What should we do with the SDG Targets that fall in 2020?
Felix Dodds (1, 2)), Jamie Bartram (2) and Gastón Ocampo (3)
1: Tellus Institute, UNC
Global Research Institute
2: The Water Institute at
UNC, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering; Gillings School of
Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
3: Roanoke College,
Department of International Relations, Salem, VA, USA
Abstract
Transforming Our World:
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by the 193-member
states of the United Nations in September 2015. It includes 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), which are accompanied by 169 targets, 107 of which
are considered output targets and 62 are designated ‘means of implementation’.
While the SDGs are
associated with the period 2016 – 2030, twenty-three targets (14%) have dates
for completion before 2030. For twenty of those targets the date is 2020 and
for the remaining three it is 2025. The
affected targets are associated with 232 individual indicators. Not addressing the issues that arise because
of this has the potential to create two classes of targets.
In most cases other UN processes will recommend
continuation, modification, abandonment or
replacement of expiring targets – outside the SDG framework. The updating of targets outside the SDG framework
and therefore the emergence of two classes of targets has the potential to
threaten the overall cohesion of the SDG enterprise; and there is some risk that
resources will benefit one class of targets, those within the SDG framework,
over the other, regardless of whether target conditions have been
achieved.
The time window to prepare for the
earliest-expiring target (2020) is short.
We identify four option-types and summarize their pros and cons. None is perfect and some blend of them may be
preferable. For all affected targets,
monitoring is in hand within the SDG framework and in several cases established
or potential processes would facilitate analysis and decision making as to
abandonment, renewal, modification or replacement of targets and associated
indicators.
“Sustainable development is the pathway to the future
we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve
social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance.” (Ban, 2013)
Introduction
The Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), the predecessors to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were
not adopted through a single intergovernmental agreement. The Millennium Declaration (UN, 2000), adopted
at the Millennium Summit in 2000, contained a statement of values, principles
and objectives for the international community for the twenty-first century. The
UN Administrative Coordination Committee (ACC) of the UN Secretary General, now
known as the United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB), set up an
interagency committee to develop the outcomes from the Millennium Summit into
what became the MDGs and their associated targets and indicators (UN, 2001).
The MDGs were established for
the period 2001 to 2015 and, according to the final MDG Report: “the 15-year
effort has produced the most successful anti-poverty movement in history:
· “Since 1990, the number of people living in extreme
poverty has declined by more than half.
· “The proportion of undernourished people in the
developing regions has fallen by almost half.
· “The primary school enrolment rate in the developing
regions has reached 91 percent, and many more girls are now in school compared
to 15 years ago.
· “Remarkable gains have also been made in the fight
against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
· “The under-five mortality rate has declined by more
than half, and maternal mortality is down 45 percent worldwide.
· “The target of halving the proportion of people who
lack access to improved sources of water was also met.” (UNDP, 2015)
Transforming Our World:
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by the 193-member
states of the United Nations in September 2015. It includes 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), accompanied by 169 targets, 107 of which are
considered output targets and 62 are designated ‘means of implementation’.
One of the critical
differences between how the MDGs and SDGs were developed was that the SDGs
emerged from a global consultation involving governments, UN Agencies and
Programmes, and stakeholders. The process
included two high level panels set up by the UN Secretary General.
One of these, the
High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability, established in August 2010 and
publishing its report, Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing
in January 2012 as input to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development -
known as Rio+20, recommended that:
“Governments should agree to develop a set of key
universal sustainable development goals, covering all three dimensions of
sustainable development as well as their interconnections. Such goals should
galvanize individual and collective action and complement the Millennium
Development Goals, while allowing for a post-2015 framework. An expert
mechanism should be established by the Secretary-General to elaborate and
refine the goals before their adoption by United Nations Member States.” (UN, 2012)
The second high-level
panel was the Secretary-General's High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the
Post-2015 Development Agenda, set up in July 2012 and which reported on the 30th
of May 2013 put forward some suggestions about what those SDGs might look like
and proposed 12 goals which will be found in Table 1.
The Rio+20 Conference held in June 2012 played a
critical role in establishing the argument for the SDGs. The establishment of
the Open Working Group (OWG) is outlined in the Rio+20 outcome document titled
“The Future We Want” was poignant in the creation of the SDGs:
“248. We resolve to establish an inclusive and transparent
intergovernmental process on sustainable development goals that is open to all
stakeholders, with a view to developing global sustainable development goals to
be agreed by the General Assembly. An open working group shall be constituted
no later than at the opening of the sixty-seventh session of the Assembly and
shall comprise thirty representatives, nominated by Member States from the five
United Nations regional groups, with the aim of achieving fair, equitable and
balanced geographical representation. At the outset, this open working group
will decide on its methods of work, including developing modalities to ensure
the full involvement of relevant stakeholders and expertise from civil society,
the scientific community and the United Nations system in its work, in order to
provide a diversity of perspectives and experience. It will submit a report, to
the Assembly at its sixty-eighth session, containing a proposal for sustainable
development goals for consideration and appropriate action.” (UN, 2012)
The Open Working Group
would have 70 countries sharing the 30 seats and would meet 13 times to agree
17 goals and 169 targets. In 2015 the formal work of the Intergovernmental
Negotiating Committee (INC) would then absorb these into the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development which Heads of State would agree to in September 2015.
During this whole process
there was also the most extensive input the UN has seen from stakeholder
conferences, workshops and reports. All
these informing member States as they started to negotiate. There were a number
of key reports that in addition to the High-Level Panel put forward a set of
suggested Sustainable Development Goals
Perhaps the most
significant event was the United Nations Department of Public Information 64th
Non-Governmental Conference held in Bonn in September 2011 called Sustainable
Communities Responsive Citizens. The conference occurred only two months after
Colombia had proposed the idea of the SDGs at an intergovernmental workshop in
Solo Indonesia. The UNDPI NGO Conference proposed 17 sustainable development
goals. These can be seen in Table 1.
The other major
contribution was through the Sustainable Development Solution Network (SDSN).
The SDSN has been operating since 2012 under the auspices of the UN
Secretary-General. SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise
to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the
implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris
Climate Agreement. Its report An Action Agenda for Sustainable Development
published in June 2013 suggested 10 SDGs – see Table 1.
|
TABLE 1: Sustainable Development Goals |
|||
|
Sustainable Development Goals – 17 Goals September 2015 (UN, 2015) |
Sustainable Development Solution Network – 10 Goals June 2013 (SDSN, 2013) |
High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development
Agenda - 12 Goals May 2013 (UN, 2013) |
UN Department of Public Information NGO Conference - 17 Goals September 2011 (UNDPI, 2011) |
|
1.
End
poverty in all its forms everywhere |
1.
End extreme poverty
and hunger
|
1.
End Poverty
|
1.
Sustainable
Livelihoods, Youth & Education
|
|
2.
End hunger,
achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture |
2.
Increase agricultural
production in an environmentally sustainable manner, to achieve food security
and rural prosperity |
2.
Ensure Food Security and Good Nutrition |
2.
Sustainable Agriculture |
|
3.
Ensure
healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages |
3.
Achieve health and
wellbeing at all ages |
3.
Ensure Healthy Lives |
3.
Basic
Health
|
|
4.
Ensure
inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all |
4.
Ensure learning for all
children and youth |
4.
Provide Quality Education and Lifelong Learning |
|
|
5.
Achieve
gender equality and empower all women and girls |
5.
Achieve gender equality
and reduce inequalities |
5.
Empower Girls and Women and Achieve Gender Equality |
|
|
6.
Ensure
availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all |
|
6.
Achieve Universal Access to Water and Sanitation |
4.
Water:
|
|
7.
Ensure access
to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all |
6.
Curb human-induced
climate change with sustainable energy |
7.
Secure Sustainable Energy |
5.
Clean Energy |
|
8.
Promote
sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive
employment and decent work for all |
|
8.
Create Jobs, Sustainable Livelihoods and Equitable
Growth |
6.
Subsidies
and Investment:
|
|
9.
Build
resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization
and foster innovation |
|
9.
Create a Global Enabling Environment |
|
|
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries |
|
|
7.
New Indicators of Progress: 8.
Environmental Justice
for The Poor and Marginalised |
|
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient and sustainable |
7.
Make cities productive
and environmentally sustainable |
|
9.
Green
Cities
|
|
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production
patterns |
8.
Achieve development and
prosperity for all without ruining the environment |
|
10.
Sustainable
Consumption and Production
|
|
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and
its impacts* |
|
|
11. Climate Sustainability
|
|
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and
marine resources for sustainable development |
|
|
12.
Healthy
Seas and Oceans (Blue Economy)
|
|
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and
reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss |
9.
Protect ecosystems and ensure
sound management of natural resources
|
10. Manage Natural Resource Assets Sustainably
|
13.
Biodiversity
14.
Healthy Forests
|
|
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for
sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build
effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels |
10. Improve governance and align business behavior with
all the goals |
11. Ensure Good
Governance and Effective Institutions 12. Ensure Stable and
Peaceful Societies |
15.
Access to Redress and Remedy 16.
Public
Participation
17.
Access to Information |
|
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and
revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development |
|
|
|
The 2030 Agenda recognized
and honored several processes that were parallel to or preceded the SDG
negotiations. These included the Sendai
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (UN, 2015); the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (UN, 2015); the
existing target in the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) for the
Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) (UN, 2002),
and targets agreed in the processes around the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological
Diversity’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets
for the period 2011-2020 (CBD, 2010)
While the SDGs are
associated with the period 2016 – 2030, twenty-three targets (14%) originating
in these other processes have dates for completion before 2030. For twenty it
is 2020 and for the remaining three it is 2025.
While processes that will lead to recommendations concerning some of
these are underway, there is no consistent approach to decision-making about
their continuation, modification, abandonment or replacement within the 2030
Agenda.
In this paper we describe the
targets affected; review how analogous circumstances have been handled
previously and describe the principal options available to policy makers. The
paper is based on consultations with member States, the UN system and
stakeholders. We hope to assist member states thinking and options they might
have how to address these targets.
Status of affected goals and targets
Table 1 lists the affected
goals and targets, summarises associated monitoring and reporting activities,
and notes for which targets a process to deliberate on post-target date
activity has been identified. While five
of the affected targets are nominally MoI (4b, 8b, 9c, 11b, 13a) their wordings
more closely resemble outcome targets (Bartram, Bradley, Muller and Evans,
2018).
All of the affected
targets are subjects of monitoring and reporting. However, baseline information was available on
the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform to inform the initial
formulation of the SDGs and associated targets (UN, 2016). The availability of
the associated insights; and of experience accrued with the monitoring efforts
themselves, will give Member States baseline data and information on progress to
inform discussion and to assist in determining whether these targets and their
associated indicators should be continued, modified, abandoned or replaced with
new ones.
Adoption of indicators for
SDG targets was overseen by the United Nations Statistical Commission which “created the Inter-agency and Expert Group on
SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), composed of Member States and including regional
and international agencies as observers. The IAEG-SDGs was tasked to develop
and implement the global indicator framework for the Goals and targets of the
2030 Agenda. The global indicator framework was developed by the IAEG-SDGs and
agreed upon, including refinements on several indicators, at the 48th session
of the United Nations Statistical Commission held in March 2017.” (UN 2018). This framework was adopted by the UN General
Assembly (UN, 2018). The indicators are
classified into three tiers:
Tier 1: Indicator is
conceptually clear, has an internationally established methodology and
standards are available, and data are regularly produced by countries for at
least 50 per cent of countries and of the population in every region where the
indicator is relevant.
Tier 2: Indicator is
conceptually clear, has an internationally established methodology and
standards are available, but data are not regularly produced by countries.
Tier 3: No internationally
established methodology or standards are yet available for the indicator, but
methodology/standards are being (or will be) developed or tested. (UN, 2017)
There are 244 indicators however
nine of the indicators are repeated under two or three targets so there are
only 232 unique indicators. Of the 232 indicators associated with the affected targets
93, 66 and 68 are Tier I, II and III respectively; and
|
TABLE 2: SDG Goals and targets
with target dates for completion other than 2030; associated monitoring and
reporting and plans for management of the interim period |
||||
GOAL |
TARGET |
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION |
PROCESS
PLANNED AS OF JANUARY 2018 |
INDICATOR
TIER |
|
Goal 2. End
hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture |
2.1 By
2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed
and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through
soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national,
regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and
equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic
resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed. |
|
Nothing
planned |
TIER I 2.1.1 Prevalence of
undernourishment 2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or
severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity
Experience Scale (FIES) |
|
2.2 By
2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the
internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5
years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant
and lactating women and older persons |
|
Nothing planned |
TIER I 2.2.1
Prevalence of stunting (height for age <-2 standard deviation from the
median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among
children under 5 years of age 2.2.2 Prevalence of
malnutrition (weight for height >+2 or <-2 standard deviation from the
median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years
of age, by type (wasting and overweight) |
|
|
Goal 3.
Ensure healthy lives and promote well- being for all at all |
3.6 By
2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic
accidents |
The new
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution reiterates the call to
intensify national, regional and international collaboration, with a view to
meeting the ambitious road safety-related targets in the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. |
UNGA
resolution A/72/L.48 |
TIER I 3.6.1 Death rate due to road
traffic injuries |
|
Goal 4.
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning opportunities for all |
4.b By
2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to
developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island
developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and
communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes,
in developed countries and other developing countries. |
|
Nothing
planned |
TIER I 4.b.1 Volume of official
development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study |
|
Goal 6.
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for
all |
6.6 By
2020, protect and restore water related ecosystems, including mountains,
forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes |
|
|
TIER II 6.6.1 Change in the extent of
water-related ecosystems over time |
|
Goal 8.
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent work for all |
8.6 By
2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment,
education or training |
|
Nothing
planned |
TIER I 8.6.1 Proportion of youth (aged
15–24 years) not in education, employment or training |
|
8.7 Take
immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern
slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of
the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child
soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms |
|
Nothing
-planned |
TIER II 8.7.1 Proportion and number of
children aged 5–17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age |
|
|
8.b By
2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and
implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization |
|
Nothing
planned |
TIER III 8.b.1 Existence of a developed
and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct
strategy or as part of a national employment strategy |
|
|
Goal 9.
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization and foster innovation |
9.c Significantly
increase access to information and communications technology and strive to
provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed
countries by 2020 |
|
Nothing
planned |
TIER I 9.c.1
Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology |
|
Goal 11.
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable |
11.b By 2020, substantially increase
the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing
integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency,
mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and
develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels |
|
Nothing
planned |
TIER I 11.b.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction
strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
2015–2030 TIER II 11.b.2 Proportion of local
governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies
in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies |
|
Goal 12.
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns |
12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of
chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with
agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to
air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human
health and the environment |
|
Strategic
Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) Conference in 2020 The second
meeting of the intersessional process was held in Stockholm, Sweden,
from 13 to 15 March 2018, hosted by the Government of Sweden. In this
meeting, the Strategic Approach towards 2020 and beyond was discussed the
third meeting will be in early 2019. |
TIER I 12.4.1 Number of parties to
international multilateral environmental agreements on hazardous waste, and
other chemicals that meet their commitments and obligations in transmitting
information as required by each relevant agreement TIER III 12.4.2 Hazardous waste generated
per capita and proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment |
|
Goal 13.
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts |
13 a. Implement the commitment
undertaken by developed country parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100
billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing
countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on
implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its
capitalization as soon as possible |
UNFCCC
Paris text |
53. Oceans
Conference is 2020? |
TIER III 13.a.1 Mobilized amount of
United States dollars per year between 2020 and 2025 accountable towards the
$100 billion commitment |
|
Goal 14.
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development |
14.1 By
2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in
particular from land- based activities, including marine debris and nutrient
pollution |
Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD) 8: “Goal 8. Maintain capacity of ecosystems to
deliver goods and services and support livelihoods - Target 8.1: Capacity of ecosystems to
deliver goods and services maintained - Target 8.2: Biological resources that
support sustainable livelihoods, local food security, and health care,
especially of poor people maintained.” |
CBD in 2018 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt will discuss preparation for the follow-up to
the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The new targets will be set at
the CBD meeting in China in 2020. |
TIER III 14.1.1
Index of coastal eutrophication and floating plastic debris density |
|
14.2 By
2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid
significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and
take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive
oceans |
Combined
elements from CBD 6,11,15 |
CBD in 2018
in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt will discuss preparation for the follow-up to the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The new targets will be set at the
CBD meeting in China in 2020. |
TIER III 14.2.1 Proportion of national
exclusive economic zones managed using ecosystem-based approaches |
|
|
14.4 By
2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and
implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in
the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum
sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics |
Elements
from CBD 2,3,4,6,7,12,19 |
CBD in 2018
in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt will discuss preparation for the follow-up to the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The new targets will be set at the
CBD meeting in China in 2020. |
TIER I 14.4.1 Proportion of fish stocks
within biologically sustainable levels |
|
|
14.5 By
2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent
with national and international law and based on the best available
scientific information |
Elements
from CBD 5,11 |
CBD in 2018
in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt will discuss preparation for the follow-up to the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The new targets will be set at the
CBD meeting in China in 2020. |
TIER I 14.5.1 Coverage of protected
areas in relation to marine areas |
|
|
14.6 By
2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to
overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such
subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and
differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be
an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies
negotiation |
Elements
from CBD 3,4 |
CBD in 2018
in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt will discuss preparation for the follow-up to the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The new targets will be set at the
CBD meeting in China in 2020. |
TIER II 14.6.1 Progress by countries in
the degree of implementation of international instruments aiming to combat
illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing |
|
|
Goal 15.
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,
sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land
degradation and halt biodiversity loss |
15.1 By
2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial
and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests,
wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under
international agreements |
Elements
from Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 4,5,7,11,14,15 |
CBD in 2018
in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt will discuss preparation for the follow-up to the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The new targets will be set at the
CBD meeting in China in 2020. |
TIER I 15.1.1 Forest area as a
proportion of total land area 15.1.2 Proportion of important
sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by
protected areas, by ecosystem type |
|
15.2 By
2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of
forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially
increase afforestation and reforestation globally |
Elements
from CBD 4,5,7,14,15 |
CBD in 2018
in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt will discuss preparation for the follow-up to the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The new targets will be set at the
CBD meeting in China in 2020. |
TIER I 15.2.1 Progress towards
sustainable forest management |
|
|
15.5 Take
urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats,
halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the
extinction of threatened species |
Elements
CBD Target 4,5,15 |
CBD in 2018
in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt will discuss preparation for the follow-up to the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The new targets will be set at the
CBD meeting in China in 2020. |
TIER I 15.5.1 Red List Index |
|
|
15.8 By
2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce
the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control
or eradicate the priority species |
Elements
from CBD 11,14,15 |
CBD in 2018 in Sharm El-Sheikh,
Egypt will discuss preparation for the follow-up to the Strategic Plan for
Biodiversity 2011-2020. The new targets will be set at the CBD meeting in
China in 2020. |
TIER II 15.8.1 Proportion of countries
adopting relevant national legislation and adequately resourcing the
prevention or control of invasive alien species |
|
|
15.9 By
2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local
planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts |
Elements
CBD 5,12 |
CBD in 2018
in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt will discuss preparation for the follow-up to the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The new targets will be set at the
CBD meeting in China in 2020. |
TIER III 15.9.1 Progress towards national
targets established in accordance with Aichi Biodiversity Target 2 of the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 |
|
|
Goal 17.
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership
for Sustainable Development developed
countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the
availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by
income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability,
geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts |
17.18 By 2020, enhance capacity building support to developing
countries, including for least developed countries and small island
developing States, to increase significantly the availability of
high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age,
race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other
characteristics relevant in national contexts |
|
Nothing
planned |
TIER III 17.18.1 Proportion of sustainable
development indicators produced at the national level with full
disaggregation when relevant to the target, in accordance with the
Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics TIER II 17.18.2 Number of countries that
have national statistical legislation that complies with the Fundamental
Principles of Official Statistics TIER I 17.18.3 Number of countries with
a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by
source of funding |
To help in the development
and assimilation of new forms of data to support better indicators and
monitoring, the UN Secretary General set up an Independent Expert Advisory
Group on a Data Revolution for Sustainable Development. It presented its report “A World That Counts”
in November 2014. One of its recommendations was the establishment of a “World Forum on Sustainable Development Data
to bring together the whole data ecosystem to share ideas and experiences for
data improvements, innovation, advocacy and technology transfer.” (UN,
2014).
This initiative was
embraced by the UN Statistical Commission as a platform for intensifying
cooperation with professional groups, such as information technology,
geospatial information managers, data scientists, and users and stakeholders.
The first United Nations
World Data Forum was hosted from 15 to 18 January 2017 by Statistics South
Africa in Cape Town, South Africa. The second will be hosted by the Federal
Competitiveness and Statistics Authority of the United Arab Emirates from 22 to
24 October 2018 in Dubai.
Comprehensive review of
indicators will happen in stepwise, in 2020 and in 2024 after the Heads of
State Reviews of progress in delivering the SDGs in 2019 and 2023 (Institute
for European Environmental Policy, 2018).
Options Analysis
Identifying a future
course of action for each affected target will depend in part on SDG-wide
policies and approaches; and in part on target-specific context, such as the
existence of a treaty or other process.
Alignment between these two influences will vary target-by-target.
One of us (FD) consulted
the UN Agencies and Programmes listed in Table 2 and presented an earlier
version of this table to the government Friends of Governance for Sustainable
Development (FGSD, 2017) workshop on November 2nd 2017 to solicit their
thinking on what to do with the affected targets. The four-principal
option-types, there and associated principal advantages and disadvantages, and
target-specific options described here are synthesized from that process.
Option 1: That
no updated targets will be added to the SDGs to replace those that have expired
and monitoring and reporting will conclude at the date of the target.
Pros: The agreement on the SDGs and their targets was
one that had balanced the interests of all member states and reopening this
could cause that balance to be fractured
Cons: Some of the targets will be updated by other
forums and so then there will be refection of progress reported to the HLPF in
line with the new target. This will be particularly relevant to the CBD and
SAICM targets
Option 2: That
no updated targets will be added to the SDGs to replace those that have fallen
but there will be continued monitoring of the
indicators, and reporting on progress if the target conditions have not been
achieved.
Pros: the agreement on the SDGs and their targets was
one that had balanced the interests of all member states and reopening this
could cause that balance to be fractured. It also allows reporting on the
targets even if other forums have changed them
Cons: These not updated targets will not have been
absorbed into the SDG targets and so it creates two classes of targets. One
which is in the SDGs and one that isn’t. In particular this is true for the CBD
and SAICM targets. It may impact on the level of commitment to the new targets
if they are not absorbed into the SDGs
Option 3: Any
updated target would need to be agreed through the UN General Assembly if it
was to replace an expiring target.
Pros: This option recognizes that the UN General Assembly
had agreed the SDGs and their targets so is the only ‘official body’ that can
update them
Cons: This
could see the whole agreement reopen unless member states agree to recognize
the agreements made in other forums. This still doesn’t address the targets
that do not have other forums to set new targets. In these cases, option 2 could
continue
Option 4: That
any updated target agreed by a relevant UN body substitutes the old target
without going through renegotiation in the UN General Assembly. Where there is
no authoritative UN body then it is done through the UN General Assembly.
Pros: This would address all of the targets that are
going to finish in 2020 and 2025
Cons: This would open up the SDG targets negotiations
to Committee 2 of the UNGA to address those that have no plans to be replaced
and this could be a difficult negotiation
|
TABLE
3: Target-specific competencies (UN, 2018) (UN, 2015) |
|||
|
GOAL |
TARGET |
TARGET DATE |
COMPETENT AGENCY |
|
Goal 2 End
hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture |
2.1,
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.a, 2.b, and 2.c |
2020 and mostly 2030 |
The
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 2021 and The World
Health Organization (WHO) |
|
Goal 3 Ensure
healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages |
3.1,
3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, and 3.d |
2020 and mostly 2030 |
WHO,
UN Population Division, The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World
Bank, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS),
The Vaccine Alliance (GAVI),
UN Habitat, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) |
|
Goal 4 Ensure
inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning |
4.1,
4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.a, 4.b, and 4.c |
2020 and mostly 2030 |
The
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Governing
Conference 2019 or 2021, UNICEF and World Bank |
|
Goal 6 Ensure
access to water and sanitation for all |
6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.a, and
6.b |
2020 and mostly 2030 |
WHO/UNICEF
(Joint Monitoring Programme), CBD, the Conference of the Parties (COP), FAO,
and UNEP |
|
Goal 8 Ensure
access to water and sanitation for all |
8.1,
8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, 8.10, 8.a, and 8.b |
2020 and mostly 2030 |
International
Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD),
and the International Labor Organization (ILO) |
|
Goal 9 Build
resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster
innovation |
9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.a, 9.b, and 9.c |
2020 and mostly 2030 |
World
Bank, International Telecommunication Union (ITU),
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), The United
Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS), and Inter Agency Expert Group on the SDGs and the
Statistical Commission |
|
Goal 11 Make
cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable |
11.1,
11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.a, 11.b, and 11.c |
2020 and mostly 2030 |
UN-Habitat,
Global City Indicators Facility, World Bank, The United Nations Office for
Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), FAO, WHO, CRED and World Conference on
Disaster Relief (Possibly in 2025) |
|
Goal 12 Ensure
sustainable consumption and production patterns |
12.1,
12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 12.6, 12.7, 12.8, 12.a, 12.b, and 12.c |
2020 and mostly 2030 |
The Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative (EITI), The United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD), UN Global Compact, FAO, UNEP´s Ozone Secretariat, The World
Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD),
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), The International Integrated Reporting
Council (IIRC), and The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals
Management (SAICEM) |
|
Goal 13 Take
urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts |
13.1,
13.2, 13.3, 13.a, and 13.b |
2020 |
The
International Energy Agency (IEA), OECD´s Development Assistance Committee
(OECD-DAC), and The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) |
|
Goals 14 Conserve
and sustainably use the oceans, seas, marine resources |
14.1,
14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.5, 14.6, 14.7, 14.a, 14.b, and 14.c |
2020, 2025, and 2030 |
The
UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), The
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), FAO, CBD, and UNFCCC´s
Conference of the Parties |
|
Goal 15 sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation,
halt biodiversity loss |
15.1,
15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 15.6, 15.7, 15.8, 15.9, 15.a., 15.b, and 15.c |
|
|
|
Goal 17 Revitalize
the global partnership for sustainable development |
17.1,
17.2, 17.3, 17.4, 17.5, 17.6, 17.7, 17.8, 17.9, 17.10, 17.11, 17.12 17.13,
17.14, 17.15, 17.16, 17.17, 17.18, and 17.19 |
Several steps to be undertaken until 2030 |
IMF,
OECD, OECD- DAC, The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), The
International Accounting Standards Board (IASB),
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), IMF, The World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO),
WTO, United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), World Bank, Sustainable
Development Solutions Network (SDSN),
and the Inter-Agency Expert Group on the SDGs and agreed through the
Statistical Commission |
Conclusions
The existence of diverse target dates within the SDG
package is a consequence of a process that recognized and honoured the
diversity and richness of inputs to the SDG process and long-established
mechanisms that pursue the SDG ambition.
In most cases, there are processes that will recommend continuation, modification, abandonment or
replacement of expiring targets. If this is outside the SDG machinery,
it will see the emergence of two classes of indicators. This has the potential
to threaten the overall cohesion of the SDG enterprise.
There is some risk that resources will benefit one
class of targets over the other, regardless of whether target conditions have
been achieved. Inaction will tend to favour this and the time window before
preparations towards the earliest-expiring target (2020) is short. We identify four option-types and summarize
their pros and cons. None is perfect and
some blend-determined cased-by-case may be preferable. For all affected targets monitoring is in
hand and in several cases established or potential processes would facilitate
analysis and decision making as to abandonment, renewal, modification or
replacement of targets and associated indicators.
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