What Role Can National Sustainable Development Councils and Similar Bodies Play in the Design and Delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals?

Benin agreed and explained that one of the most important challenges it faces is “the lack of financial resources necessary to carry out the activities listed in the annual Work Plan.” SDplanNET BRIEFING NOTE APRIL 2014 What Role Can National Sustainable Development Councils and Similar Bodies Play in the Design and Delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals? [...] Similarly, Mauritius and Panama stated that they struggle to collect reliable and adequate data on the effectiveness of policies and initiatives, with the lack of systematic data collection and the fragmented nature of the sustainable development sector (in Panama) given as a key reason for this being the case. [...] In Benin, the NCSD is involved in the integration of the environmental dimension in all governmental projects and programs, whereas in Panama, by order of the government, the NCSD is directly responsible for the design and implementation of the national sustainable development objectives. [...] The Croatian and Belgian NCSDs emphasized the importance of sustainable consumption and production and sustainable agriculture, with the former being a particularly illuminating choice given the implications this would have for developed countries such as themselves to change their own systems and behaviour. [...] The Hungarian NCSDs emphasized the value of dialogue and cooperation between national-level sustainable development bodies through the likes of international networks such as that of the European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils, which many of the survey respondents are members of.