Global leaders have an opportunity to reduce inequality, end poverty, protect the environment and promote justice and peace through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). SDG 17 binds all of the goals together, as the successful pursuit of sustainable development is contingent upon the collaboration and determination of the private and public sectors. Enhanced global cooperation is needed to ensure that sufficient means of implementation exist to provide countries with the opportunity to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Progress of SDG 17 is evaluated by the United Nations on the basis of the following 6 key components:
Finance
Net official development assistance (ODA) flows totaled $149 billion in 2018, a decrease of nearly 3% from the year prior. Bilateral ODA to least developed countries (LDCs) decreased by 3%, aid to Africa fell by 4%, and global humanitarian aid fell by 8%.
International aid has suffered in large part due to the decline in funding from the United States. Find more information on the financial indicators of SDG 17 here.
Information and Communications Technology
At the end of 20
18, more than half of the world’s population (3.9 billion people) had access to the Internet- a step towards a more inclusive global information society. Over 80% in developed countries were online in 2018, compared with 45% in developing countries and only 20% in least developed countries (LDCs).
Capacity Building
Total official development assistance (ODA) for capacity-building and national planning represents 14% of all sector-allocable aid at around $33.5 billion, a level that has remained stable since 2010. The main sectors assisted are public administration, energy, and the financial sector. Latin America and the Caribbean received $7.6 billion in aid, followed by sub-Saharan Africa ($6.1 billion) and South Asia ($5 billion).
Trade
Decreasing tariffs applied worldwide provide wider access to goods and contribute to a more open trading system. The highest average tariff rates in 2017 were applied across African regions. In 2018, doubt was cast over the future of a sound multilateral trading system under World Trade Organization, as there were significant trade tensions among large economies. Despite a slight upturn in 2017, the share of least developed countries (LDCs) in world merchandise exports remains just below 1%. The slow growth could lead to missing the trade target set by the Istanbul Programme of Action—to double the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020.
Systemic Issues
Bilateral development partners’ respect for country policies declined from 64% in 2016 to 57% in 2018. Some 76% of new development programs and projects aligned their objectives to those defined in the country strategies and plans in 2018. However, only around half of the result indicators for these interventions were drawn from country-owned result frameworks, and 44% of result indicators were monitored using data and statistics from government monitoring systems.
In 2018, 51 of 114 countries reported overall progress towards strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships and the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda. There remains a need to increase the space for civil society’s contribution to sustainable development and for a more inclusive and relevant dialogue between the public and private sectors.
Data Monitoring and Accountability
In 2018, 111 countries had national statistical legislation that was compliant with the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, up from 71 countries in 2017.
Entrusted with the production of official statistics, national statistical offices need to comply with strict international principles, including scientific methods, professional ethics and standard procedures for the collection, processing, storage and presentation of statistical data.
In 2016, countries received $623 million in support from multilateral and bilateral donors, up from $591 million in 2015. However, this amount accounts for only 0.33% of total official development assistance (ODA). For developing countries to meet the data needs of the Sustainable Development Goals, current donor support for data and statistics will need to increase by nearly $200 million per year.
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