Institutional Frameworks and international cooperation for Sustainable Development

Institutional frameworks and international cooperation play a crucial role in driving sustainable development. This concept is tightly interwoven with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 interlinked global objectives designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Instituted in 2015, the SDGs recognize the interconnectedness of social, economic, and environmental sustainability, seeking to promote a holistic approach to global development. An effective institutional framework refers to the rules, practices, and systems which facilitate interactions between individuals, organizations, and governments, shaping the course and outcomes of sustainable development initiatives.

For instance, SDG 17, explicitly titled 'Partnerships for the Goals', underscores the necessity of revitalizing global partnerships to harness resources and knowledge necessary for achieving the SDGs. It calls for enhanced North-South, South-South, and triangular regional and international cooperation on science, technology, and innovation, highlighting the role of multilateral institutions in fostering a global collaborative spirit. A well-structured institutional framework helps operationalize this cooperation, providing a platform for dialogue, negotiation, and shared responsibility.

Moreover, institutional frameworks play a crucial role in managing trade-offs and conflicts between different SDGs. For instance, the push for economic development (SDG 8) could potentially conflict with responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) or climate action (SDG 13). A robust institutional framework allows for the negotiation of these conflicts, ensuring that progress in one area does not undermine another.

Furthermore, international cooperation in sharing data, best practices, and experiences is vital in achieving the SDGs. The effectiveness of such sharing depends largely on the strength and adaptability of institutional frameworks. For example, institutions like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and United Nations Environment Programme offer platforms for international cooperation and knowledge sharing. They also provide technical and financial support to countries, particularly developing ones, enabling them to implement the SDGs effectively.

Hand holding paper globe cutout
ISO 26000 provides social responsibility guidance to organisations around the world to assist them in contributing to global sustainable development. ISO 26000 contributes to every one of the 17 SDGs but is particularly influential to SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth.
The Lancet Nigeria Commission supports SDG 3 by repositioning future health policy in Nigeria to achieve universal health coverage and better health for all, and presents the evidence to support a positive and realistic future for Nigeria.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Public Health, Volume 7, March 2022

A Correspondence on the contribution of national public health institutes to tackling the climate crisis, in the context of SDGs 9 and 13, highlighting the development of a roadmap serving to strengthen the role of these institutes in mitigation and adaption policies.
This Comment article supports SDG 3, 13, and 17 by advocating the creation of a new model of multilateral governance on the basis of the experience gained in two other areas of global public goods governance—climate change and biodiversity.
This Study explores the racial disparities that exist in the emergency departments of 4 hospitals, when they are most prevalent, and how patients' sociodemographic characterstics impact image acquisition time, raising awareness for SDGs 3, 9 and 10.
This Study supports SDGs 3 and 10, illuminating the substantial racial disparities in men and women diagnosed with colorectal cancer and the impact these disparities have on treatment and outcomes.
This chapter contributes to SDG goals 7, 11, and 13, by reviewing sustainable renewable energy policy and regulation, particularly in terms of climate change mitigation.
Elsevier,

Measuring Sustainable Development Goals Performance, 2022, Pages 139-219

This chapter advances SDGs by explaining how the economist takes part in bridging the gap between science and policy.
Objectives: To evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on the self-reported perception of physical and mental health, in a cohort of teenagers. To assess the extent to which these effects are perceived as detrimental. Non-directional Hypothesis - the perception of physical and mental health will change over the duration of the eight weeks, due to the effects of the lockdown, as a result of COVID-19.
Elsevier,

Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Volume 50, Pages A1-A8, 1-318 (June 2021)

This special issue of Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (COSUST) brings together a collection of articles on environmental sustainability in relation to those adverse climate impacts –slow onset events--which unfold gradually over time. The special issue helps identify the gaps and challenges in understanding slow onset events and their local, national, and regional impacts, and possible approaches to manage these.

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