Governance: The SDG Enabler

Sometimes I like to imagine governance as an invisible force. You can't touch it, you can't see it, you can't feel it. It can't be measured in number of trees planted or GHGs emitted or medicines delivered or refugees assisted. But its work, behind the scenes, is a powerful driver of action for the SDGs.

What is Governance?

Governance is about how we make decisions with others. It's how we sit together and make choices within our families and with our friends. It's how we manage and make decisions with our teams at work. It's about how we share information and respect individual voices and rights. It's about how we decide on and enforce the rules of how we interact in our social environments.

And as we know, governance comes in different shapes and sizes. What is the best form of governing to achieve Agenda 2030? Some might argue a top down approach will get us there faster (and we are running out of time!). But is it the right approach? When we include diverse voices to co-create solutions, it's true, sometimes there is consensus and sometimes there is deadlock and sometimes we are slow. But, by sharing knowledge, facilitating discussions and empowering individuals, communities and governments to propose solutions in each individual context, we are closer to supporting the right programs. And that's when we are winning.

What Are Some Examples of Using Governance for the SDGs?

I like to think of governance as the enabler of sustainable development. It is the 'how' people participate in decision-making to achieve the SDGs. For sustainable initiatives to be impactful they need to be channeled through effective institutions, inclusive decision-making, transparent information sharing, and accountable governments. Whether we are working on climate action, gender equality or poverty reduction we need diverse voices in the solutioning process cutting across all the 17 goals.

The sub-categories that fall under the umbrella of governance are vast and each area is its own universe of theories, tools, best practices and approaches. Here's a brief rundown:

·?????Institutional strengthening (also public sector reform) is about making deliberate changes to the structures and processes of government with the objective of getting public sector to run more transparently, effectively and efficiently. More efficient and effective public sector, means better public service delivery on the SDGs.

·?????Anti-corruption is about making sure that resources reach the intended beneficiaries. The latest IPCC report highlights that leakage due to corruption has a direct correlation to CO2 emissions. Curbing corruption helps achieve the SDGs by making sure money goes where it is supposed to.

·?????Human Rights – though not an explicit SDG on their own – they do outline the rights laid out in the SDGs: economic, civil, cultural, political, social rights and the right to development. While Agenda 2030 is a not a legally binding instrument, regional and international human rights Conventions and Covenants are binding instruments of international law. The conventions are monitored at the global level and can be legally applied at the national level, ensuring compliance to human rights as articulated in each of SDGs. These can be used as a measurement and evaluation tool to see whether or not we are on track.

·?????Access to Justice and Rule of Law goes hand-in-hand with Human Rights. It's about inclusively developing laws that protect the rights of diverse people based on the SDGs and international Conventions and Covenants. It's about making sure the laws are then enforced and people know how and where to seek justice when there are lapses.

·?????Inclusion – (using it as a catchall phrase here) is about giving voice to beneficiaries. It can be through free and fair elections, civil society strengthening, decentralization and local governance, parliaments, political parties, journalism, academia, collective action and increasingly, innovation and social media. It's about organizing the demand-side (e.g. rights holders) of governance to hold accountable and spur to action the supply-side (e.g. duty bearers). By identifying the most vulnerable people, their needs and giving them a voice and platform to articulate those needs, governments can respond and ensure ‘no one is left behind’.?

Practical Ways to Make Use of the Invisible Force in UN Programs

I'm unabashedly a governance geek both at home and at work. At the UN, it's easy to get trapped in the day-to-day work of implementation and forget about the 'how' we will achieve our results. Still, I believe governance can be applied in very practical ways in UN programming for Agenda 2030, both within our organizations (blog post for another day) and with our stakeholders.

Imagine, for a moment, a WFP employee implementing a school feeding project in-country. He/she may be responsible for making sure food is delivered to schools on time and of high quality. The project likely has indicators on inputs (how much delivered each week, etc.) and indicators on outputs, outcomes and impact (e.g. child nutrition stats, school attendance, household income, etc.). Rather than waiting for project monitoring to find out whether the indicators are being met and the food delivered, the WFP team could set up an accountability mechanism in the community to track progress. For example a mixed group of parents, village elders, business people and teachers could meet regularly to review the food distribution plan (transparency) and actual delivery including quantity, quality and timeliness. They can report (participation) whether or not it was on track and was it delivered with integrity and respect (this one takes us into ethics but I had to add it because it helps reduce abuse of power by UN staff). This activity is relatively low cost and will help to immediately identify if the beneficiaries are getting what they need. And if we add a little tech, we can get feedback in realtime.

Summary

At the UN, it's easy to live in a silo and only think about how to advance activities in our specific technical area. Being able to offer UN employees practical tools on ways to apply governance for implementation is an effective and lasting way to achieve programmatic results. This is because while you are delivering on your project, you are, at the same time, strengthening the systems, networks, institutions, and processes that allow for activities to move forward in the future. Doing this inclusively, allows for diverse voices to be heard and the best local solutions to emerge. There is no one way to achieve the goals, so let's open the possibilities with inclusive dialogue and decision-making. And at the end of the day, letting all voices have a say, is the invisible force that is governance.

Note: My blog posts are an invitation to exchange ideas. What do you think? What has worked or not? Do you agree or disagree?