Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Through Transformative Governance Practices and Vertical Collaboration at the National and Subnational Levels in Asia Pacific

This report summarizes the outcomes of the SDplanNet-Asia Pacific Regional Workshop Series held in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2014. It analyzes existing governance practices for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region, identifies gaps in vertical and horizontal integration, and proposes a capacity-building agenda for 2014–2015 to help national and subnational planners implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• There is a notable disconnect between global and national priorities for the SDGs. National-level consultations in the Asia-Pacific region place higher emphasis on health, environment, good governance, education, employment, and equality, while global focus areas often lack specific environmental sustainability aspects in employment or direct references to disaster issues.
• Regional coordination for sustainable development in Asia-Pacific is heavily dependent on the UN system, specifically ESCAP, ESCWA, and UNEP, because the region lacks an independent mechanism similar to the European Union.
• Subregional bodies, such as ASEAN, SACEP, and SPREP, serve as vertical integrators between national governments and global bodies, but their effectiveness is often limited by an 'environment-based silo approach' where sustainable development is lodged solely under environment committees.
• National Councils for Sustainable Development (NCSDs) are intended as multistakeholder mechanisms, but in practice, many are purely governmental or use experts as 'token representation' of non-state actors. Only a few, including those in Bangladesh, Fiji, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Taiwan, are identified as having genuine multistakeholder compositions.
• Horizontal integration at the national level is hindered by the fact that most sustainable development coordinating mechanisms are located within environment ministries rather than planning or development ministries, which limits their ability to coordinate across sectors.
• While most countries in the region have produced a National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS), the quality of these plans varies. Many are overly environment-oriented or are substituted by shorter-term Medium-Term Development Plans (MTDPs) that focus more on social and economic development.
• Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (M&E) systems in the region are generally weak due to inadequate capabilities in generating timely data, selecting appropriate indicators, and analyzing results to inform policy-making.
• The report proposes a capacity-building agenda for 2014–2015 focusing on ten priority areas, including long-term planning with resilience and scenarios, sector analysis for inter-sectoral linking, and improving the capacity of local governments to implement policies.

APA

Antonio, E., Ofei-Manu, P., & Olsen, S. H. (2014). Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Through Transformative Governance Practices and Vertical Collaboration at the National and Subnational Levels in Asia Pacific. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_asia_pacific.pdf

Chicago

Antonio, Ella, Paul Ofei-Manu, and Simon Hoiberg Olsen. Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Through Transformative Governance Practices and Vertical Collaboration at the National and Subnational Levels in Asia Pacific. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_asia_pacific.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Antonio |first1=Ella |last2=Ofei-Manu |first2=Paul |last3=Olsen |first3=Simon Hoiberg |title=Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Through Transformative Governance Practices and Vertical Collaboration at the National and Subnational Levels in Asia Pacific |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_asia_pacific.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{antonio2014achieving, author = {Antonio, Ella and Ofei-Manu, Paul and Olsen, Simon Hoiberg}, title = {{Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Through Transformative Governance Practices and Vertical Collaboration at the National and Subnational Levels in Asia Pacific}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_asia_pacific.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }