisation with a global membership of national scientific bodies (122 Members, representing 142 countries) and International Scientific Unions (31 Members). ICSU’s mission is to strengthen international science for the benefit of society. To do this, ICSU mobilizes the knowledge and resources of the international science community to:- Identify and address major issues of importance to science and society.
- Facilitate interaction amongst scientists across all disciplines and from all countries.
- Promote the participation of all scientists—regardless of race, citizenship, language, political stance, or gender—in the international scientific endeavour.
- Provide independent, authoritative advice to stimulate constructive dialogue between the scientific community and governments, civil society, and the private sector.