15 November 2016: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) released a report that shares lessons from supporting the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in over 140 countries. The report argues against “starting from scratch” when implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and makes suggestions for building on improvements made under the MDGs.
The report, titled ‘From the MDGs to Sustainable Development for All: Lessons from 15 Years of Practice,’ analyzes what worked for MDG implementation and why, drawing from over 50 National MDG Reports in which governments and stakeholders reflect on their MDG experience. The report finds that the MDGs had the most impact when local leaders and change agents considered the MDGs as an opportunity to build consensus on national priorities and motivate popular engagement, improve coordination within and between governments, increase transparency and accountability, make the needs and contributions of particular groups visible, and generate international support.
The MDG experience demonstrates that “projections are not trajectories,” and concerted efforts and determined leaders can achieve the unexpected.
The report underscores the importance of early and effective action on the SDGs to enact a “course-correction” to shift development trajectories to an “inclusive, sustainable and equitable track.” According to the report, the MDG experience demonstrates that “projections are not trajectories,” and concerted efforts and determined leaders can achieve the unexpected. Lessons learned from MDG implementation focus on: advocacy and communication; adaptation and localization; implementation and acceleration; and monitoring and reporting.
The report elaborates on ten recommendations for SDG implementation. These are: act early to leave no one behind; set targets that reflect people’s priorities for the future; empower local change agents; invite broad engagement; realize subnational strategies and improve intra-governmental coordination and accountability; pursue “big picture” opportunities; prioritize policy accelerators; strengthen adaptive capacities and facilitate action across government by re-purposing relevant units and processes rather than establishing parallel systems; “build a big tent” by finding ways to work outside silos and divisions; and use SDG reporting to engage all of society.
On early action, the report recommends that countries continue to implement solutions identified in MDG Acceleration Action Plans and direct attention and resources to SDG targets that are very off track, have no institutional support and have a poor track record. On prioritizing policy accelerators, the report suggests, for example, that countries identify specific areas that can serve as an entry point for transformational change to drive sustainable development progress across multiple objectives and then prioritize these areas in national strategies and sector plans. [Publication: From the MDGs to Sustainable Development For All: Lessons from 15 Years of Practice]