Examining the Alignment Between the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and Sustainable Development Goals

This World Resources Institute working paper analyzes the alignment between the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted under the Paris Agreement and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. By mapping climate actions across 92 INDCs, the authors demonstrate that climate policies often generate mutual benefits for sustainable development, though these synergies are frequently unrecognized or uncoordinated at the national level due to institutional silos.

• A global analysis of climate actions across examined INDCs revealed alignment with 154 of the 169 SDG targets.
• Despite the high degree of alignment, few countries explicitly referenced the SDGs, Millennium Development Goals, or national development priorities when communicating their climate actions in their INDCs.
• The document identifies three types of linkages between the two agendas: mutual benefits where both are served, sustainable development co-benefits resulting from climate action, and climate co-benefits resulting from sustainable development action.
• Case studies of Colombia and Uganda, both of which 'localized' SDGs into national plans before finalizing INDCs, showed high alignment; Colombia's INDC aligned with 40 SDG targets and Uganda's with 56.
• Institutional fragmentation often leads to the climate and development agendas being managed in 'silos,' with environment ministries typically handling INDCs while foreign affairs, planning, or economic ministries coordinate the SDGs.
• Climate change is identified as a significant threat to the achievement of SDG 1 (No Poverty), as it disproportionately affects the poorest populations who have the fewest resources to adapt.
• The energy sector is a primary point of convergence; 80 percent of submitted INDCs include clean energy elements, and increasing the share of renewables could provide roughly half of the emissions reductions needed to limit warming to 2°C.
• Gender inequality is exacerbated by climate change, yet women are identified as key agents of change; 40 percent of the 162 INDCs include 'women' or 'gender' in the context of national priorities.
• Urban areas are critical for both mitigation and adaptation, as cities account for 70–80 percent of total global CO2 emissions.
• The authors argue that a 'whole-of-government' and 'whole-of-society' approach is necessary to maximize mutual benefits and avoid the duplication of effort and competition for scarce resources.

APA

Northrop, E., Biru, H., Lima, S., Bouye, M., & Song, R. (2016). Examining the Alignment Between the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and Sustainable Development Goals. World Resources Institute. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/WRI_INDCs_v5.pdf

Chicago

Northrop, Eliza, Hana Biru, Sylvia Lima, Mathilde Bouye, and Ranping Song. Examining the Alignment Between the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and Sustainable Development Goals. World Resources Institute, 2016. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/WRI_INDCs_v5.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Northrop |first1=Eliza |last2=Biru |first2=Hana |last3=Lima |first3=Sylvia |last4=Bouye |first4=Mathilde |last5=Song |first5=Ranping |title=Examining the Alignment Between the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and Sustainable Development Goals |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=September 2016 |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/WRI_INDCs_v5.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{northrop2016examining, author = {Northrop, Eliza and Biru, Hana and Lima, Sylvia and Bouye, Mathilde and Song, Ranping}, title = {{Examining the Alignment Between the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and Sustainable Development Goals}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2016}, month = sep, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/WRI_INDCs_v5.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }