• How can the guiding principle of 'Leave no one behind' be put into practice in implementing the 2030 Agenda in different development contexts (e.g. least developed countries, middle-income countries, high-income countries, fragile states etc.)?
• At the international level, what are challenges to ensuring policy coherence for sustainable development? What are some examples of best practice and/or who are the "trail blazers" leading the way to improved coherence?
• How could the UN development system provide coordinated and integrated support for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda?

Moderator's Message

Welcome to the discussion on Thematic Window I: “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: scope and implications”. The discussion starts today and will continue until 25 March 2016.

As you know, the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015. Leaders from around the world unanimously adopted a holistic, universal, transformative, 15-year global plan of action to end poverty, reduce inequalities and protect our planet.

This new Agenda cannot succeed without the firm commitments of all countries and all stakeholders. Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and begin the difficult task of figuring out how to implement the new Agenda.

One of the main features of the 2030 Agenda is that it is universal. That means that it applies to all countries, developed and developing, low, middle and high-income countries. This makes the task of identifying the right implementing tools and policies ever more complex, as different countries will have differing capacities, priorities and starting points. How do we carry on the unfinished business of poverty eradication and the MDGs and ensure that no one is left behind?

We are certain to encounter challenges to policy coherence at all levels. What do we see as the main challenges to ensuring coherence for sustainable development at the international level? How can we improve policy coherence in the context of a universal agenda through approaches that highlight synergies, trade-offs and the transboundary impacts of domestic policy choices? Strengthening support systems is also an important aspect that we should consider. We need to ensure that the appropriate capacities are built in international and regional institutions, particularly for integrated policy-making.

The UN development system needs to make the necessary adjustments to support Member States to implement the 2030 Agenda and achieve the SDGs. Effective support to implementation will require the UN to deliver as one, bringing together the normative and operational aspects of its work, and to strengthen its capacity to deliver in countries with new and different needs in widely divergent contexts. 

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas and hope that you will share with us your success stories and challenges you are facing in implementing the 2030 Agenda.

Diana Alarcón
Chief, Development Strategy and Policy Unit - DPAD
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs