Pushing ahead with the drive to scaling up SDGs implementation

Abstract

The world is truly on the road towards the year 2030 that will (hopefully) have entrenched the ideals of sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development accompanied by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets is an important vehicle in this quest. To avoid the shortcomings of previous global drives, there is a need to routinely determine and quantitatively estimate all aspects that can inform the efficient and targeted use of resources that drive this agenda. This approach is the quintessence of responsible consumption and production, aspects that are closely addressed under SDG 12. In addition, there is a need to coordinate policy actions within and across national borders and continents. This is critical for delivering a critical mass of transformation that can deliver the SDGs mandate. The coordination of policy actions is the crux of contemporary research and practice revolving around the concept of policy coherence for sustainable development initiatives whose aim is to increase the effects of policy interventions. This concluding chapter reflects on how various key state and non-state actors covering the global, national and sub-national levels are contributing to the drive of scaling up the implementation of SDGs.