Delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a formidable challenge for countries at all levels of development. The 2030 Agenda requires governments to coordinate, consult and work across policy areas in an unprecedented way. This calls for a strategic use of budget, procurement and regulatory tools and the design and implementation of innovative, forward-looking policies and programmes. All these issues are part of a ‘governance’ agenda, which not only is a goal in itself, but also more importantly, an essential enabler for the achievement of all other goals.
This report is meant as a live repository of experiences, good practices and lessons learnt from countries around the world on these governance challenges. It supports the knowledge gathering and peer learning initiatives underpinning the proposed Global Hub on the Governance for the SDGs.1 The Hub will offer countries practical support to strengthen the public governance practices that are pre-requisites for effective SDG implementation. The Hub will help interested countries develop fit-for-purpose public governance mechanisms to deliver on the SDGs. It will do so by mobilising support and expertise across a number of key governance pillars such as:
Whole-of-government coordination and policy coherence;
Stakeholder engagement and open government;
Effective use of budgeting and public procurement tools;
Monitoring, evaluation and audit institutions;
Fostering a culture of integrity and fighting corruption.
The report then looks specifically at the role of government frameworks to support two specific objectives:
Ensuring equal access to justice and citizen’s legal empowerment; and
Promoting gender equality.
For each of these pillars, this report (i) describes the relevant governance issues; (ii) discusses specific challenges related to the SDGs; and (iii) presents selected country experiences, lessons learned, and possible avenues for supporting countries in strengthening their governance frameworks.
The report draws on the expertise of the OECD’s extensive policy and knowledge networks, which include both OECD members and partner countries. This includes work on indicators of government performance, insights into good practices in public sector reform from public governance reviews, and sound principles and standards in fields such as public sector integrity, digital government, budgeting and regulatory policy.