SDG #17 is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”

Within SDG #17 are 19 targets, of which we here focus on Target 17.19:

By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

Target 17.19 has two indicators:

• Indicator 17.19.1: Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen statistical capacity in developing countries

• Indicator 17.19.2: Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration

This target highlights the work of PARIS21. This organisation works to help developing countries increase their statistical capacity.

The developing countries which had the most dollars available for statistical capacity were in Africa. Vietnam, Serbia, and Nepal also each spent over $10 million to this end in 2020. Global spending on increasing statistical capacity in 2020 was $541 million.

As of 2017, only a dozen countries hadn’t completed a census in the past decade. The country with the smallest proportion of registered births was in the Horn of Africa. In Ethiopia and Somalia, the rate was less than 6%. The global rate of birth registrations was 72% of births as of 2018. Several African countries and Afghanistan registered deaths at a rate lower than 10%.

SDG #17 is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”

Within SDG #17 are 19 targets, of which we here focus on Target 17.18:

By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

Target 17.18 has three indicators:

• Indicator 17.18.1: Statistical capacity indicators

• Indicator 17.18.2: Number of countries that have national statistical legislation that complies with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics

• Indicator 17.18.3: Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding

Goals give us the inspiration. Targets within those Goals help break down the vast ambition, and the indicators give us a tool to measure what we aspire to. Yet we need data to inform those indicators. Without this statistical information, we cannot know how we’re progressing toward our goals.

Tools such as the World Bank’s Statistical Performance Indicator allow us to measure a country’s capacity to gather data. Whether in the form of surveys, censuses, or geospatial data, we need to ensure such information meets a standard. As many countries are in dire need of development, we can expect their capacity to collect data of their citizens is also hampered.

For example, how will we know we’re lifting the 626 million out of extreme poverty, or whether there’s a reversal, without good data? 

Many countries in South America and Africa don't have statistics adherent to the UN Fundamental Principles of data. In an irony, a couple dozen countries don’t have data for Indicator 17.8.2.

As of 2022, 156 countries have national statistical plans under implementation, 100 of which have full funding. Of these, the government fund 72 of them, 19 are from donors, and other sources finance 10.

SDG #17 is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”

Within SDG #17 are 19 targets, of which we here focus on Target 17.17:

Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

Target 17.17 has one indicator:

• Indicator 17.17.1: Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure

Much of the aims of the SDGs involve infrastructure investments, such as for the energy transition or water projects. Governments can raise some of this investment money, but often it needs a combination of public and private finance. This is extra difficult when the major credit rating agencies hold unfavourable assessments of poor countries. This makes it more expensive for these governments to raise financing for crucial infrastructure.

Brazil, China, and India each raised more than $5 billion for public-private partnerships in 2022.

SDG #17 is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”

Within SDG #17 are 19 targets, of which we here focus on Target 17.16:

Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

Target 17.16 has one indicator:

• Indicator 17.16.1: Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the sustainable development goals

The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development spells out the essence of SDG #17. Goal #17 calls upon countries to help one another in achieving the Goals.

As of 2018, 36 countries who were recipients of knowledge and expertise in support of the SDGs were reporting progress in such frameworks. 20 of these were least developed countries. 20 countries were providing such help

SDG #17 is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”

Within SDG #17 are 19 targets, of which we here focus on Target 17.15:

Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development

Target 17.15 has one indicator:

• Indicator 17.15.1: Extent of use of country-owned results frameworks and planning tools by providers of development cooperation

Country-owned results frameworks describe how countries can define for themselves how to measure. For example, a developing country might develop a plan for how it intends to reduce poverty over the next 10 years. Donor countries can then take these plans of the developing country into account when providing aid to them. The country-owned results framework can guide the donor, rather than imposing its own designs on the recipient country.

On this measure, providers of development cooperation used 57% of country-owned results frameworks as of 2018.

SDG #17 is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”

Within SDG #17 are 19 targets, of which we here focus on Target 17.14:

Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development

Target 17.14 has one indicator:

• Indicator 17.14.1: Number of countries with mechanisms in place to enhance policy coherence of sustainable development

The policy coherence spoken of is an effort to ensure all parts of a government are working toward sustainable development.

Few countries have reported data on this. But among those who have, those with a high degree of mechanisms of ensuring such coherence include Colombia and Qatar, each with a perfect score.

SDG #17 is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”

Within SDG #17 are 19 targets, of which we here focus on Target 17.13:

Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence

Target 17.13 has one indicator:

• Indicator 17.13.1: Macroeconomic Dashboard

The Macroeconomic Dashboard is a collection of financial indicators.

An example of one of these indicators is inflation of consumer prices. The countries with the highest figures in 2022 were Zimbabwe and Sudan, each with rates higher than 100. Worldwide, consumer price inflation was 8% in 2022, up from 1% in 2015. 

Another measure from the Macroeconomic Dashboard is public sector debt. A lot of countries were missing data for this, but among those with data, the highest was Greece with 207% as of 2021.

SDG #17 is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”

Within SDG #17 are 19 targets, of which we here focus on Target 17.12:

Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access

Target 17.12 has one indicator:

• Indicator 17.12.1: Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States

The tariffs faced by low-income countries as of 2017 averaged 10%, about the same as at the adoption of the SDGs in 2015. This contrasts with the world average tariff of 2%.

SDG #17 is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”

Within SDG #17 are 19 targets, of which we here focus on Target 17.11:

Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020

Target 17.11 has one indicator:

• Indicator 17.11.1: Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports

As of 2021, the share of developing countries of global exports was 44%, and only 1% for the least developed countries. 

SDG #17 is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”

Within SDG #17 are 19 targets, of which we here focus on Target 17.10:

Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non‑discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda

Target 17.10 has one indicator:

• Indicator 17.10.1: Worldwide weighted tariff-average

This target reintroduces us to the Doha Development Agenda of the World Trade Organization, already explored in this series in Target 3.b.

Worldwide, the average tariffs across all products as of 2017 was 2%, a fraction less than at the adoption of the SDGs in 2015.