This document discusses challenges to achieving policy coherence in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It identifies three main challenges: 1) balancing economic, social, and environmental domains without one dominating; 2) explicitly recognizing interlinkages between domains that are often addressed separately; and 3) establishing sectoral coherence both vertically from local to national to global levels and horizontally across related sectors. Specific problems discussed include sectoral planning that does not consider interlinkages, contradictions between global and local priorities, and the need for sustainability principles to guide decision-making. The document also examines challenges for processes like visioning, political will, budgeting, stakeholder collaboration, monitoring and evaluation, and use of tools to incent

1. Towards Policy Coherence:
Challenges for policy and practice
Karin Fernando
Center for Poverty Analysis
UNDP Regional Knowledge Exchange, Manila, 3 October 2017

2. Coherence – logical, consistent, unified, whole – it needs a
vision or purpose
Same same but different!!
Inter connectivity – connect,
linked - i.e identifying cross
links in the domains, multi
dimensional aspects, trade offs,
complements, contradicts
Vertical and horizontal linkages
From Local to National to Global
Integration – incorporate,
include – i.e bringing in the
SDG targets in line with the
development plans in the
country or vice versa

3. Achieving Policy Coherence in the context of the SDGs
CONTENT
1) Must balance three
domains
2) Explicit recognition
of interlinkages
between the
domains
3) Establishing sectoral
coherence
4) link between
domestic and global
PROCESS
1) Starts with a
visioning – for SD
2) Cannot be parallel
processes
3) Legal status or
highest level support
4) Linked to budgets
5) Centrally and locally
driven
6) Engage multiple
actors at all stages
M and E
1) An adaptive system
to learn/improve
2) Independence in
measuring
3) New/innovative
tools/measures and
indicators
4) Adequate capacity –
human and financial
beyond
conventional

4. CONTENT
• Sectoral planning and structures – danger of Retro-fitting, re-vamping the
system is complex (I.e example from Sri Lanka)
• Splitting the goals into domains but not looking for interlinkages (I.e health
and nutrition and agriculture or energy and transport)
• The global and local contradictions (i.e trade and SD, bilateral and global
agreements)
• The logic of the Sustainability science is not a guiding principle – hence
balancing the domains still problematic (i.e economic agenda still dominates)
Challenges

5. Institute 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.a 2.b 2.c 3.3 3.9 5.a 5.b 6.1 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.a 6.b 8.2 8.4 9 9 11.1 11.2 11.5 11.6 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 13.1 13.2 14.1 14.2 14.3 15.1 15.2 15.3 17.1
National Science and Technology Commission 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Department of Agriculture 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Department of National Planning 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Department of National Budget 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Water Resources Board 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Department of Agrarian Development 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Department of Irrigation 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
National Fertilizer Secretariat 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
National Aquaculture Development Authority 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
National Livestock Development Board andAssociated Companies1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Coconut Development Authority 1 1 1 1 1 1
Institute of Post-Harvest Technology 1 1 1 1 1
Department of Animal Production and Health 1 1 1 1 1
Central Environmental Authority 1 1 1 1 1
Industrial Technology Institution 1 1 1 1
National Agricultural Diversification and Settlement Authority 1 1 1 1
Pulses and Grain Research & Production Authority 1 1 1 1
Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute 1 1 1 1
Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy 1 1 1 1
Department of Forests 1 1 1
National Disaster Management Council 1 1 1
National Disaster Relief Services Centre 1 1 1
National Science Foundation 1 1 1
National Engineering Research and Development Centre 1 1 1
Department of Trade & Investment Policy 1 1 1
Internal Trade Department 1 1 1
Sugarcane Research Institute 1 1 1
Sri Lanka Tea Board 1 1 1
Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board 1 1 1
Sri Lanka National Freedom from Hunger Campaign Board 1 1 1
Regional Economic Centres 1 1 1
Sri Lanka Women’s Bureau 1 1 1
Board of Investment of Sri Lanka 1 1 1
National Water Supply and Drainage Board 1 1 1
Example – Sri Lanka Mapping (agriculture)
Based on Mapping done by Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife - 2017
1 Looking at only goal 2,
There are 22 ministries and
68 agencies with a direct link
to achieving the targets of
SDG goal 2.
2. If we take a look at the
main agencies involved it also
shows the agencies under the
Ministry of agriculture are
widely represented, as well as
not so obvious agencies
under S and T.
3. Matching the institute’s
mandate across the SDGs
covers multiple goals and
shows most common goals
(Goal 6 (water), Goal 12
(SCP), Goal 1 (Poverty), Goal 5
(gender), GoaL 14 (oceans!).

6. PROCESS
• Visioning processes must also move beyond silos (i.e finland)
• Buy in and political will –to avoid parallel processes and increase
ownership (i.e presidential decree in Indonesia)
• Budgets and prioritizing – based on short term agendas but also
increased in complexity – based on debt, current agreements
• Improving collaboration among govt and also other stakeholders
beyond consultation into action
Challenges contd

7. Finland – visioning
beyond silos

8. M and E
• The limited role of M and E in national programmes
• Balancing what we do based on what we can measure
• The limitations of going beyond data that is available – (i.e
MDG data and the lack of environmental measures)
• The need for but the lack of trust in other sources of
data/monitoring
Challenges contd

9. Aiding policy coherence
• Incentivising policy coherence – there are tools and
processes to aid coherence – can show the areas of
integration, synergy etc
• Setting up these frameworks – to be practical and user
friendly and that can be repeated over time at the national
level
• But need to show the benefits of undertaking such exercises
(i.e in Bolivia)

10. Sri Lanka – network
analysis – energy
Based on a mapping done by CEPA with support from the Southern Voice network for the post 2015
development agenda

11. Thank you