English
SDG #17 - PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS
Overview
Achieving sustainable development needs strategic and inclusive partnerships between government, the private sector and civil society. . These inclusive partnerships build on shared principles, values, vision, and goals that place people and the planet at the centre, and are needed at the global, regional, national and local level.
Stronger and more urgent action is needed to mobilize and redirect trillions of dollars of resources into long-term investments in sustainable energy, infrastructure, transport, healthcare and telecommunications technologies in order to support the achievement of the other 16 SDGs. Pan-sector partnerships can achieve this, by developing frameworks, and directing policies and incentive structures that enable these investments to reinforce sustainable development.
Finance
In 2016, net ODA from member countries of the Development Assistance Committee of OECD rose by 8.9 per cent in real terms to $142.6 billion, reaching a new peak. ODA as a percentage of member countries’ gross national income was 0.32 per cent, up from 0.30 per cent in 2015. The rise in aid spent on refugees in donor countries boosted the total. But even leaving aside refugee costs, aid rose 7.1 per cent. In 2016, Germany joined five other countries — Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom — in meeting a United Nations target to keep ODA at or above 0.7 per cent of gross national income.
Remittances sent by international migrants to their home countries in the form of personal transfers and compensation of employees have a profound impact on individual families, communities and countries. In 2016, international remittances totalled $575 billion, 75 per cent ($429 billion) of which went to developing countries, according to the latest estimates.
Information & Communications Technology
Fixed-broadband services remain largely unaffordable and unavailable throughout large segments of the developing world. In 2016, fixed-broadband penetration reached 30 per cent in developed regions, but only reached 8.2 per cent and 0.8 per cent in developing regions and the least developed countries, respectively. In developed regions, about 80 per cent of the population is online, compared to 40 per cent in developing regions and 15 per cent in the least developed countries. In 2016, the global rate of Internet user penetration was 12 per cent lower for women than men. The gender gap remains even larger in the least developed countries, at 31 per cent.
Capacity-Building
Total ODA for capacity-building and national planning stood at $21 billion in 2015. That amount represented 19 per cent of total aid allocable by sector, a proportion that has been stable since 2010. Of the total, sub-Saharan Africa received $5.6 billion and South and Central Asia received $4.2 billion. The main recipients of assistance were the public administration, environment and energy sectors, which together were provided with a total of $8.2 billion.
Trade
During the past 15 years, developing regions have represented a growing share of international trade, with their world merchandise exports increasing from 31.1 per cent in 2001 to 44.6 per cent in 2015. Moreover, developing regions overall have maintained a trade surplus vis-à-vis the rest of the world. For the least developed countries, however, the share in world merchandise exports decreased from 1.1 per cent to 0.9 per cent from 2011 to 2015. Much of that change can be attributed to the fall in commodity prices.
In 2015, average tariffs applied by developed countries to imports from the least developed countries remained stable at 0.9 per cent for agricultural products, 6.5 per cent for clothing and 3.2 per cent for textiles. Average tariffs applied by developed countries to imports from developing countries also remained largely unchanged in 2015.
Data, Monitoring & Accountability
More than half of the countries or areas (81 of 154 countries) for which information is available were implementing national statistical plans in 2016. However, only 37 of 83 countries or areas with pertinent data had national statistical legislation in place that complied with all 10 Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.
In 2014, developing countries received $338 million in financial support for statistics. While that amount represented an increase of nearly 2.9 per cent from 2010, it accounted for only 0.18 per cent of total ODA. In order to meet the data requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals, developing countries will need an estimated $1 billion in statistical support annually from domestic and donor sources.
SDG MEDIA ZONE
Why Global Partnerships Matter
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is a job for everyone, not just a job for government. Nikhil Chandavarkar, the Chief of Outreach and Communications in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Division of Sustainable Development, speaks to why global partnerships matter and provides some examples.
Collaborating For A Better World
We can’t achieve the SDGs without everyone collaborating. As a global community, we need to engage the UN, governments, private sectors, not-for-profits, and civic society. We need to partner with everybody in order to succeed.
Technology For Better Partnerships
Information and communication technologies accelerate progress towards each SDG. Partnership between NGOs, researchers and others are developing increasingly more accurate ways to predict weather patterns, which helps small-scale farmers in developing countries increase yields and profits.
BUSINESS RESOURCES FOR SDG #17
Mandating responsible business practices across a firm’s value chain is the first step to achieving larger sustainability goals, but the biggest global challenges cannot be solved in isolation. Establishing strategic partnerships within and across industries and sectors can focus investments, drive innovation and lead to greater impact and long-term value.
The private sector has great influence, reach and unique capabilities that can be leveraged in partnership with the public sector and non-profit/NGOs to develop more integrated and powerful solutions to global challenges. Investing in partnerships helps to achieve a stronger positive impact on society, and helps to tear down industry and sector silos that have been limiting progress forward.
GRI, UNGC Release 'Practical Guide' for Companies to Report Their Impact on the SDGs
KPMG: How to Report on the SDGs & Global Goals
Project Breakthrough: Growing The Businesses of Tomorrow
AWARD QUESTIONS FOR SDG #17
Partnership Impact Metrics
- Please describe how your SDG partnership is linked to your company’s core competency/competencies:
- Please provide an overview of the business case associated with your SDG partnership:
- Please provide evidence of planned partnership expansion over the coming quarters and/or fiscal years (i.e. – commitments in annual/sustainability report, press release, statement of intent from senior leadership, etc.):
NOTE: Companies applying for SDG #17 will be asked to provide the above details for three (3) different partnerships.
EXPLORE THE GLOBAL GOALS
