Global Action on SDGs: Policy Review and Outlook in a Post-Pandemic Era

Yi Cheng, Haimeng Liu, Shaobin Wang, Xuegang Cui and Qirui Li
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Yi Cheng: Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Haimeng Liu: Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Shaobin Wang: Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Xuegang Cui: Post-Doctoral Research Station of Theoretical Economics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Qirui Li: Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-25

Abstract: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provided brand new goals and action targets for human well-being and development, but the COVID-19 pandemic has cast a shadow on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is therefore essential to provide a reference for making policy adjustments and transformations to promote the realization of SDGs in the post-pandemic era. Based on a literature review of the progress and policies of SDGs across countries worldwide, we find that research on sustainable policies has rapidly increased since the SDGs issued in 2015 with particular focuses on eco-environment, sustainable policies, green economy, sanitation and health, and water sanitation. Most countries are in the process of nationalization, institutionalization, and universalization of the SDGs through incorporating the SDGs into national development frameworks, enabling extensive participation and negotiation mechanisms, and promoting the SDGs’ national publicity. Countries of different economic and institutional backgrounds demonstrate divergent development pathways, priorities, measures, and progress in the implementation of SDGs. Despite significant global progress during the last five years, the North–South divide emerges in the policy action and achievement of SDGs. The least developed countries in sub-Sahara Africa and South Asia appear to be difficult or even unable to implement the SDGs and monitor the progress. In the post-pandemic era, particular attention shall be given to integrating SDGs and achieve synergy among goals, concretizing short-and medium-term priorities toward the SDGs targets for all countries, strengthening multilateralism and global cooperation among countries and continents, providing reliable data and approaches for real-time impact assessment and process monitoring, and promoting an inclusive engagement and integrative implementation with multiple stakeholders and consortiums.

Keywords: SDGs; sustainable development; 2030 agenda; policy transformations; human well-being; global cooperation; goal interactions; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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