10 November 2020

Government and SDGs
Hiromi Masuda

Governance for Sustainable Development(GSD),
United Nations University Institute for the Advanced
Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS)Outline
1. Overview
2. National Level SDGs Implementation
3. Local Level SDGs Implementation
4. Summary21. Overview
1-1 Background
Background
Policies and efforts have been made towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and SDGs
at global, regional, national and local level. Many countries have expanded theirgovernance structures for SDGs to involve more stakeholders.
On the other hand, from literature review, research on governance for SDGs atnational and local level is limited compared to global level.
 Needs for research on1) governance and policy making towards achieving the SDGs and2) case analysis of activities at national and local level
Research Contents
1. Research on governance for achieving the SDGs at national level
2. Case Studies for achieving the SDGs at local level, focusing on Japanese cases
 How governments can take actions towards the 2030 Agenda and SDGs?

3

1. Overview
1-2 Research ScopeNationalJapan

2-3 Implications on NationalDevelopment Plans・・・ Bangl

adeshEgypt

Malaysia

・・・
・・

3. Local Level SDGs Implementation
Local

3-1 Case of Japan・・・

3-2 Transformative Capacity
and Japanese cases(SDGs Future Cities initiatives)

・・・

3-3 Mainstreaming
and Japanese cases(2 case studies)

・・・

Policy recommendation for national and local level SDGs implementation

2. National Level SDGs Implementation
2-1 Progress in governance for SDGs
2-2 Financing the 2030 Agenda

42. National Level SDGs Implementation 5
2-1 Progress in governance for SDGs

Involvement of…

Monitoring…

Partnerships with…

Finance/Economy…

Integration of other…

Identify catalytic…

Assess target and…

Wield/simplify…

Mainstreaming into…

SDGs…

Identifying national…

Mainstreaming into…

Prioritise/adapt…

Multi-stakeholder…

Youth involvement

Private sector…

Multi-stakeholder…

Vertical institutional…

Platform for…

Apex body (Ministry)

Research Outline: Identified qualitative
Reported completed actions 2016-2019 (n:153)
criteria and analyzed 153 VNRs (2016100.00%2019) to analyze governance for SDGs
50.00%
at national level.
0.00%
Findings:
Step completed 2019
Step completed 2018
Progress:
Step completed 2017
Step completed 2016
• Established basic mechanisms forhorizontal coordination, multi-stakeholder
consultation, SDGs mapping, monitoring Reported commenced/on going actions 2016-2019 (n:153)
100.00%at national level80.00%
60.00%
Trends:40.00%• Increasing partnerships with non-state
20.00%
0.00%
actors for SDGs financing.
• Mainstreaming into national policies,
plans, budgeting and local plans
Challenges:• SDGs implementation by stakeholders
Governance and Coordination
Multi-stakeholder
Mechanisms
engagement
Mainstreaming mechanims
Approaches
Financing mechanisms
Monitoring
themselves.
Step commenced/on going 2019
Step commenced/on going 2018Step commenced/on going 2017
Step commenced/on going 2016
• Localizing and budgeting of the SDGs
• Assessment of interlinkages among
Source: Okitasari, M. UNU-IAS, 2020targets

2. National Level SDGs Implementation 62-2 Financing the 2030 Agenda
Findings: (Cont.)• Most countries committed to financing part ofnational government budgets for SDGs.
• Some countries made linkages between SDGs
budgeting and policies, and approx. 30 % sorted
national government budgets into 17 goals (e.g.,Colombia, Uruguay, Panama). Some countries
identified linkages of all the government activities
with specific SDGs and planning to link withbudgetary process (e.g., Argentina, Honduras).
• Increasing trends on pursuing financing involving
non-state actors as an alternative from state-led
financing. Private sector-led initiatives for SDGs
implementation is 30 % in EU and 10-20% for otherregions.
• Importance of finance ministry / department
involvement in mainstreaming process at earlier
stage to integrate SDGs into budgetary process (e.g.
Denmark).

Private sector initiatives for the SDGs
implementation
100.00%50.00%

8.11%
9.52% 11.11% 27.03% 15.91% 11.59%
14.29% 5.56%
9.09% 13.77%

0.00%

Step completed

Step commenced/on going

Partnerships between state & nonstate actors for financing the SDGs
implementation
100.00%50.00%
0.00%

19.05% 13.89% 13.51%
20.45% 16.67%
4.76% 0.00% 16.22% 2.27% 5.80%

Step completed

Step commenced/on going

Source: Okitasari, M. UNU-IAS, 2020

2. National Level SDGs Implementation

2-3 Implications on National Development Plans
Research Outline: Analysed 6 selected cases with the most recent National Development
Plans (NDPs) (Bangladesh, Egypt, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Tanzania) focusing on
normative framework, structural reforms, and cognitive messages and capacities
in order to understand how far the SDGs initiate a shift in NDPs.
Findings:
coordination• Governance
NDPs show&pragmatic
adaptation to development paradigms
mechanisms
introduced in the SDGs (e.g., No One Left Behind). All countries
experiment with re-configurating of national planning to be
more inclusive and bottom-up by inserting greater non-state
actors’ participation.
• State characteristics influences the SDGs localization, e.g.,domestic interests narrate the language of SDGs in NDPs.
• SDGs provide a platform to spread development approaches(e.g., Evidence-based approach, scenario analysis, modelling).
• NDPs use language from the SDGs that appeals to theprevailing domestic discussions (e.g., less use of terminology on
human rights in NDP in some countries).
Source: Okitasari, M. & T. Katramiz (n.d) The national development plans after the SDGs: Steering implications of the global goals towards nationaldevelopment planning. Presented at the International SDG Research Symposium Global Goals 2020, 9-11 June 2020 (Virtual).
Please do not quote- this is working in progress.

73. Local Level SDGs Implementation
3-1 Case of Japan
SDGs localization at global level
・ SDGs mainstreaming in long-term plans and visions
・ Voluntary Local Reviews（VLRs）
Ex; OECD, ASEAN, United Cities and Local Governments
Case of JapanAt National Government Level-SDGs Promotion Headquarters (2016) : Prime Minister and all the Cabinet Members-SDGs Implementation Guiding Principles (2016) and its revision (2019): 8 Priority areas andSDGs Action Plan-Round Table for SDGs: Representatives of multi-stakeholders and Ministries-SDGs Mainstreaming into some national plans;-The 5th Basic Environment Plan (2018): Regional Circular and Ecological Sphere-The 2nd phase of Comprehensive Revitalization Strategies for Cities, People, and Careers(2019): KPI on SDGs for Regional Revitalization set; the ratio of local governments
engaged towards the achievement of the SDGs (up to 60 percent in FY 2024)-SDGs Future Cities (2018-): Total 93 Local governments selected （2018-2020）/ SDGs
Public Private Partnership Platform for Local Revitalization

83. Local Level SDGs Implementation

93-3 Mainstreaming and Japanese cases

Research Outline: Developed an analytical framework for evaluating mainstreaming for SDGs
at the local level and applied to 2 municipalities in Japan (SDGs Future Cities)
to understand the opportunities and challenges for local governments inincorporating the 2030 Agenda into policy making
Category
1 Governance and Coordination
Mechanisms

Components of SDGs localization
Governing body, political leadership,
secretariat, finance department, newfunding
opportunities,
informalcommunication, vertical and horizontal
coordination
Multi-stakeholders’ involvement atplanning or vision setting, project,monitoring/review stages, Institutionalsettings, awareness raising
Mapping alignment, incorporating
SDGs into the top agenda/ existing
policies and plans, new strategy,
prioritizing
goals/targets/indicators,
linking with legal power, linking withbudgetMonitoring/ review arrangements,
data collection
Assess targets and goals interlinkages,
policy coherence, introduction offeatured approaches for the SDGs

Findings:
Opportunities
Governance & coordination
1)Strengthened coordination mechanisms
mechanisms
2)Wider stakeholders’ development
2 Mobilising stakeholders
around the SDGs/ Partnership3)Robust implementation4)Possibilities to answer to local challenges
3 SDGs incorporation policy
Challenges
mechanism
1)Human capacity
2)Coordination with existing planning timing
3)Monitoring and review arrangements
4 Monitoring and review
4)Assessment of interlinkages
arrangements
How to overcome?
5 Interlinkages
1) Multi-stakeholder partnership
2) Vertical communication with the national Source: Masuda,H., Morita, K., Okitasari, M., T. Katramiz. Governing theSDGs at the local level: Experiences of SDGs Future Cities in Japan .
government
at the International SDG Research Symposium Global Goals
3) Pragmatic responses of local governments Presented
2020, 9-11 June 2020 (Virtual).
Please do not quote- this is working in progress.

4. Summary

10The research has focused on governments' actions towards the 2030 Agenda and SDGs andanalyzed governance and activities at both national and local levels.
Interim Outcomes
1. National Level SDGs Implementation
・Clarified trends (e.g., financing involving multi-stakeholders), progress (e.g., SDGs Mapping)and challenges (e.g., assessment of interlinkages among targets)・Analyzed shifts initiated by the SDGs in National Development Plans (e.g., adaptation toinclusive approach, trends in reusing the SDGs to appeal to the domestic discussions)
2. Local Level SDGs Implementation
・Developed an analytical framework for evaluating mainstreaming for SDGs
・From cases of Japan, identified components for local level transformative capacity for theSDGs (e.g., involvement of multi-stakeholders) and suggested how to overcome
challenges for mainstreaming (e.g., communication with the national government).
Direction for Outputs
・ Clarification of requirements for governance towards achieving the SDGs
・ Policy recommendation for global, national and local level SDGs implementation

Thank You

This research was supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund(JPMEERF20181001 and JPMEERF16S11612) of the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan