Piloting the SDG Synergies approach in Mongolia

The report details a pilot project in Mongolia using the SDG Synergies approach to identify interactions between 17 targets from the Sustainable Development Vision (SDV) 2030. Centered on integrated water governance, the process involved a stakeholder workshop in Ulaanbaatar to map first-order interactions, followed by SEI's second-order and cluster analyses. The findings highlight the critical role of accountable governance and urban planning in driving sustainability, while identifying strong self-reinforcing synergies within the agriculture and food sectors. The project resulted in the Mongolian Cabinet approving guidelines for using the approach in sectoral policy development.

• The first-order interaction analysis revealed that governance targets are the most influential. Specifically, Target 2.4.i (Accountable governance structures) had the highest net influence score of +31 and a positive influence on all other targets, followed by Target 2.4.ii (Leadership for civil service).
• Urban planning and waste management (Target 2.3.3.ii) was identified as a highly influential target, scoring second in the first-order analysis with a net score of +26. This is attributed to the rapid growth of Ulaanbaatar and the resulting challenges in providing basic infrastructure and social services.
• Second-order analysis, which accounts for indirect system effects, slightly altered the ranking of influential targets. Target 2.4.ii (Leadership of civil service organizations) rose to the second position, while targets related to social welfare, water resource protection, and biodiversity preservation fell in rank.
• Cluster analysis identified four groups of positively linked targets. The 'Agriculture/food' cluster (comprising targets 2.1.1.ii, 2.1.1.iii, and 2.1.3.iii) demonstrated a strong, self-reinforcing 'loop of influence' where investment in one target cascades to the others.
• The 'Industry' cluster was found to consist of targets 2.1.3.ii (chemical industrial sector), 2.1.5.ii (renewable energy), and 2.1.4.ii (extractive industries). The analysis suggests significant gains could be achieved through formalized cross-sectoral cooperation within the Industry and Agricultural clusters.
• The pilot project led to institutionalization of the method in Mongolia; the National Development Agency developed guidelines for the SDG Synergies approach, which were approved by the Cabinet in October 2018, mandating sectoral ministries to use the approach in policy development.

APA

Barquet, K., Trimmer, C., Sturesson, A., Joyce, B., & Jambal, D. (2019). Piloting the SDG Synergies approach in Mongolia. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/sei-2019-sdg-synergies-mongolia.pdf

Chicago

Barquet, Karina, Caspar Trimmer, Annie Sturesson, Brian Joyce, and Doljinsuren Jambal. Piloting the SDG Synergies approach in Mongolia. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2019. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/sei-2019-sdg-synergies-mongolia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Barquet |first1=Karina |last2=Trimmer |first2=Caspar |last3=Sturesson |first3=Annie |last4=Joyce |first4=Brian |last5=Jambal |first5=Doljinsuren |title=Piloting the SDG Synergies approach in Mongolia |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=July 2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/sei-2019-sdg-synergies-mongolia.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{barquet2019piloting, author = {Barquet, Karina and Trimmer, Caspar and Sturesson, Annie and Joyce, Brian and Jambal, Doljinsuren}, title = {{Piloting the SDG Synergies approach in Mongolia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/sei-2019-sdg-synergies-mongolia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }