How do you measure progress on SDGs?

The SDG framework is a holistic system of indicators, targets, and principles for implementing and monitoring the SDGs. It comprises 169 targets and 231 indicators that assess SDG outcomes across various dimensions. The framework embodies 2030 Agenda principles like universality, interdependence, no one left behind, and human rights. It offers a unified language and shared vision for all SDG stakeholders, facilitating collaboration and progress tracking.

The indicators set are robust and leads to global and national targets. The effort should be to understand the indicators and contribute to meet them at individual or functional levels- government actions, industry actions, organization actions and community actions.

The SDG dashboard is a dynamic, interactive tool for exploring and comparing SDG indicator data and trends. Hosted by SDSN, it draws from official and unofficial sources. This dashboard reveals progress and disparities among countries, regions, and groups regarding the SDGs. It also highlights connections and trade-offs between various goals and targets. Additional analytical tools like ranking, scoring, mapping, and gap analysis enhance its functionality.

Dash boards are critical to understand progress and particularly gaps in meeting priorities. All scaled up interventions or systems whether government, organizational, industry or NGO should have their efforts mapped or dashboards to understand outcomes leading to impacts. It is very important to understand, monitor and draw reference from the dashboards and target gaps.

SDG reporting entails conveying and disclosing your SDG performance to stakeholders like customers, investors, employees, regulators, and civil society. It serves to showcase your commitment, accountability, and impact on the SDGs. Additionally, it aids in recognizing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks. SDG reporting adheres to various standards and frameworks, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the UN Global Compact (UNGC), the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), and the SDG Compass, ensuring transparency and alignment with international practices.

SDG reporting substantially creates the platform towards data accumulation on individual/ functional and cumulative progress. The reporting is not just an ethical tool but also potential review platforms on matching the target wise expectations for each indicator. Various parties need to understand the reporting requirements and build up the effort to add to the cumulative achievement.

SDG alignment involves synchronizing your strategy, operations, products, and services with the SDGs. This process fosters value creation, innovation, and business differentiation while meeting stakeholder needs and expectations. Various methods and tools, such as the SDG Action Manager, the SDG Industry Matrix, the SDG Business Hub, and the Business Call to Action (BCtA), facilitate SDG alignment, ensuring businesses contribute effectively to global sustainability goals.

Alignment or sync is extremely important factor that will substantiate actions to planned progress against target set for the various sectors and players involved that is government, industry, CSOs/ NGOs and community. The industry matrix or Business Hubs need to functionally be integrated to the sectoral role and contributions. The values, innovations and role would be required to strongly bind and influence the sectoral players at the country, regional and global level.

SDG collaboration involves partnering with various stakeholders like governments, NGOs, academia, media, and communities to advance the SDGs. This process enables the pooling of resources, expertise, networks, and influence to address intricate, interconnected challenges while fostering shared value and trust. SDG collaboration takes shape through various models and platforms, including the SDG Partnerships Platform, the SDG Accelerator, the SDG Lab, and the SDG Impact, facilitating collective action toward achieving sustainability goals.

Co-creation and collaboration are the keys to achievement of SDGs. 2030 is a vision, a goal line to reach and not the end. Unless the best are created and shared with mutual investments of resources, technology, finances and the gaps are recognized and filled, there is little chance of reaching where we want to. Collaboration is the spirit of SDG. There is no single winner or achiever here and neither a single failure or loss.