IIPA Inputs to the 19th Session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA)

Effective Governance to Accelerate Delivery of the SDGs: Indian Perspective

The SDGs are a universal call to action towards reorienting the world on to a more sustainable path. They reflect an approach that perceives the environment, economy and society as embedded systems. The goals being universal and country-driven are aspirational and interconnected. They are key to Leaving No One Behind (LNOB), encompassing comprehensiveness, inclusiveness and equity, making the quality of governance crucial. This resonates with the spirit of India’s national development goals and agenda of, ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ (together with all, development for all, the trust of all).

Transformative Agenda

The path towards SDGs requires dynamic channels of good governance constituting effective linkages. It is imperative to initiate actions towards key governance issues such as rule-based governance, quality administration and management, transparency, accountability, anti-corruption mechanisms and so on. This entails integration, participation and reflexivity at multiple levels in governance. The coordination between different policy levels and sectors, participatory arrangements (incorporating stakeholders into decision-making processes) and the role of effective quantitative and qualitative monitoring mechanisms to constantly review and revise the strategies assume significance.

The SDGs agenda being transformative, necessitates the effective use of public resources, fostering inclusive and accountable processes and ensuring the robustness of data for good governance. The SDGs provide a framework to stimulate shared action on five key themes and areas of critical importance for humanity: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships. There is a need for appropriate actions beyond the current growth policies for meeting the targets of SDGs. Enhanced growth may enable achievement of the socio-economic aspects of the Agenda, but at the expense of the environmental goals. Hence, the path towards SDGs calls for actions on the ‘smarter track’:

Accelerated renewable energy growth

Such transformation is likely to occur only in the context of good governance, delivered through initiatives that build SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).

Good Governance

The implementation of Agenda 2030 requires a change in the governance culture of a country, which the government cannot do alone, as it requires cooperation and partnerships with different sections of society. Good governance is not a finished product but a continuous and dynamic process. It explores sustainable means to match the expectations of its constituents. There is an increasing need to strengthen coordination at local, national and international levels (vertical integration) as well as among the same levels of governance, ministries and economic sectors (horizontal integration). In an effective multi-level governance framework, actors exchange, plan and coordinate activities that relate to planning, implementation and reporting, while also sharing financial resources and responsibility for outcomes. By strengthening local leadership, generating bottom-up approaches for decisions and consultative processes, vertical integration can identify and implement solutions collaboratively. On the other hand, horizontal integration is collaboration between different regulatory bodies at the same level of governance.

India’s Trajectory on SDGs

India strives to achieve the targets under the SDGs with the help of the dedicated flagship programmes and appropriate policy interventions with due emphasis on homegrown solutions to the varied governance, developmental and environmental challenges that the country faces today. The Government of India has unfurled the ‘strategy for New India @ 75’, which is aligned to SDGs and which aims to push India towards Five trillion dollar economy by 2024. Projected to be the most populous and youngest country in the world by 2024, India’s contributions will be significant for the achievement of SDGs.

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, in his statement at the United Nations Summit in September 2015 during the adoption of the SDGs stated,

Just as our vision behind Agenda 2030 is lofty, our goals are comprehensive. It gives priority to the problems that we have endured over the past decades. And, it reflects our evolving understanding of the social, economic and environmental linkages that define our lives.… The sustainable development of one-sixth of humanity will be of great consequence to the world and our beautiful planet.

Success stories from India in its journey towards achieving the SDGs have the potential to guide other countries.

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), with the Prime Minister of India as its chairperson, has been assigned the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of the SDGs in India. As part of this implementation process, NITI Aayog has carried out a detailed mapping of the 17 Goals and 169 targets to Nodal Central Ministries, Centrally-Sponsored Schemes and major government initiatives. Most state governments have carried out a similar mapping of the SDGs and targets to the departments and programmes in their respective states. The NITI Aayog has initiated a series of national and regional consultations in collaboration with the other organisations to deepen dialogue on the SDGs with states and stakeholders including experts, academia, institutions, civil society organisations, international organisations and central ministries. It has also led the process of Voluntary National Review (VNR) preparation, critical to assess the progress towards goals. The national reviews on SDGs appraise the mechanisms established at the state levels which provide an opportunity for states to learn and share experiences.

Flagship Programmes

The flagship programmes such as ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’, ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana’ (PMJDY), Digital India and so on highlight the Indian government’s commitment to ensure social equity. The Government of India is focussed and has invested in the design and implementation of some of the large scale programmes bridging critical developmental gaps on key SDGs. For instance, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) is the largest government health protection scheme in the world, entitling 500 million Indians to annual health protection coverage of approximately $7,100. The government launched Poshan Abhiyan or National Nutrition Mission for children and women to eradicate malnutrition by 2022. The programme recognises the interconnectedness of nutrition with other aspects such as water, sanitation, hygiene, mother’s education, poverty, ensuring convergence of all the services on a household for reducing undernutrition in the country. The government’s programme, Transforming of Aspirational Districts, across 112 districts, to reduce intra-regional disparities and improve service delivery is related to the achievement of some of the SDGs. The PMJDY, which is the world’s largest financial inclusion programme is another noteworthy example of a crosscutting initiative. These initiatives demonstrate the advances India has made to move ahead on the SDGs keeping the focus on LNOB intact in development planning.

Localising SDGs

India has a federal governance structure, most of the functions that have a bearing on SDGs fall within the purview of the state governments. The commitment of the Government of India in achieving the SDGs can be realised only if actions at the national level are complemented by initiatives of the state governments and the Union Territories (UTs). Further, the focus of SDGs on equality, inclusion and justice makes the participation and contribution of states imperative in the pursuit of SDGs’. In India, there are strong local governments—Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in rural areas and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in urban areas. After substantial financial devolution to the PRIs under the 14th Finance Commission, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is supporting village-level PRIs in planning and implementing development initiatives in their respective areas. The national development agenda covering the SDG framework guides the capacity building of the PRIs as well as the actual planning process.

The process of recognising local contexts in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda can be attained through localising the SDGs. Localisation relates to the local and state governments support for the achievement of the SDGs through bottom-up action and how the SDGs can provide a framework for local development policy.

India, apart from integrating SDGs into its ongoing national and state policies and programmes, needs to focus on nurturing partnerships at the regional and global levels. It strongly believes that combined and sustained efforts at national and global levels will ensure shared prosperity. Strengthening governance capacity is critically important to respond effectively to the complex set of sustainability challenges. The 2030 agenda is not about what the rich should do for the poor, but concerted efforts of all countries for the global well-being of this generation and those to come. In an interlinked and globalised world, all countries must be proactive in addressing the challenges of sustainable development. The societies with strong social fabrics characterised by trust, equity and rule of law tend to enjoy greater stability, resilience, dynamism and long-term sustainability. They can safeguard against the corrosive effects of corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations during times of crisis. The successful implementation of SDGs requires integrated policies addressing trade-offs across different policy areas and maximising synergies, convergence and impacts.

Reviewing Outcomes of SDGs: Indian Scenario

The inextricable link between good governance and sustainable development was acknowledged in the Rio+20 Declaration, The Future We Want. The SDGs in the form of the 2030 Agenda gave a call for all countries to recognise the need for responsive, legitimate and democratic institutions at all levels. The 17 SDGs and 169 targets highlight the comprehensiveness of the agenda and virtually address all development challenges. The goals are closely interrelated and reflect the dynamic linkages among economic, social and environmental dimensions.

The SDGs agenda brings not only new issues but also represents a paradigm shift in development policy. The institutions have an important role to promote and track implementation of the agenda. The SDGs can be met only through high standards of governance at all levels. Governance is both a standalone, cross-cutting goal and very important for effective outcomes.

India and SDGs

India has been a strong proponent of the SDGs and has been leading discussions on critical issues such as poverty, south–south cooperation and climate justice at the global level. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPl) is responsible for developing and maintaining the National Indicator Framework (NlF) which helps in monitoring the progress of SDGs. The statistical indicators of NIF monitor SDGs at the national and state level and aim to measure the outcomes of the policies to achieve the targets under different SDGs.

India as the fastest-growing major economy of the world is uniquely placed to deliver on its commitments to inclusive and sustainable development. The country has played a proactive role externally in shaping the SDGs and launched many programmes to progress towards these goals. Despite large population and vast geographical expanse, India is steadfast in achieving ambitious goals such as universal rural electrification, road and digital connectivity for all, massive expansion of clean and renewable energy, sanitation and housing for all and universal elementary school education.

Role of NITI Aayog

NITI Aayog, the premier think tank of the Government of India, is mandated to oversee the progress of the nation in SDGs. It has been representing India at various SDG monitoring and review platforms at the global level. India had presented its first VNR in 2017, outlining the country’s ambitious schemes and other initiatives for fast-tracking SDG achievement at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. The HLPF is the highest international SDG review platform, convened under the auspices of the UN ECOSOC at the UN headquarters every year in July. India shared the experiences and learnings from SDG localisation at the HLPF in 2019, which detailed the efforts by all states and UTs in adopting, implementing and monitoring SDGs.

SDG India Index

The implementation of SDGs is incomplete without constant measuring the progress of actual outcomes. It is in this direction that NITI Aayog has developed the SDG India Index 2018. The Index served as an advocacy tool to trigger needed action by state governments. The Index has reinforced the spirit of competitive good governance among the states and UTs, which are ranked based on their achievements on the SDGs and their targets. The positive feedback on the SDG India Index 2018 from all stakeholders and the media gave the impetus to continue the effort and bring out the SDG India Index 2019. The SDG India Index 2019 and Dashboard, which is more refined and comprehensive than the first edition, not only assesses the progress made by states and UTs towards the attainment of SDGs but also attempts to measure the incremental progress since 2018. The new Index thus presents a more robust framework for measuring the progress on SDGs at the subnational level. The SDG Index is a powerful tool that offers possibilities for the states/UTs to identify priority areas which demand action, facilitate peer learning, highlight data gaps, and promote healthy competition.

Outcome-Based Evaluation

The attainment of SDGs becomes central to the policy goals of not only the different ministries in the central government but also of the state governments. To drive the spirit of competition among states/UTs, NITI Aayog has sought to establish a structure of evidence-based policymaking by devising a robust mechanism for monitoring and evaluation of outcomes in key sectors of governance. Focusing on effective management and better results backed by data analysis, NITI Aayog has developed several social indices and dashboards. The Composite Water Management Index, the Health Outcomes Index, the School Education Quality Index, India Innovation Index are some of the specific sectoral initiatives in this direction.

There has been a significant paradigm shift from input-driven evaluation of schemes to outcome-based evaluation. In the new Output-Outcome Monitoring Framework, developed by NITI Aayog, the output and outcomes of the schemes of union ministries and departments are linked with the financial outlay as a part of the Union Budget of 2019-2020. This will significantly enhance transparency, predictability and ease of understanding of the government’s development agenda and linkages with the SDGs. The states/UTs have put in place institutional structures to take the SDG agenda forward. Most of the states/UTs have designated their Planning Department as the nodal agency to coordinate SDGs efforts. Some states/UTs have created dedicated cells/units within or outside their Planning Department to be responsible for SDGs. A few states/UTs have designated officers in each government department responsible for coordinating SDG-related activities at the department-level. District-level structures have been put in place by some states/UTs. Review mechanisms under senior leadership (chief minister or chief secretary) are operational to monitor progress.

Revisit the Spirit of SDG 16

The principles of effective governance prepared by the UNCEPA are grounded in effectiveness, accountability and inclusion. In the light of SDG 16, and as COVID-19 starkly shows, inclusion is crucial. There must be a focus especially on the needs of the most vulnerable and furthest behind, particularly women and children whose development determines the future of humankind. This calls for major changes in governance, in the spirit of multilateralism and solidarity, and in resource allocation towards SDGs which appears to be quite challenging as the countries deal with domestic responses to COVID-19.

The reality of COVID-19 calls for a review of public finances and particularly allocations to health budgets as well as the need to revisit education and training. SDG 16 and the role of the state and its institutions have become quite obvious with countries announcing stimulus packages to tackle the crisis.

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, gave a clarion call for going ‘vocal about local’ in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The novel coronavirus outbreak has made India realise the importance of local manufacturing, the local market and the local supply chain. In his fifth address to the nation since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Prime Minister said that ‘a self-reliant India is the only solution to secure the nation against the deadly disease. The global situation shows that the way ahead for India is self-dependence. We have to turn crisis into opportunity’.

A pandemic like COVID-19 is unprecedented and unimaginable. The operationalisation of eleven principles prepared by the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration categorised under effectiveness (competence, sound policymaking, collaboration), accountability (integrity, transparency, independent oversight) and inclusiveness (LNOB, non-discrimination, participation, subsidiarity, intergenerational equity) require a firm resolve and commitment to move forward globally and nationally by the comity of nations.

Building Institutions for Peaceful and Inclusive Societies

SDG 16 aims at peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice for all, effective and accountable institutions at all levels. Usually, women and girls, people in rural areas, indigenous peoples, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants and others are marginalised across countries. People are left behind when they lack opportunities, choices and capabilities to participate or benefit from human development. This may be due to absolute deprivation—minimal standards of security, income, public services and infrastructure—or a situation of relative disadvantage, where people face exclusion, discrimination and/or experience deep-rooted inequalities.

Interlinkages

Rising inequalities are not only an impediment to growth and human development but also a breach of shared norms, values and people’s intrinsic sense of fairness that SDGs advocate. The progress on peace, justice and inclusion targets affects outcomes in other SDGs and often interlinkages are both ways. SDG 16 influences education outcomes (SDG 4) by ensuring safe learning environment, which is critical to ensure and sustain a culture of peace and justice in a society. The interlinkages support the Agenda 2030 claim that there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development. SDG 16 as a goal is both an outcome and an enabler of sustainable development.

The advancement of SDG 16 is a universal challenge, which requires action at multiple levels. In many countries, the capacity needs and gaps represent a critical barrier to meaningful SDG 16 implementation and follow-up. The gaps pertain to weak institutions and service delivery, trust deficits and lack of partnerships across sectors, and lack of effective linkages between formal and informal processes and institutions. The issues such as social cohesion, illicit financial flows, corruption and many forms of discrimination remain grave challenges.

Competing Interests: Spin-offs and Trade-offs

The confluence of economic, social and environmental trends such as demographic shifts, growing inequalities, the evolution of the digital economy, rapid urbanisation and climate change are reshaping the governance landscape at all levels. The SDG Agenda 2030 is an extensive document in terms of linking the progress of development to human dignity. Governance is integral for achieving the SDGs. The national economies have to take decisions and initiate actions using innovative mechanisms and involving relevant stakeholders such as the governments, businesses, non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations and researchers. To produce effective outcomes, there must be coordination among them at different levels, from transnational corporations to national governments to local.

There are many spin-offs among the SDGs, where addressing one goal helps address others at the same time. For example, addressing climate change will have co-benefits for energy, security, health, biodiversity and oceans. On the contrary, the SDGs also involve trade-offs. The fossil fuel companies and their workers who will be affected in the short term will perceive themselves as ‘losers’ if they are forced to change, although the society as a whole will be a ‘winner’ in the long term by avoiding the risks and impacts of climate change. The trade-offs in terms of goals can be a major governance challenge, especially where responsibility is dispersed, and there are conflicting interests of different stakeholders.

Challenges in Measuring Progress

Many countries face a grave problem of database and developing indicators to measure outcomes. For example, in India, although the MoSPI has worked on the development of indicators, it is difficult to assess ‘quality of education’ and ‘safe drinking water’. The water from hand pumps and tube wells is considered as safe as piped water supply. As per this consideration and official data, approximately 86 per cent of the Indians have access to safe water, but the number of waterborne diseases and deaths due to diarrhoea indicates otherwise. The data and the indicators mostly deal with a compilation of data on poverty, health, agriculture, human development and environment but do not indicate how sustainability is mapped. Policies need to be made to factor in realities to rank suitably on the SDG indicators.

Measuring progress is very important to understand the extent of the achievement of SDGs. Non-availability of data concerning subnational levels, periodicity issues and incomplete coverage of administrative data makes it a challenge to measure progress. SDGs need an integrated approach for accomplishing the social, environmental and economic targets.

Strong Networks

The SDGs are integrated, indivisible and need effective governance with strong social networks to translate into a framework, focused on ‘People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships’. For example, a country’s ability to combat hunger is directly connected to its agricultural system, its strategy for rural development, economic and income growth, management of natural resources, level of infrastructure, natural disaster mitigation plans and the health of its population, requiring that many actors work together across and outside of government. Lack of action on one component can compromise the collective success. The link between any given policy or programme and the achievement of an SDG cannot be always captured in a linear straightforward cause and effect relationship. The achievement of SDGs is essentially contextual, subject to various internal and external factors that stakeholders cannot always control or influence.

Indian Experience

The Government of India under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is committed to inclusive development. Social justice and equality are the cornerstones of New India or Naya Bharat. The rise of the last man is the directional theme of the political thought and policy for New India 2022–2042. This commitment is reflected in the government’s work to electrify rural households, ensure that girls go to school and stay in schools, provide sanitation and housing for all, equip young people with skills to compete in the global labour market, enable access to finance and financial services, and so on.

The focus is on Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) emphasising reforms in land, labour, liquidity and laws. The government is putting considerable financial resources on strengthening the Public Distribution System, allowing national portability of ration cards to ensure inclusion. The emphasis is also on ease of doing business through institutional finance (liquidity) to promote entrepreneurship and as a part of institutional strengthening, the government has committed resources for addressing migrant labour issues. Atmanirbhar Bharat signals a confident India to join the global supply chain and global value chain. Besides, India has also made impressive strides on the use of data for effective policymaking and monitoring the progress of schemes against SDG targets. These interventions have a direct and resounding effect on the achievement of the SDGs. They serve as examples for other developing countries grappling with similar challenges.

The pandemic COVID-19 calls for a rethinking on SDGs as it is the immediate priority for the SDG campaign. The global, regional, national and local-level policy responses to the outbreak must be designed with a gender lens and pay special attention to indigenous communities, the homeless, refugees, internally displaced persons and those living in extreme poverty and people with disabilities. LNOB is a recurring and overarching objective of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. The SDGs cannot be achieved without unlocking the potential of all people to solve problems, contribute to their communities and adapt creatively to new realities. The achievement of SDGs requires action at policy, institutional and micro (locality/village/ward) levels. This requires partnerships and integration at multiple levels. It is the collective responsibility of all to work towards a peaceful world, a system that is just and development that is sustainable.

Efforts Towards Training and Awareness Raising for the SDGs: Indian Context

The SDGs present a challenging outcome-oriented framework of goals for all countries, regardless of their level of development. This calls for close collaboration globally and nationally, across levels of government. An understanding of complex interactions and trade-offs among policy areas reinforces the path towards achieving SDGs. The SDGs have targets directly related to the responsibilities of local and regional governments. The awareness at these levels supports the national plans for the implementation of the SDGs.

Sensitisation and Advocacy

The main challenge in advancing the SDGs is to make sure that the goals are effectively translated into national and local policies. Every country has to prioritise judiciously and adapt the goals and targets in accordance with local challenges, capacities and resources available. The need to engage in continuous advocacy to sustain the momentum of localising the SDGs is critical. The initiatives for enhancing public awareness and sensitisation about SDGs make the process of implementation participatory and inclusive. The successful adoption of sustainable development policies and initiatives at the national and subnational levels calls for awareness generation, advocacy and effective communication. The challenges that the SDGs tackle are diverse and complex and the integrated and transformative nature of the goals requires a multidisciplinary and innovative way of working for implementation at the national, regional and local levels. This new way of planning, financing, implementation and monitoring entails re-skilling and development of new competencies for all diverse stakeholders.

National Level

The NITI Aayog, a premier think tank of Government of India at the national level has organised goal-wise sensitisation workshops in collaboration with relevant union and state ministries, subject experts, civil society organisations, other think tanks and the UN. This ensures familiarisation of all government officials concerned with the global goals and the targets. The 2030 Agenda Declaration was translated into all regional languages to ensure wider dissemination. Technical regional workshops on localising SDG indicators and developing data methodologies were held at the subnational levels. NITI Aayog has vigorously pursued advocacy with subnational governments to heighten the thrust on SDGs. The SDG India Index Report, published annually, is expected to drive the states to achieve the targets on time.

Initiatives by State Governments

Most of the states have undertaken sensitisation programmes for all the district-level officers on SDGs to generate awareness on an array of socio-economic issues. The states are conscious of the need to align decentralised planning processes with SDGs. Training on SDGs is an integral part of the training programmes for elected representatives and officials at the state/district/local levels.

The communication modules on SDGs in vernacular languages are aimed at developing capacities of district, block and village-level functionaries as trainers. The modules on health, water and sanitation, nutrition, education and child protection contain sessions on understanding the relevant indicators and the schemes being implemented to achieve the particular SDG.

The governments through designated nodal departments (agriculture, women and child development, drinking water and sanitation, health, etc.) spread awareness and attempt to effect behavioural change in the communities. All line departments monitor and report the progress of SDGs to the nodal officer in the respective states. Some states are undertaking capacity building of multiple stakeholders by including a module on SDGs in their ‘Social Education Programme’.

Integrating SDGs with Local Plans

Local governments, both rural and urban, are best placed to ‘put people first’ and ensure ‘no one is left behind’. In India, twenty-nine functions related to socio-economic development are devolved to local governments as identified in the subnational laws. As a result, out of the seventeen SDGs, fifteen are directly related to activities carried out by local governments in India (SDG 14 on marine resources and SDG 17 on global partnerships fall outside the ambit of local governance institutions). The MoPR, responsible for administering local self-government in rural areas, has been advocating the integration of SDGs within the local plans (Gram Panchayat Development Plans or GPDP) approved by the Village Council (Gram Sabha). The district administration plays an important role in scrutinising and endorsing local government plans. As a result, awareness of the district administration on SDGs assumes importance. Several states have either entrusted the District Planning Committees (a constitutional body for district-level planning and monitoring of programmes) with the responsibility of coordinating SDG implementation or have created district-level structures (District SDG Cell) under the leadership of the District Collector for the purpose.

Capacity Development

The capacity development needs a long-term strategy to boost the institutional capacity of the government on the SDGs. Although India has many strong and well-functioning institutions, the magnitude of efforts to implement the SDGs will require a more comprehensive approach. The capacity building initiatives in the states include the following:

Sensitisation and orientation of government officials of various departments and agencies on SDGs,

There is a need to map the learning trajectory on SDGs for key actors within the government to ensure the sustainability of capacity development efforts. It is also required to train the same set of people at different points to introduce to new issues, methods and tools. A gap analysis has to be undertaken periodically to determine the level of human and institutional capacities to deliver the SDGs, and, accordingly, courses should be developed for capacity building to address the gaps. The courses can preferably be integrated into higher education institutions to ensure sustainability and continuity.

Role of Civil Society Organisations and Corporates

In India, an important role is also being played by civil society organisations that have been working on SDG-related issues from the grassroots to the national level. They, working individually and in coalitions, have partnered with the government to provide inputs, create awareness and offer feedback. Their initiatives span the following:

Preparing information education and communication materials on SDGs, conducting capacity building workshops and awareness campaigns,

The SDGs can be linked to programmes and funding proposals of civil society organisations which could improve the possibilities of international partnerships and other collaborations. This would also increase public awareness of the SDGs. Civil society organisations must adapt and be flexible in creating a more effective space for engagement and dialogue.

Corporate sector organisations including industry associations have held consultations and initiated actions in various areas including environmental sustainability, innovative climate action and inclusive development strategies on various themes. Apart from working with organisations within the industry and related sectors, they have also worked jointly with the government and civil society to develop innovative solutions and courses of action (see Figure 1).

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Figure 1.

Source: FICCI Report (2018) on Sustainable Development Goals: Linkages with Corporate Actions in India. https://bit.ly/2HmTsbr.

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Figure 2.

Source: Localising SDGs Early Lessons from India Report, (2019). NITI Aayog and United Nations. http://bit.ly/2KFi01f

Awareness Generation and Advocacy:

In India, various initiatives for enhancing public awareness and sensitisation about SDGs have been stepped up to make the process of implementation participatory and inclusive and also to ensure behavioural changes in the society to bring and adopt practices that promote sustainable development. Some such initiatives initiated by different States in the country are given in Figure 2.

The SDGs communication strategy outlines long- and short-term objectives and required change as per Agenda 2030. The need for synergy and an integrated approach to achieve the desired outcomes is imperative. Although the SDGs are not legally binding, governments are expected to take ownership and establish national frameworks for the achievement of the seventeen goals. Raising awareness of all the stakeholders on SDGs is critical and is the driving force for collaborative governance to ensure inclusive public service delivery. The COVID-19 crisis undoubtedly brings extraordinary challenges to the achievement of the SDGs. There is a need to ensure that adequate finances are channelled to support progress on the SDGs with a well-coordinated stimulus package across the world. The post-COVID-19 world needs the spirit of solidarity and a new unity of purpose to take the SDGs forward. The methods of training, awareness raising for SDGs and the way to reorient in the wake of COVID-19 merit serious attention as virtual learning, communication and interaction have become the new normal.

Link: https://publicadministration.un.org/en/CEPA/19th-Session