SDGs

Inadequate national SDG implementation efforts, particularly policies and budgets, could be an important reason why SDGs are off track. Identification and assessment of these policies and budgets should be a major focus of the SDG follow up and review process, especially the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), in order to strengthen governance of...

In 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, extensive research and numerous policy reports suggest that these goals struggle to gain momentum, leading the UN Secretary-General to call for their urgent “rescue.” Several factors have been cited for the...

SDGs are off track, but the HLPF’s follow-up and review (FUR) process, especially reviews of Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), does not systematically examine the reasons. This paper recommends that SDG progress reviews should focus more on analysing national SDG implementation policies and budgets. Regarding the environment, for example, this...

Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has mainly focused on levels of achievement of targets and indicators, but few studies have examined policies and implementation efforts systematically. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has called for more monitoring of policy efforts, which is necessary to understand why overall...

The importance of young people’s involvement in SDG processes is gaining recognition at the highest levels. This commentary highlights progress on youth engagement and points to three pillars of meaningful engagement that merit added attention: 1) representation; 2) inclusivity; and 3) empowerment. As we look forward to the upcoming SDG Summit and...

Nationwide ageing and dramatic depopulation threaten the survival of many Japanese small-sized towns and villages. To address this challenge—which is not unique but that in Japan is compounded by uneven urbanization patterns and increasing ruptures within the socioeconomic order—the Government of Japan is encouraging municipalities to adopt a pro...

These proceedings pertain to the JSPS-ICSSR seminar entitled ‘Understanding and Addressing Systemic Risks Behind the Socio-economic Impacts of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Japan and India: Developing a Roadmap for a Resilient and Sustainable Future’. Led by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and the Indian Institute...

This report presents findings from a project jointly implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). The project reviewed 50 Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from 36 Asia and the Pacific countries from 2016 to 2021. In this...

Due to the overlapping nature of SDG and climate actions, a clearer understanding of the interlinkages is needed to integrate these two agendas. As these interlinkages are very specific to the local context, engaging with stakeholders can help design the integrated approach at the local level by considering the socio-economic and biophysical...

This study’s objective is to examine how ASEAN countries reported their environment-related policies for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), and a dataset of their environmental policies was developed. This is a necessary first step in analyzing the reasons for insufficient progress on the...