Overcoming Structural Barriers and Systemic Issues of Sustainable Development of South Asia

 

Overcoming Structural Barriers and Systemic Issues of Sustainable Development of South Asia

(By Uchita de Zoysa, 28 September 2023)

 

Today, I was invited to share my comments on “Overcoming Structural Barriers and Systemic Issues of Sustainable Development of South Asia”. To start with, the United Nations have formally announced that the SDGs are failing.  If 12% only is on track, 50% moderately or severely off track, and 30% showing no movement or regressed below 2015 baseline, then the SDGs are failing.  The Global Sustainable Development Report 2023, unfortunately like many other assessments, only engages in a linier review of the SDGs. It does not make much of an attempt to conduct a system wide impact assessment considering the interlinkages between the targets. Meanwhile, what has been the impact investment on SDGs during the past eight years? What is said is that the gap in financing the SDGs have grown from 2015 to now in the developing countries. Meanwhile, Stockholm Resilience Centre, six of the nine planetary boundaries have been transgressed.

 

Sadly, SDG are proving that Sustainable Development is an Oxymoron as advocated by some critical thinkers. SDGs have not been advancing Sustainability but used more for institutionalized marketing promotions and funded partnership projects by almost all sectors. All systems are breaking down around us including natural, economic, peace, wellbeing, prosperity, etc. and prosperity has become a distant aspiration. In the region not just youth, but elders are migrating as destitution is widespread. The development model is not promoting sustainability. Sufficiency struggles to enter the agendas while wellbeing of the state has become more important than the nation. Political systems are more predatory that threatens democracy and peace openly than before. The poor are paying for the financial/debt crisis that is corruptly managed economies in countries like Sri Lanka and Pakistan.  Yet, the debt restructuring strategies are on more borrowing to pay debt than focusing of sufficiency based prosperity; a vicious cycle enjoyed by the multilateral banks and richer countries. 

 

Countries in the region have not shown much interest in policy coherence and environmental and social protection policies are breeched in the name of growth. The deeply fragmented public institutional architecture continues to be a barrier for an efficient public service delivery. Already overburdened, corrupt and inefficient public service adds more to the financial and debt crisis in these countries. Finally, the widespread call is to change the system and shift the power. But the state response is suppression! Where is the protection for shifting power when the police and military are acting against the people. Who will shift the power for people’s power? In the failure of the SDG Summit, civil society and other stakeholder needs to move from being reactive to agendas that divert attention from truth on earth and work towards driving “Peoples Planetary Futures”.

 

Can We Make a Just Real Green Deal?

 Can We Make a Just Real Green Deal?

Uchita de Zoysa (July 2023)

 

During my recent engagements in Europe, I had a better opportunity to experience the pulse of stakeholders of the region on the EU Green Deal. On returning home, the main question that sprouted in my mind was “is the green deal just for all?”. A regional meeting with over fifty EU CSOs in Brussels calling for a ‘Real Deal’ confirmed that even within Europe it does not provide a just deal to all. Stakeholders also underscored the double standards applied on green standards for European products sold in developing countries. However, do the European stakeholder assessments and propositions represent the thinking for a just green deal in other parts of the world? Particularly, the perception of what is just for the Global South that prevails amongst EU stakeholders may not actually align with the realities and think of those living in the countries of the South. So, what could be the way forward a commonly acceptable just green deal for a transformation towards sustainable development?

 

In search for a way forward, I am keen to explore several pathways that converge with the European stakeholder context. Particularly the thematic discoursing of a just transition, sufficiency, and policy coherence for sustainable development (PCSD) could provide the main thematic tracks of mutual interest between Europe and the South. Also, in the imminent failure of achieving the SDGs, some groups are already asking the question of what the next sustainability agenda is going to look like. Therefore, building foresight into a more just real green deal that advances the global sustainability agenda is pertinent. 

 

The discussion on a Just Transition in the Global South appears to be of great concern amongst European stakeholders. While the focus appears to revolve heavily around the energy and global finance system, issues of equitable opportunities for wellbeing and prosperity continue to dominate the Southern focus. The tone and agenda for a just transition should not be set by multilateral agencies and the rich countries if climate negotiations end in commitment. A collective North-South-East-West dialogue is essential for a just transition and must have equitable space sharing in the deliberations. 

 

An interest on Sufficiency surprisingly is sprouting in Europe after decades of investment and insistence in a linear efficiency agenda. The irony is that the same organizations that shot down the concept of sufficiency and helped convert Southern nations to adopt efficiency appear to be chartering a new sufficiency discourse. Those who have campaigned for sufficiency for decades even from Europe appear to still be struggling to get their voices heard. Pathways through Sufficiency, underscored by the concepts of adequacy or contentment and self-reliance or self-sufficiency, are expected to strengthen resilience of consumption and production systems as well as economic and financial systems of a country. Sufficiency continues to be practiced across many parts of the world and will not have a single narrative but have common and shared principles. As reminded by some European activists, if a new sufficiency narrative in Europe is to be evolved, it would need to revisit its historical dependency and exploitation of resources from its former colonies and post-colonial extended strategies. Sufficiency would also challenge the growth-based development models promoted in the developing countries as well and compromises on lifestyle aspirations will be imminent for all. If discoursed honestly and adopted effectively, sufficiency would be able to address many issues including commitment to climate action and resourcing sustainable development. The discoursing of sufficiency needs to transgress beyond a small group of sustainable consumption and production policy researchers and administrators and must be centrally located in the just transition process. 

 

European stakeholders may have conducted the best research on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) and these have enriched researchers across the world. However, has this research resulted in significant transformation in Europe and other parts of the world? The failure of the SDGs is rooted in the lack of political will for PCSD with the trends of resource exploitation and linear growth based economic and trade practices continuing to flourish creating more poverty and less equity. Isolated examples on PCSD do not amount to the pace of destruction of the earth systems. Also, it’s hard to have transformation towards sustainable development if only a handful of countries adopt the PCSD strategies. A single model for PCSD will not work in different geographical and societal contexts across the world to achieve sustainable development. But a global financial architecture that supports critical transformation is necessary for countries in the South to adopt PCSD. Therefore, more investigation beyond reforming the multilateral banks and lending mechanisms needs to be conducted. 

 

Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 (GSDR) clearly stating that the world is far off track in achieving the SDGs makes us think more of a next level global sustainability agenda; not to rush into replacing the 2030 agenda, but to find a just transition that can support the transformation in the coming years. However, just like any other region, the official SDG reviews in Europe appear political justifications while stakeholder reviews continue to provide the political critique. Even the GSDR takes a linear approach in assessing the individual targets than providing an integrated analysis of the total impact amongst the 169 targets. As demonstrated by the Sri LankaVoluntary Peoples Review (VPR), adopting Independent Monitoring, Evaluation and Review Mechanisms using a Micro-Macro Assessment Methodology could help advance PCSD. Also, an Integrated Climate Sustainability Agenda that brings together the climate change and sustainable development global agendas into a single discoursing, financing, and political drive is important. 

 

The EU Green Deal is a significant policy and political approach but has many gaps as highlighted in the alternative Real Deal presented by a collective of European CSOs. While the internal deficiencies or negative impacts of a green deal on Europe can be well reviewed by its own stakeholders, the greater impact on the rest of the world surely needs an honest engagement with external stakeholders for a just and real green deal. If the independent think tanks, foundations and CSOs in Europe can extend their platforms and programmes, particularly to Southern counterparts, they would find a sincere response and reciprocation towards building a collective voice for a sustainable world. The multilateral event and programme landscape in the coming months and years also provide ample opportunity to make a greater impact if we can find a collective way forward. The proposition, therefore, is to seek opportunities for collaboration on a just real green deal between European and Southern entities towards evolving a New Narrative on a Peoples Planetary Futures!

 

 

 

About the author: Uchita de Zoysa is a thinker, author, strategist for the local to global climate sustainability transformation with over 30 years of experience working in the public, private, and civil society sectors. He represented Sri Lanka during 2016 and 2017 as the Chief Negotiator for the UN SDG Process in his capacity as Ministerial Advisor on Sustainable Development. In 2018 he established the Sri Lanka Stakeholder SDG Platform and is the Chief Architect of the SDG Transformation Lab, Chairman of Global Sustainability Solutions (GLOSS), Executive Director of Centre for Environment and Development (CED). He is the Author of ‘It Has to be Climate Sustainability’, Lead Author of the publication ‘LOCALISING THE TRANSFORMATION IN THE NEW NORMAL: A Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka’ and the Chief Editor of the ‘Independent Peoples Reviews on the SDGs’ including the ‘Voluntary Peoples Review on the SDGs”. 

 

(Please send your comments and suggestions to: uchitadezoysa@gmail.com)

UN SDG16 Conference in Rome and the session on "participation and engagement for inclusive climate action" - May 2023

During UN SDG16 Conference in Rome, and the session on "participation and engagement for inclusive climate action", was kicked off by Uchita de Zoysa 

answering the question "what are the main barriers and challenges preventing inclusive climate action and the realization of climate justice". Some pointed I highlighted included;

a.     Lack of convergence between the Climate & Sustainability Agendas (2030 Agenda & Paris Agreement are administered as separate international and national processes. similarly peace, human rights, etc. are on separate tracks)
b.     Lack of coherence on Climate Sustainability between Science, Policy, Enterprise and People (03 decades plus to find resolution on rights and responsibilities.  (NDC vs. VNR vs. Sustainability Reporting and lack of coherence and who knows about these in a nation)
c.     Fragmented institutional architecture for Climate Sustainability (UN:  500+ MEA SL: 425+ agencies in SL – 52 ministries – 09 provinces – 341 local authorities)
d. Fragmented and manipulated financial architecture (a new agenda for transformation was designed with a a new financing architecture. The emerging climate finance or blended finance for sustainability is still on the lending and borrowing model. No approach to ecosystems services based financing/budgeting/resourcing)
e.     Keeping space for games of deception – delaying the obvious 
f.     Siloed & sporadic Climate Action not reinforcing Peace, Justice & Inclusion for SDG16+
g. Inclusion is about co-creation for sustainable futures. The continued approach is keeping planning exclusive and exclude other stakeholders. 

Transformation Lab on ESG, SDGs & Sustainability for EY Sri Lanka

In collaboration with Global Sustainability Solution (GLOSS), conducted a Transformation Lab on ESG, SDGs and Sustainability for Ernst & Young Sri Lanka Climate change and Sustainability Services team. The Business case for sustainability was presented with ESG unpacked beyond reporting. Looking forward to engaging the private sector effectively in the transformation.

SDG Transformation Lab on

“Primary Ecosystem Services & Biocurrency Towards Advancing SDG15+”

03rd March 2023 – 9am to 6pm -  SDG14+ Secretariat, Marine Environment Protection Authority

We brought together many of the best Sri Lankan scientists, activtist, researchers, policy advocates, etc. along with bankers, investors, and entrepreneurs to the SDG Transformation Lab on “Primary Ecosystems Services & Biocurrency Towards Advancing SDG15+” on the 3rd March 20023 on the World Wildlife Day. The senior most ecologists together with a group of young professionals in the field were placed in a simulaed pre-transformation lab with an idea of planning partnerships for innovative action.

The lab consisted of the followind sessions;

• KNOWLEDGE LAB: Challenges for planetary systems, potential breakdown scenarios for Sri Lanka, and the potential of earth restoration
• DEMONSTRATION LAB: The Belipola experiment and the potential of replication across degraded or neglected geographical spaces with community engagement.
• INNOVATION LAB: Biocurrency as a potential for advancing ecosystems services based economies and sustainable enterprises driven prosperity.
• COCREATION LAB: Potential for multidimensional partnerships to strengthen transformative action towards sustainability

Will now move into the next phase of looking at replicable experience and saclable models for earth systems restoration and ecosystems services for enhancing the global commons.

SDG16+ Conference & SDG Transformation Lab on 

“Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions for a Sustainable Recovery in Sri Lanka”

08.30am-06.30pm, 01^st February 2023, WorldVision Auditorium, 619/8 Dr Danister De Silva Mawatha, Colombo 09

"The 1st SDG16+ Transformation Lab was conducted in Sri Lanka with the participation of representative from public sector, civil society, private sector, UN, academia and media. The main objective was to build capacity and map out strategic partnerships for peace, justice and inclusion. The SDG Transformation Lab with the Sri Lanka Stakeholder SDG Platform plans for a series of Labs towards building capacity for transformative action through strategic partners."

 

Sri Lanka is currently going through multiple crises, including the worst economic crisis, that has taken the nation further away from sustainable development. While consecutive governments have stated their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), action and results do not provide evidence to Sri Lanka engaging in the transformation. Seeking temporary solutions and building strategies contradicting sustainable development could aggravate the crisis leading further weakening of resilience and increase of vulnerability of the nation. The Country needs peace, justice and strong institutions to alleviate the negative effects of this situation. Along with other SDGs (including 1,3,4,8,10, 11 and 15) the achievement of SDG 16 is important to create a disciplined, law abiding and value-based society. 

 

Though Sri Lanka has mechanisms to consult civil society in agenda setting on key issues such as migration, gender empowerment, environment and other, seldom these translate into joint action plans or programmes. Existing policy frameworks and implementation mechanisms (such as public private sector partnerships) do not adequately reflect the role of civil society, private sector, and other stakeholders in developing joint action plans and roll-out programmes to achieve the SDGs. Hence, this event is proposed for capacity-building, experience sharing, networking and exploring partnerships for transformative actions for achievement SDGs and focus on SDG 16+ with the joint partnerships of civil society actors, Government actors and private sector on the 1st January 2023. 

 

The Sri Lanka Stakeholder SDG Platform (SLS-SDG Platform) with the support of collaborating partners has since 2018 conducted an Independent Monitoring, Evaluation & Review Mechanism for the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. In 2022, the following reports have been compiled and are ready for utilization by the government and its stakeholders. 

1.      Sri Lanka Voluntary Peoples Review (VPR) on the SDGs to United Nations High Level Political Forum (UN HLPF) in 2022

2.      Sri Lanka SDG16+ Spotlight Report to HLPF 2022 expands on the Sri Lanka Voluntary Peoples Review (VPR) on the SDGs to United Nations High Level Political Forum (UN HLPF)

3.      Voluntary Subnational Review (VSR), Sri Lanka 2022

The event was organized by the Foundation for Innovative Social Development (FISD), World Vision Lanka and Kindernothilfe (KNH) in partnership with the Sri Lanka Stakeholder SDG Platform (SLS-SDG Platform) and the Centre for Environment and Development (CED). 

‘LOCALISING THE TRANSFORMATION IN THE NEW NORMAL: 

 A Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka’

‘LOCALISING THE TRANSFORMATION IN THE NEW NORMAL: A Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka’ was jointly prepared and published by Janathakshan (GTE) Ltd. and the Centre for Environment and Development. An Editorial and Research Team was led by Uchita de Zoysa (Editor-in-Chief and Lead Author), while Asoka Gunawardena (Co-Author) and Prof. Prasanthi Gunawardena (Co-Author) were joined by Contributing Authors and Researchers. The publication is part of the project ‘Strengthening the Mobilization of Private and Subnational Domestic Investments in Sri Lanka for the 2030 Agenda’. The project was supported by the GIZ 2030 Transformation Fund, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and coordinated locally through the GIZ Office in Sri Lanka. The book contains four main chapters; 

The Policy Context, The Localising Context, The Financing Context, and The Framework. Domestic resource mobilisation is the responsibility of all countries committed towards implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The United Nations (UN) has estimated that US$5 trillion to US$7 trillion per year is needed between 2015 and 2030 to achieve the SDGs globally, and $3.3 trillion to $4.5 trillion per year in developing countries. Estimates also show that achieving the SDGs could open up US$ 12 trillion of market opportunities and create 380 million new jobs, and that action on climate change would result in savings of about US$ 26 trillion by 2030. Seven years into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda), Sri Lanka is yet to estimate its financial commitment towards implementing the SDGs and has not assessed its potential gains from such an investment. Further, the country is yet to align its national economic policies, financial systems and investment strategies with the 2030 Agenda. In this context, Sri Lanka has not been able to mobilise additional external or internal resources required for transformative action towards achieving the SDGs. The ‘Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for SDGs in Sri Lanka’ is prepared and presented as an independent contribution to the national effort. An analysis is drawn from an independent monitoring, evaluation and review initiative that adopted a methodology to assess the performance and progress on the 169 SDG targets and its interlinkages. 

The analysis draws data and information from a wide range of options and included: (a) published official data and information (b) published independent stakeholder data and information (c) published news articles and reports (d) published international data and information (e) an online survey (f) consultations with experts drawn from stakeholders including central government institutions, provincial and local government institutions, civil society organisations, business sector organisations and chambers, banking and financial sector professionals, academics, researchers, and other domestic and international agencies. A group of researchers were engaged for a period of twelve months, spanning from September 2019 to August 2020; the team collected, streamlined, and analysed data and information towards drawing an integrated systems assessment of macro and micro dimensions of implementing the SDGs in Sri Lanka. The findings of this analysis then were also verified by selected thematic and sector experts to ensure best possible accuracy of the information and impartiality of the analysis. The proposed ‘Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for SDGs in Sri Lanka’ is intended to support the efforts of the Government and its stakeholders towards implementing the SDGs in Sri Lanka. 

The Framework provides a platform to design policy instruments and strategic interventions towards advancing sustainable development. Aiming to provide greater strategic foresight, the Framework does not attempt to present a prescriptive proposal on national planning and budgeting. The Framework is to inspire resource mobilisation for transformative action across national, subnational and community levels as a whole of society. The objective of the Framework is to engage public, private, civil society and all stakeholders at national, subnational and community levels in reimagining domestic resource mobilisation, reorganising the resource flows, and reinvesting in transformational pathways towards the recalibration of the context of implementing the SDGs. • Reimagining domestic resource mobilisation is about recalibrating the approach to strategic foresight and transformative action towards advancing sustainable development. • Reorganising the resource flows is about recalibrating the approach to resource governance and redesigning of the policy frameworks and institutional structures towards facilitating a circular economy. • Reinvesting in transformational pathways is about recalibrating the approach to ecosystem services and innovative financing towards facilitating a new state of inclusive prosperity. The scope of the Framework is defined by resource governance, resource relationships and resource regeneration; • Resource Governance is how resource flows are regulated and managed within the tiers of governance, national-provincial-local, as well as the self-governance of resources by non-state actors including international, private, civil society, community and individuals. • Resource Relationships are how the flow of resources through investment and financing transpire between different stakeholders and actors • Resource Regeneration is how resources are invested within the ecosystem for intra-generational equity and harvested for inter-generational equity. 

Localising the Transformation in the New Normal should not be simply to survive the COVID-19 Pandemic. Transformation is a complex exercise towards achieving sustainable development. The Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka, provides a platform to design policy instruments and strategic interventions towards advancing the transformation. The Framework is a linkages model of elements, facilitating the recalibration of the contexts that SDGs are implemented across the governance tiers and supported by tools. While the sixteen proposed Elements would individually have certain specific impacts on the four Contexts, collectively as an integrated system it would create a holistic and transformative impact towards sustainable development. The four categories of Tools that are offered to facilitate the application of the Framework will need to be customised according to the needs and situations of the four Tiers of Governance. It is formulated to guide an inclusive prosperity in Sri Lanka, and as a transformative model for the rest of the world. 

For any clarifications on the Framework and the Book, please feel free to communicate with The Editor-in-Chief and Lead Author, Mr.Uchita de Zoysa (email: uchitadezoysa@gmail.com or mobile: +94 777372206). Thank you in advance for your kind support in this regard. An ecopy of the book can be downloaded at https://www.academia.edu/76804624/LOCALISING_THE_TRANSFORMATION_IN_THE_NEW_NORMAL_A_Domestic_Resource_Mobilization_Framework_for_Sustainable_Development_Goals_in_Sri_Lanka

 The National Crisis from a Sustainable Development Assessment:

Based on 2022 Independent Monitoring, Evaluation & Reviews of the SDGs

 

 

Overview

Sri Lanka is currently going through multiple crises, including the worst economic crisis, that has taken the nation further away from sustainable development. While consecutive governments have stated their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), action and results do not provide evidence to Sri Lanka engaging in the transformation. Far before the COVID-19 pandemic and the national economic crisis, the lack of administrative commitment to an inclusive transformation had kept the parliament, cabinet and political decision makers in space of extreme low awareness, comprehension and appreciation of the SDGs. An already derailed process since 2018, the lack of a proper plan and strategy put in place by relevant authorities has kept the political hierarchy far away from adopting a transformative agenda even in the crisis. Seeking temporary solutions and building strategies contradicting sustainable development could aggravate the crisis leading further weakening of resilience and increase of vulnerability of the nation.  

 

In the absence of a proper engagement process for an inclusive transformation and methodological approach for an honest and scientific review, the Sri Lanka Stakeholder SDG Platform (SLS-SDG Platform) has since 2018 conducted an Independent Monitoring, Evaluation & Review Mechanism for the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. This has resulted in many outcomes including a Voluntary Peoples Review (VPR), Voluntary Subnational Review (VSR), Peoples Score Card (PSC) and a Domestic Resource Mobilisation Framework (DRMF). The independent reviews in 2022 were a large effort of over 200 reviewers and 260 organizations through consultation conducted across the country. The contributions have come from a larger number of representatives representing Government Institutions, Provincial Councils, Local Authorities, CSO, Business, Academic, Local Government, Associations, Unions and all other stakeholders. Experts, Activists, Entrepreneurs, Academics, Scientists, Professionals, Children, Youth, Women, Elders and all other Major Group representatives. 

 

The following 05 reviews are now compiled and are ready for utilization by the government and its stakeholders. 

1.     Sri Lanka Voluntary Peoples Review (VPR) on the SDGs to United Nations High Level Political Forum (UN HLPF) in 2022

2.  COMPENDIUM of Micro-Macro Assessments of the Sri Lanka Voluntary Peoples Review of the Sustainable Development Goals 2022

3.     COMPENDIUM of Subnational Level Assessments of the Sri Lanka Voluntary Peoples Review of the Sustainable Development Goals 2022

4.     Sri Lanka SDG16+ Spotlight Report to HLPF 2022 expands on the Sri Lanka Voluntary Peoples Review (VPR) on the SDGs to United Nations High Level Political Forum (UN HLPF)

5.     COMPENDIUM of the Institutional Architecture for SDG16 of the SRI LANKA SDG 16+ SPOTLIGHT REPORT to UN HLPF 2022

6.     Voluntary Subnational Review (VSR), Sri Lanka 2022

 

 

 

Status of Implementing the SDGs in Sri Lanka

We have conducted a Micro and Macro Assessment of the SDGs in Sri Lanka in 2022 using a -5 to +5 rating scale. 

 

The Micro Assessment is based on measuring the progress of the 169 Targets through the 244 UN Global Indicators and Localised Indicators if available and relevant. The micro assessment came out with a “0” rating meaning that Sri Lanka has not made any progress on the transformation towards Sustainable Development.

The Macro Assessment is based on 30 Key Aspects under 05 Main Areas relevant to the broader transformation. The five transformative areas identified for the Macro Assessment includes (i) Systems Change: Integration and Mainstreaming Review (ii) Political Commitment: Policy and Institutional Coherence Review (iii) Continuous Assessment: Monitoring, Evaluation, Follow-up & Review (iv) Leaving No One Behind: Localising, Subnational Level and Stakeholder Engagement Review, and (v) Means of Implementation: Financing, Technology and Accountability Review. Each SDG’s progress there for is assessed based on the performance on the SDG Targets and Key Transformative Aspects. The Macro Assessment came out with a “-1” negative rating which means that Sri Lanka is actually declining on the transformation towards Sustainable Development.

After seven years of agreeing on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs following summary presents the poor status of implementation in Sri Lanka;

1.     Low political and administrative commitment to the SDGs. 

2.     No National Roadmap, Policy and Strategy towards implementing the SDGs; This is a main mandated responsibility of the Sustainable Development Council. 

3.     No Monitoring, Evaluation, Follow-up and Review Mechanism for assessment of the progress of the SDGs.

4.     No financing plan or strategy leaving any money spent having no return on investment identified as well. 

5.     Lack of Policy Coherence between Environmental, Social and Economic policies and no integration between these three dimensions in policy planning and implementation. 

6.     A highly Fragmented Institutional Architecture prevents collective and coordinated work across the large public service delivery system. Over 425 public sector entities operate in their own siloes and budget allocations and has limited collaboration for a whole of government effort.

7.     Poor localizing of the SDGs, leaving behind the Provincial Councils and Local Authorities. 

8.     Extremely low awareness, knowledge and comprehension amongst political and government entities and all stakeholders including the academia, private sector and civil society. 

9.     Shrinking space for stakeholder engagement from policy planning, implementation, monitoring and review contradicts the agreed principle of “Leaving No One Behind” in the transformation. 

10.  Sri Lanka is not investing in the transformation. For example, even in the worst economic crisis of the nation, the government does not have a strategy for ecosystems services based economic modelling for prosperity and wellbeing. 

Way Forward

The United Nations (UN) has estimated that US$5 trillion to US$7 trillion per year is needed between 2015 and 2030 to achieve the SDGs globally, and $3.3 trillion to $4.5 trillion per year in developing countries. Estimates also show that achieving the SDGs could open up US$ 12 trillion of market opportunities and create 380 million new jobs, and that action on climate change would result in savings of about US$ 26 trillion by 2030. Five years into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda), Sri Lanka is yet to estimate its financial commitment towards implementing the SDGs and has not assessed its potential gains from such an investment. Further, the country is yet to align its national economic policies, financial systems and investment strategies with the 2030 Agenda. In this context, Sri Lanka has not been able to mobilise additional external or internal resources required for transformative action towards achieving the SDGs. 

 

a ‘Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for SDGs’ was formulated in 2020 in Sri Lanka as an independent contribution to the national effort, and as a transformative model for the rest of the world as well. The Framework addresses recalibrating four critical contexts towards implementing the SDGs; the policy context, the localising context, the financing context, and the transformation context. Domestic resource mobilisation will be defined by addressing systemic issues for resource governance, resource relationships and resource regeneration. Resource Governance is how resource flows are regulated and managed within the tiers of governance, national-provincial-local, as well as the self-governance of resources by non-state actors including international, private, civil society, community and individuals.  Resource Relationships are how the flow of resources through investment and financing transpire between different stakeholders and actors. Resource Regeneration is how resources are invested within the ecosystem for intra-generational equity and harvested for inter-generational equity. 

 

The Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for SDGs in Sri Lanka’ is a linkages model of elements, facilitating the recalibration of the contexts that SDGs are implemented across the governance tiers and supported by tools. It intends to support the efforts of the Government and its stakeholders towards implementing the SDGs in Sri Lanka. The Framework provides a platform to design policy instruments and strategic interventions towards advancing sustainable development. Aiming to provide greater strategic foresight, the Framework does not attempt to present a prescriptive proposal on national planning and budgeting. The Framework is to inspire resource mobilisation for transformative action across national, subnational and community levels as a whole of society. The objective of the Framework is to engage public, private, civil society and all stakeholders at national, subnational and community levels in reimagining domestic resource mobilisation, reorganising the resource flows, and reinvesting in transformational pathways towards the recalibration of the context of implementing the SDGs. 

 

i.         Reimagining domestic resource mobilisation is about recalibrating the approach to strategic foresight and transformative action towards advancing sustainable development. 

ii.        Reorganising the resource flows is about recalibrating the approach to resource governance and redesigning of the policy frameworks and institutional structures towards facilitating a circular economy.

iii.       Reinvesting in transformational pathways is about recalibrating the approach to ecosystem services and innovative financing towards facilitating a new state of inclusive prosperity. 

 

For any clarifications on the Framework and the Book, please feel free to communicate with The Editor-in-Chief and Lead Author, Mr.Uchita de Zoysa (email: uchitadezoysa@gmail.com or mobile: +94 777372206). Thank you in advance for your kind support in this regard. An ecopy of the report can be found at https://www.academia.edu/89359776/Sri_Lanka_Voluntary_Peoples_Review_VPR_on_the_SDGs_to_United_Nations_High_Level_Political_Forum_UN_HLPF_in_2022

 

Application of a Framework for Integrated Systems Thinking Approach for Implementation of Water-related SDGs and Targets in Sri Lanka

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes the important role of water in sustainable development: Sustainable Development Goal 6 and its 8 targets focus on ensuring “availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. At the same time, implementation of this new global development agenda, and water and sanitation related goal and targets in particular will require action that embraces interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral approaches to development, an integrated analysis and effective implementation strategies.

To address this need, ESCAP has developed a tool for analysis of the interdependencies and interlinkages between SDG 6 and other SDGs, applying the systems thinking approach and framework. The study identifies a set of high impact leverage points to support water-related SDG goal and targets to achieve sustainable development. Given the macro level perspective of the assessment conducted, ESCAP also initiated implementation of pilot applications of the systems thinking framework for water related SDG in selected Asia-Pacific countries based on national circumstances.

In this regards, ESCAP in partnership with Centre for Environment and Development (CED) will collaborate with the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife of Sri Lanka (MoSDW), Ministry of City Planning and Water Supply (MoCPWS) and other organizations to implement the pilot application of the analytical framework of systems thinking and its supporting quantitative model to national circumstances of Sri Lanka. The pilot application in Sri Lanka will be a groundbreaking pilot, which will set the agenda for further pilot applications in the Asia-Pacific region, and in particular in Central Asia and the Pacific. It is expected that the results from the Sri Lanka pilot application of the framework and modelling will be shared a regional consultation to be held second half of 2016 and will guide the lessons learned will serve as guidance to the other pilot projects. 

The National Workshop in Sri Lanka has the objective to review the application of the analytical framework for integration of SDG 6 targets and indicators, as well as the related modelling and analysis, and of the ESCAP team is to support the national partners in developing a good understanding of opportunities systems thinking mapping and analysis provide for addressing the priorities in water and sanitation sectors in Sri Lanka. The national team will get familiarized with the analytical framework tools for integration of SDG 6 and its targets with the other SDGs using systems thinking approach, and will further work on quantitative modeling to define the most effective interventions in the critical leverage points with most impact. The systems thinking tools will be complimented and synergized with the IWRM principles and tools.