This document summarizes a civil society statement on supporting policy coherence for the 2030 Agenda and SDG coordination mechanisms. Some key points made include: 1) Policy coherence is needed at all levels of government to ensure a development justice perspective that puts people first and conserves the environment. 2) Both horizontal and vertical policy coherence among government agencies/ministries are important for achieving the SDGs. 3) Policy coherence must consider global and regional contexts, and ensure trade and investment agreements are aligned with human rights and SDG obligations. 4) Meaningful engagement with civil society is needed for democratic decision-making and identifying problems and solutions related to the SDGs.

1. Regional Knowledge Exchange
2 October 2017, Manila, the Philippines
SESSION III: Supporting Policy Coherence - 2030 Agenda/ SDG Coordination Mechanisms
Civil Society Statement
by Beckie Malay, Co-Chair, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), Philippines
Good afternoon everyone
I represent the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, a campaigning platform of CSOs and social movements in
Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe, that campaigned on the MDGs with its Stand Up Take Action
mobilisations from 2005. In 2013, GCAP held a general assembly of its member national coalitions to seriously
call for the adoption of a more radical set of goals than what we called the MDGs -minimalist development
goals- that will end poverty and inequalities. Together with other CSOs, we lobbied our respective governments
for the SDGs that will be radical, transformative and universal and will take care of people and planet.
In the 2nd
anniversary of the SDGs, we partnered with the SDG Action Campaign and did more than 800 actions
in 110 countries to make people aware of the Faces of Inequalities, hence identifying those who are left behind.
Now I speak to you as a representative of a broad spectrum of civil society organisations and excluded
constituencies, who want to express the importance of policy coherence in the fulfillment of the SDGs and
Agenda 2030.
The excellent examples of national governments clearly taking on the challenge of implementing the SDGs in an
integrated, comprehensive way are very much appreciated and recognised. There has to be a strong advocacy
amongst the partners to make these plans work and succeed.
The universality of the SDGs compels us to look at policies that will ensure that the goals are taken together and
for all.
Along with finance, trade, and technology, SDG 17 lists under systemic issues, policy and institutional coherence
• 17.13 Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and
• policy coherence
• 17.14 Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
• 17.15 Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement
• policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development
The main challenge of the SDGs is upon the whole of government to recognise Human Rights as the basic, over-
arching framework of Agenda 2030, and therefore, be duty-bound to ensure that all rights – civil and political,

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economic, social, and cultural, are actually present in all the development plans, are actually measured by
indicators, and periodically evaluated and adjusted to reach the goals. It is not an easy task, but it has to be done
because citizens and communities will claim their rights.
In the Philippines, there is a HRBA toolkit that has been developed to guide national and local development
planning, complete with outcomes, indicators for all sectors of the economy. This toolkit was developed with
support from UNDP several years ago, but has not been used by government.
As CSOs we want to convey these points:
● Institutionalise policy coherence at all levels that through a development justice perspective that puts
people first through among others, just transition measures, and conserves the environment and
endangered species.
● We demand policy coherence, enforcement and coordination mechanisms among the development
agendas and sectoral agendas in the country as well as establishing a policy framework that creates
synergy in achieving agenda 2030.
● Horizontal policy coherence among the government agencies/ministries and vertical policy coherence
are important part of policy coherence to achieve the SDGs in the country.
While taking into consideration the national and local contexts of implementation, let us not forget that policy
coherence is not only a national issue, it is affected by global and regional contexts that have much to do with
the global economic and political systems.
● The key issue of policy-coherence between the SDGs and trade policies underscores the urgency of
regulating for the public interest. The intersection between trade and human rights requires human
rights impact and sustainability assessments and in the context of SDGs, an SDG compatibility Impact
Assessment, of all trade and investment agreements, to ensure that they are aligned with the national
and extraterritorial HR and SDG obligations of governments.
I take note of the Spotlight Report prepared by Social Watch that call for a means of implementation that
• Strengthens public finance and public policies instead of protecting investors
• Calls for re-examining the terms of trade in FTAs
• Rejects the PPPs and instead calls for using property taxes, user fees, and issuance of bonds for financing
infrastructure that will deliver essential services
• Prescribes Binding Rules for Business and Human Rights, and including these obligations in the UPR
• Takes serious consideration of the impact of corporate capture of natural resources; aims for food
sustainability through sustainable agriculture as opposed to food production by the mega-mergers in
agriculture and businesses
• Changes the mindset and reclaims the public space
“Certainly, meaningful engagement with all sectors of society is a pre-requisite for democratic decision-making
as well as providing invaluable and essential expertise in the identification of problems and solutions.

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Governments and the UN should continue to develop their commitments and capacities in this area without
relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. They should develop models which will allow all actors in society to make
contributions and to protect against the influence of vested interests. Rather than continuing to ‘innovate’
through ‘outsourcing’ tasks to piecemeal partnerships with undemocratic decision-making structures, it is time
for civil society to reclaim the public space – and for governments to put in place the necessary regulatory and
global governance framework.” – Jens Martens, Global Policy Forum
● Corruption has been become deep-rooted problem in some countries and it has become a culture of
practice that then severely marginalise some people and communities. Government must adopt zero-
tolerance policy against corruption and strengthen the anti-graft bodies and Governments must enforce
of good governance laws. Political accountability is an urgent need of the countries.
● We demand policy coherence and effective implementation of policy measures meant to specifically
promote equal participation and development of marginalized and socially excluded communities.
● We demand the UN to have more policy coherence across the UN agencies, bodies, treaties and policies,
so that they too practice synergies and have a integrated agenda.
The challenge for the UN to be fit-for-purpose is a real one, and must be squarely confronted. ‘Working in silos’
in the huge bureaucracy can be overcome with the ongoing reforms within the system, and the UN As One can
be achieved with genuine partnerships with civil society and social movements. It is us, We the Peoples, that
comprises the celebrated opening lines of the UN Charter.#