DEVELOPMENT
BUILDING CAPACITIES OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE SDGS
HELEN CLARK Administrator United Nations Development Programme
Institutions which are effective and accountable will play a central role in achieving the SDGs. Indeed, many of the 169 SDG targets make direct reference to the need for institutional capacity. The challenge now is to build strong public administrations which can manage complex cross-sectoral challenges.
• Those challenges include inequalities, marginalization and discrimination, and corruption. Where present, these undermine social cohesion – and maintain wide gaps between states and citizens.
• Sustainable development requires co-ordination across economic, social, and environmental policy-making. The goal must be to promote inclusive growth which doesn’ t exacerbate inequalities or wreck the environment. That requires whole of government co-ordination.
Public administrations must also be able to:
• translate the global goals into national and local programming which responds to people’ s needs and aspirations. This domestication of the SDGs is important for establishing national ownership of them, and for engaging the wide range of national and local stakeholders in implementation; and
• monitor and evaluate progress through data collection and analysis. They need to be able to identify who is being left behind, and design approaches to overcome exclusion. Evidencebased policy-making is needed. Many countries have much to do to strengthen capacities in these areas.
Overall, institutions should be prepared to open up to greater stakeholder engagement in policy development. It is important to include the voices of vulnerable and marginalized people, and to foster accountability and trust in the public sector. Disaggregated data is vital for effective policy-making.
UNDP’ s support for institutional capacity building UNDP has long experience of supporting countries with public administration reform aimed at promoting professional, transparent, and accountable public service.
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