Connections between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda: the case for policy coherence

Dzebo, Adis / Hannah Janetschek / Clara Brandi / Gabriela Iacobuta
External Publications (2019)

Stockholm: Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI Working Papers)

This working paper explores to what extent climate actions contained in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) connect to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through a global analysis conducted with the NDC-SDG Connections Tool. The research demonstrates that NDC actions foster synergies with national development priorities that reflect the 2030 Agenda, and reveals sustainable development-related areas that are directly addressed through NDCs climate action and those that are currently absent.
The working paper presents two avenues that could enhance policy coherence. First, it is suggested that countries should design their future Nationally Sustainable Development Strategies (NSDSs) in ways that align with their NDCs. In that regard, NSDSs should complement NDC actions by focusing on issue-areas that are not addressed through climate action, and hence, by avoiding uncoordinated and costly duplication of efforts. Second, the authors argue that new and updated NDCs should take note of existing NSDSs and aim to more closely align climate action with the SDGs. Such an approach could offer the benefit of further promoting the buy-in of different types of stakeholders and of increasing the acceptability of and willingness for higher ambition.

About the authors

Brandi, Clara

Economy and Political Science

Iacobuta, Gabriela

Climate and sustainable development policy