Public Governance
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encourages Member States to develop ambitious responses to the SDGs. Countries are encouraged to integrate the SDGs into their national development strategies and plans, taking into account their respective levels of development and capacities.
The United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/69/327 further emphasizes the growing need to strengthen public institutions and public services in support of sustainable development. The success of the SDGs depends on the coordination of implementation efforts through good public governance.
Chapter 8 of the 2030 Agenda calls on countries to improve or restructure the decision-making process so that consideration of socio-economic and environmental issues is fully integrated and a broader range of public participation assured. It also calls on countries to adopt national strategies for sustainable development (NSDS) that should build upon and harmonize the various sectoral economic, social and environmental policies and plans that are operating in the country.
The complexity and crosscutting nature of governance facing member states as they aim to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development require transformation of public administration. While many countries are making progress at all levels of governance, more efforts are needed to ensure the 2030 Agenda’s 17 goals and targets are achieved on time. Public planning, resources, and innovations need to be implemented coherently.
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Why Public Governance for the SDGs?
The SDGs are crosscutting, complex but also interdependent. They require integrated strategies involving many ministries, civil society and government at all levels. All goals including on poverty eradication, gender equality, sustainable cities and so on require national to local government coordination.
Developing the capacities of public administration systems to implement Open Government and Whole-of-Government approaches can enable achievement of all SDGs and targets. -
Public Governance Defined
"The exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels."
-World Public Sector Report, 2015
Governance generally, refers “to actions, processes, traditions and institutions (formal and informal) by which collective decisions are reached and implemented.”
- United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, 2019
