29 September 2016: Civil society organizations (CSOs) and donor organizations have released papers and blogs on mobilizing private financing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Other CSO contributions: focus on data; highlight the need to include poor and marginalized people in efforts to ensure no one is left behind in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and provide practical tools for holding governments accountable.

On mobilizing private capital to achieve the SDGs, Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin underscores the importance of innovative financing, such as through the Rockefeller Foundation’s ‘Zero Gap’ innovative finance portfolio. She also notes the need to protect investments, observing that for every US$3 spent on development, US$1 is lost due to natural disasters. Rodin calls for ensuring that efforts to make the world more resilient to climate change and other shocks is “mutually supportive of our work to build stronger, more inclusive economies.”

A policy brief from the Brookings Institute calls for a multidimensional set of metrics to evaluate whether finance is sustainable across all of the SDGs. Titled ‘Links in the Chain of Sustainable Finance: Accelerating Private Investments for the SDGs, including Climate Action,’ and authored by Homi Kharas and John McArthur, the brief explores how to reorient existing financial streams to contribute to SDG implementation such as by redirecting capital flows towards multiple SDG priorities and away from investments that accelerate climate change, degrade and deplete natural and human capital, and exacerbate income and social inequalities. The brief recommends a common approach to quantifiable operational standards that align with climate and SDG priorities. It also recommends that: the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) could seek to ensure SDG consistency by its members with an expanded Sustainable Stock Exchange (SSE) initiative; the International Standards Organization (ISO) could establish SDG-consistent minimum certification standards for private companies; and financial institutions could create “SDG index funds” to track company performance.

On data, the International Peace Institute’s (IPI) Catalogue of Indices includes a new theme on the SDGs, new indices on environmental governance, partnerships, youth, refugees, migration and other topics, and 25 indicators on women’s status on education, participation in decision-making and violence. The SDG Index measures countries’ status on the 17 SDGs as of 2015. Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Switzerland represent the top five countries, while the Central African Republic (CAR), Liberia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Niger and Chad rank the lowest.

Also on data, Francoise Girad, International Women’s Health Coalition, describes “a glaring gap” in gender data on the lived realities of women and girls, explaining that data are often not disaggregated by sex, do not include challenges and issues that primarily affect women and girls, and typically focus only on the reproductive lives of girls over 15 and women below 49. In an article on the Huffington Post, Girad highlights UN Women’s ‘Making Every Woman and Girl Count,’ which aims to increase information on gender equality and women’s rights, and a partnership to track SDG implementation for women and girls and monitor progress towards gender-related targets. Stressing women’s groups as critical in advancing women’s rights, Girad argues this initiative will provide women and girls with data to hold their governments accountable for delivering on the SDGs and ensure that women’s and girl’s rights and development remain on the agenda.

On the inclusion of marginalized voices, Elizabeth Stuart, Overseas Development Institute (ODI), underscores the importance of including the opinions, priorities and preferences of the poor and marginalized when developing or negotiating SDG and refugee policies. In a Development Progress blog post, Stuart stresses that policy interventions are unlikely to succeed unless designed with an understanding of the changing needs and priorities of poor and marginalized people.

On advocacy and accountability, Amnesty International released a guide to SDG implementation and accountability at international and national levels. Titled ‘SDGs: A Practical Guide for National Action and Accountability,’ the guide proposes steps that CSOs and other stakeholders can take to contribute to the review process and SDG implementation in their countries. It features explanations of the 2030 Agenda, possible questions as a starting point for discussions stakeholders can ask, and sample strategies. The guide focuses on indicators and strategies for engaging on SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 10 (reduced inequalities) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). [Brookings Brief] [Rockefeller Foundation Blog] [IPI Global Indices] [Huffington Post Article] [Development Progress Blog] [Amnesty International Publication]