Where to begin? Defining national strategies for implementing the 2030 Agenda: the case of Switzerland

Five years after adoption of the 2030 Agenda, there is a general lack of progress in reaching its Sustainable Development Goals—be it on national, regional, or global scales. Scientists attribute this above all to insufficient understanding and addressing of interactions between goals and targets. This study aims to contribute to the methodological conceptualization of the 2030 Agenda’s implementation at the national level. To this end, taking the case of Switzerland, the authors tested and enhanced existing approaches for assessing interactions among the 2030 Agenda’s targets and for analysing the systemic relevance of priority targets. Building on their insights, the article concludes with an eight-step proposal for creating knowledge to support national 2030 Agendas.

The steps, such as "Translation of the 2030 Agenda to national contexts", "Identification of priority targets", "Systemic assessment of SDG target interactions" and "Identification of priority transformative pathways" will serve for making successful national strategies for implementation of the SDGs. Such a strategy is currently being developed by the Swiss government and SDSN Switzerland is eagerly awaiting the public consultation expected for the fall 2020. SDSN Switzerland hopes that the study can contribute to our new Strategy for Sustainable Development.