This work responds to a request by the Results Community of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee for better guidance to improve the effective use of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in development co‑operation. The report contributes to broader efforts by the OECD Development Co‑operation Directorate to improve the alignment and contribution of development co‑operation to the SDGs.
Under the responsibility of Jorge Moreira Da Silva, Director of the OECD Development Co-operation Directorate, Rahul Malhotra, Head of the Reviews, Results, Evaluation and Development Innovation Division and Chantal Verger, Head of the Results Team, provided strategic guidance and oversight. Alejandro Guerrero-Ruiz led the extensive research behind this summary report and is the main author. The research was conducted by a team comprised of Paige Kirby, Kadambote Sachin, Julia Schnatz and Rosie Zwart. Special thanks go to Ola Kasneci, Mary Bortin and Jennifer Allain for their editorial review, and to Lushomo studio for the visualisations included in this report.
The authors are deeply grateful to the governments of Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Myanmar, Peru, Samoa and Uganda for hosting and supporting the underlying study on the use of the SDGs in development co-operation at country level. They would like also to thank Australia, the European Commission, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain and Switzerland for their role as peer learners and in facilitating the country case studies. This research would not have been possible without the engagement, candour and generosity of many senior officials and technical staff from the above-mentioned seven governments and from more than 65 bilateral and multilateral development partners who participated in in‑depth interviews, surveys, data sharing, focus group discussions and validation workshops.