Sustainable Development Governance for Recover Forward

[intro]

"Governance is recognised as the means to a broader end; it is an essential lever of the systemic transformations needed to achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," notes the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) 2019. The forthcoming GSDR 2023 takes this statement even further, focusing on integrative, adaptive and inclusive governance approaches as levers for Recover Forward and the necessary transformation towards sustainability. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the resilience of governance systems and public sector institutions as well as their ability to adapt, function, and innovate, but it has also exposed underlying vulnerabilities.

The 2030 Agenda constitutes a compass for Recover Forward. Implementing the 2030 Agenda requires solid sustainable development governance as a foundation for the necessary transformation. To this end, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Recover Forward needs to be strategically anchored at the national government level. The Sustainable Development Goal targets and indicators need to be embedded in the respective national plans and budgets. Governments should prioritise policy coherence, to overcome sectoral silos and to align existing rules and regulations towards achieving the goals that are interlinked across sectors. Governments are required to use integrative, adaptive, informed and inclusive governance approaches with adequate capacities and abilities, including smart policy mixes.

The cornerstone for sustainable development governance consists of effective, transparent, accessible and inclusive institutions. While there are no one-size-fits-all solutions and no “silver bullets”, governance approaches need to be diverse, tailored, innovative and adaptive, using science and data to support decision-making.

The following topics provide entry points for sustainable development governance in line with Recover Forward:

Topic

SDG Push

2030 Implementation Initiative

Digital Governance

Multilevel Governance – Localising the 2030 Agenda

Multi-Stakeholder Engagement

Policy-Based Lending

Monitoring and Accountability

Transformative Project Design

Digital Governance

Creating opportunities for designing transparent and participatory governance systems

The focus in accelerating the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and recovering forward has been increasingly on leveraging digital governance. Of the 169 SDG targets, 103 are directly influenced by digital technologies, and an analysis of 20 targets and their indicators across the SDGs shows that the expected deployment of existing digital technologies can, on average, accelerate progress by 22% and mitigate downwards trends by 23%. Digitalisation can create opportunities for development such as new types of goods and services, new markets, new jobs, new skills and new capacities. In addition, digitalisation has huge potential to improve and shape governance systems with a view towards increasing participation, coordination, and transparency. Social media, for instance, is changing how people participate in political and civic life – traditional broadcasters are complementing radio with chatbots or using WhatsApp groups to host discussions with expert guests; and micro-entrepreneurs in the informal sector are receiving cash transfers using mobile money.

Of the 169 SDG targets,

are directly influenced by digital technologies

Deployment of existing digital technologies can, accelerate progess by

and mitigiate downwards trends by 23%

Like other complex adaptive systems, governance systems are dynamic and shaped not only by internal but also by external factors. Digital disruption is one of the most significant contributors to the dynamism of governance systems. Therefore, practitioners and governments working on governance reforms must remain aware that digitalisation has the potential to massively transform the governance landscape. Near-ubiquitous digital access provides citizens with more politically relevant information than ever before. However, the digital transformation also comes with risks for the governance system. Microtargeted misinformation, misleading and fake news make it more difficult for citizens to engage in informed debates, and threaten the integrity of democratic elections. Governments are increasingly adopting surveillance capabilities to monitor citizens and crack down on opposing voices.

Therefore, any governance structures, processes and policies seeking to achieve transformative change must be informed by the ways that digitalisation impacts governance, while also seeking to alter current digital governance trends.

Resources

Digital Governance for Recover Forward

This study focuses on information and communication technologies such as blockchain, database structures and information architectures, e-commerce platforms, messaging services, geographic information service and digital identity management to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

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Pro Poor Digitalisation Tool

The Pro-Poor Digitalisation Tool and its underlying report provide a comprehensive overview of digital innovation approaches and their interaction with the multidimensional issues of poverty and inequality.

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