Priorities, systems thinking and the SDGs

The authors advocate for the use of systems thinking to identify which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) act as accelerators for others, rather than focusing on 'easy fixes' or short-term interests. Using the 'SDG Synergies' tool in Sweden as an example, the text demonstrates how certain goals, such as SDG 11, can positively impact the entire system while others may face trade-offs. The document recommends that countries report their priority-setting strategies in Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to foster global peer-learning.

• A systems-thinking approach is necessary for prioritizing SDG actions because the Goals are interlinked; some Goals can 'push progress' across the entire 2030 Agenda, while others may be isolated or constrained by progress in different Goals.
• Prioritizing SDGs based on ease of achievement or short-term political and economic interests is counter-productive and may threaten progress on other Goals.
• Analysis using the SDG Synergies tool in Sweden identified SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) as having the most positive impact on all 17 SDGs, followed by SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals), SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), and SDG 13 (climate action).
• High-synergy 'accelerator' Goals in the Swedish context created trade-offs that negatively impacted SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 15 (life on land), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG 13 (climate action), and SDG 14 (life below water).
• The authors recommend that Member States use Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to report on their priority-setting approaches and share institutionalized methods for managing SDG synergies and trade-offs to facilitate peer-learning at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2023). Priorities, systems thinking and the SDGs. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/priorities-systems-thinking-sdg/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Priorities, systems thinking and the SDGs. 2023. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/priorities-systems-thinking-sdg/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Priorities, systems thinking and the SDGs |date=13 April 2023 |url=https://www.sei.org/perspectives/priorities-systems-thinking-sdg/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2023priorities, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Priorities, systems thinking and the SDGs}}, publisher = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/perspectives/priorities-systems-thinking-sdg/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }