The SDGs: From Principles to Transformation

Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University
Senior Research Fellow, United Nations University Institute for theAdvanced Study of Sustainability
Norichika Kanie

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Sustainable development goals: priority issues ofthe world toward 2030
A three-tier structure of:
17 goals,
169 targets,and 232 (244) indicators

World goals
for 2030

Leave no one behindTransforming our world

Universally applied to
all countries

Domestic policy
Foreign policy© Norichika Kanie

Monitoring andevaluation of progress(No legal obligation)

Three backdrops tothe SDGs

Safe operating space of the Earth

EconomyEnvironment
SocietyNew social phenomena anddisparities© Norichika Kanie

New approach
Comprehensive
goals

Tree figure showing the environment, economy and society as athree-tier structure

EconomySocietyEnvironment

The issues become
connected one after
anotherGovernanceSource: created by the Ministry of the Environment from a Strategic Research Project called “Comprehensive
Research regarding the Sustainable Development Goals and Governance” funded by the Environment
Research and Technology Development Fund of the Ministry of the Environment
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From the FY2017 White Paper on the Environment

New mechanismGoals-based governance ⇔ rules-based governance
Mainstream
until now

International treaties (ex. Framework Convention on
Climate Change)⇒ Governance creating international rules

With the method of building up what can be done
necessary action cannot be taken (forecasting)
Even with Paris
Agreement
implementation,
there is a large gap
from thedecarbonizing goal!

SDGs

 Start from a presentation at an ambitious level (back-casting) No implementation mechanism or legally-binding force (each entity freely
makes a mechanism) Monitoring and evaluation only5© Norichika Kanie

New measures
Measured using future standards

Measured with numbers (indicators)

Items other than numbers also measured 6© Norichika Kanie

Significance of utilizing the SDGs
Significance: a tool for spreading activities pluralistically They can show (a contribution to) the legitimacy and public nature of activities➢ Advantages for companies➢ Can be used as “external pressure" for opposing unsustainable activities


They are a shared language➢ They lead to cooperation and partnership with different stakeholders (and could potentially contributeto partnership with the academic world and society as well)➢ They can show that a sustained contribution to development is possible in diverse countries➢ Creating connections to the development strategies of developing countries becomes easier

They can show the mutual links between issues (visibility of issues)
They connect global and long-term issues with local and short-term action➢ They broaden policy and activity perspectives

They make scale-up and partnership possible by collecting together activities toward thesame goals➢ They make partnership possible through tagging based on goals and the sharing of best practices andissues➢ Creation of partnerships← Scale-up is necessary for responding to global-scale issues

They enable evaluation using "global standards"➢ Adoption of evaluation standards such as investment, etc.

© Norichika KanieLocal governments and companies and the potential of the SDGs
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Clarification of the linkages between activities and SDGs and the relationships between
society and companies•
The contribution regarding sustainability and the global contribution are greater than Ithought•
Linkage to the development plans of developing countries, etc. (toward marketexpansion)•Raising awareness (in-house, local governments, schools…)
Clarification of positive activities and negative activities toward achievement of the goals•
Begin to study strategies, mechanisms, and technologies for reducing negative impacts•
Study goals, study progress measurement indicators
In-house → industry → global (?) authentication (or standardization) systems•
Build an SDGs supporter system/commendation system•
Shift to standardization at the industry, local government, and national level and theinternational level
Branding as SDGs-leading local governments/companies and the publicity effect•2017 Review Report by the Government of Japan, 2019 Summit-Level Review in theUnited Nations
Achieving the goals in the fields of energy, cities, food, and agriculture will createbusiness opportunities worth 12 trillion dollars, equivalent to at least 10% of anticipated
GDP, and employment for 380 million people by 2030 (“Better Business Better World”
Business and Sustainable Development Commission (commission comprised of Paul
Polman from Unilever, and others), 2017)© Norichika Kanie