Aligning development co-operation to the SDGs in small island developing states

Abstract

This case study explores whether the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be used as a shared framework for results by development co-operation actors in Samoa. The study offers an introduction to Samoa's progress in mainstreaming the SDGs in national policy making, as well as in monitoring the SDG targets and indicators. It then focuses on the experiences of development co-operation partners in aligning their country-level programmes and frameworks with the SDGs, and identifies enabling factors, drivers and obstacles that contribute to SDG alignment and monitoring in Samoa. The study concludes with recommendations for both the government and its development partners to increase the collective use of the SDG framework and improve policy coherence, effectiveness and sustainable impact of all development efforts. | 9 ALIGNING DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION TO THE SDGS IN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING… © OECD References 50 Annex A. Alignment of Samoa's strategy for development 2016-20 to the SDGs 55 Monitoring approaches that support SDG measurement in Samoa are growing Only some development partners explicitly support monitoring, evaluation and statistical systems in Samoa. Still, other good practices have increased the availability of data for decision | 13 ALIGNING DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION TO THE SDGS IN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING… © OECD 2021making. These include regional investments in peer learning, capacity building, monitoring and reporting. Sector-wide programmes have helped build data systems at ministry level, increasing SDG data availability in those sectors. In 2020, Samoa was able to report on 166 SDG-aligned indicators (65% of the total). Greater use of the SDGs as a shared framework for results in Samoa is possibleThe use of the SDGs in Samoa as a shared framework to guide development efforts is still incipient. The government primarily uses the SDG framework and data for accountability purposes. It is also using the framework and data increasingly in new sector plans.Half of Samoa's partners use it to formally report on their SDG contributions, too. The next planning phase will offer opportunities for using the SDG framework more broadly for strategic decision making and integrated cross-sector work.Integrated SDG approaches and fresh SDG data can help address the negative effects of the pandemic and increase the impact of development co-operation efforts. Development partners should consider adjusting their project designs and results-based approaches so as to add to the availability and use of SDG data in Samoa. 4Annex D provides an SDG-aligned framework for shared results in Samoa, taking into account Samoa's data availability. Key recommendationsFor the government of Samoa: Output Fully aligned Voluntary National Review 2020 13.2 Number of countries that have communicated the establishment or operationalization of an integrated policy/strategy/plan which increases their ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development in a...

Aligning development co-operation to the SDGs in lower middle-income countries

“…Bangladesh is one of the largest recipients of official development assistance (ODA) in South Asia (second) and the world (third), most of which is invested in economic infrastructure (OECD, 2021 [9]). Country ownership and mutual accountability practices characterise most of these partnerships, although there is room for improvement across many other areas that are essential for development effectiveness (GPEDC, 2019 [10]). Notes: GDP: gross domestic product; ODF: official development finance; GNI: gross national income; SDG: Sustainable Development Goal.…”

“…Overall, there is strong alignment between project objectives and government development goals outlined in the Five Year Plan, with 92% of projects aligned to Bangladeshi priorities in 2019, slightly higher than 89% in 2016. The use of government statistics and data to track outcome and impact indicators (another dimension of country ownership) is comparatively high too, with 71% of results indicators being measured using government data or official statistics (GPEDC, 2019 [10]).…”