SDG Synergies is being used in the ongoing project Mapping Interactions between SDG Targets, which aims to inform national policymaking and implementation by providing tailored analysis of critical interactions between Sustainable Development Goals.
Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife and Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs led the selection of 36 SDG targets to reflect national policy priorities for the medium term. In January 2019, around 40 experts representing government, civil society, the UN Development Programme and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, national experts and academia gathered for a two-day workshop to discuss and score target interactions.
After the workshop, SEI analysed the results, using network analysis methods to turn the scoring results into a knowledge base on SDG interactions that could support policy prioritization, cross-sectoral collaboration and policy coherence.
Among other findings, policy coherence (SDG target 17.14) and reduced corruption (target 16.5) stood out as the strongest enablers of progress on the 2030 Agenda as a whole. In contrast, increasing access to drinking water (target 6.1) and improving housing (target 11.1) were identified as having a relatively large number of potential trade-offs with other targets.
The outcomes of the workshop and analysis will serve as input in the formulation of national policies for sustainable development, and inform national and provincial planning and budget analysis in Sri Lanka.
The project was implemented by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife and Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, together with UNDP Asia and the Pacific, UNDP Sri Lanka and Stockholm Environment Institute, with technical support from the Centre for Poverty Analysis.