Most SDG targets for Planet Health Not on Track, according to a global evidence synthesis

A newly released report by UN agencies and international organizations says most Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) targets for Planet Health are not on track and have achieved very little progress.

As of June 2024, 67% of the 46 targets within the Planet Pillar SDGs are in an unsatisfactory status, requiring significant acceleration efforts.

The report, “What do we know about the evidence base for the SDG Planet Pillar?”, is delivered by a global network of evaluation and synthesis experts known as the SDG Synthesis Coalition. The Coalition comprises more than 40 evaluation offices of UN entities and international organizations and research networks.

The scoping study provides a comprehensive assessment of the evidence base for clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), life below water (SDG 14), and life on land (SDG 15).

The independent evaluation unit of the Green Climate Fund (GCF IEU) has served as a Co-Chair for the Planet Pillar synthesis management group of the Coalition since 2023 and provided leadership and technical support in completing this scoping study.

In terms of methodology, the review employed systematic searches and data extraction from various sources. The review also identifies key areas for potential catalytic change through living evidence syntheses, such as water-related ecosystems, chemicals and waste management, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, and sustainable fishing. It emphasizes the need for targeted interventions, including nature-based and policy-based solutions, to address these areas effectively.

The scoping study also provides several recommendations to enhance progress towards the SDGs under the Planet Pillar, as the following:

1. Focus on Areas Needing Accelerated Action:

   • Concentrate efforts on water-related ecosystems, managing chemicals and wastes, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, and sustainable fishing. These areas have shown stagnation or regression and require significant acceleration.

2. Focus on Areas with Well-Distributed Evidence:

   • Develop living evidence syntheses for areas where evidence is dense and geographically well-distributed. These include policy-based interventions for sustainable forest management, nature-based interventions for terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, and structural and behaviour change interventions for safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

3. Exploit Interlinkages Among Target Areas:

   • Leverage nature-based and policy-based interventions, which have evidence across all Planet Pillar Target Areas, to create synergies and amplify impacts. Additionally, consider energy interventions with cross-cutting impacts.

4. Focus on Behaviour Change Interventions:

   • Prioritize behaviour change interventions in areas where evidence is available from all regions, particularly for WASH and climate change resilience and adaptive capacity. These areas have substantial evidence and can benefit from focused efforts on sustained adoption.

The Planet Pillar management group of the Coalition will consider these options and decide which focus area they would like to investigate further for the living evidence syntheses that they will produce in the coming days.

Read the full report here and stay tuned for more updates from the SDG Synthesis Coalition Planet Pillar.