S-11/Beyond MDGs Japan symposium on The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Transforming Japan and the World Reports What are the SDGs? A Road towards Sustainability Norichika Kanie, Professor, Keio University / Senior Research Fellow, UNU-IAS / Project Leader of S-11

1. What are the SDGs? A Road towards sustainability
15 January 2016, 13:00-18:00
U Thant Hall, United Nations University
Prof. Norichika Kanie
Professor, Keio University
Senior Research Fellow, UNU-IAS
Project leader, S-11

2. What is the POST2015 (S-11) research project?
Key research objectives:
Contribute to establishing the post2015 development agenda.
Re-defining sustainable development in the 21st Century based on
scientific knowledge
Create a new trans-disciplinary epistemic community by promoting
research-based collaboration. This is to address the lack of
communication between research communities dealing with
environmental issues and development issues.
Aim to become an international research center through relevant
international collaboration and networks.

3. コア研究グループ
（S-11研究分担者）
International research team
Advisory Board meetings;
(Environment Research and
Technology Development
Fund of MOE)
International
Advisory Board
Advisors for each
theme (peer review)
ENB team: advice on timing
and contents
Guest (e.g.,
Jeffry Sachs,
Co-Chairs of
UN Working
Group etc)
Research projects(IRF,
Bhutan Project WEF,
ICSU etc.)
Asian Development
Bank (ADB), JICA, S-6, S-
10
Policy makers (Ministry of the
Environment, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, UN etc)
Collaboration
S-11
research group
POST2015 (S-11) research team

4. 17 Goals and 169 targets
Indicators to be agreed in March 2016

5. What are the SDGs?
 2012: Rio + 20 (United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development) agreed to set up a
process to establish international goals on
sustainable development
 Integrating the Post 2015 development
agenda (global goals after Millennium
Development Goals)
 2013-2014: discussions at the Open Working
Group of the UN General Assembly (OWG)
 The UN General Assembly adopted the
OWG’s proposal for SDGs (17 goals and 169
targets)
 2015: negotiations on the Post 2015 development
agenda
 2015 September: Adoption of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development, which is composed
of 17 goals and 169 targets (SDGs)
 Triple layer: goals-targets-indicators
 Monitoring and review of the implementation of
the SDGs (no legal obligations)
 Goals to be achieved by 2030
 Applicable to all countries
 Take into account different national realities,
capacities and levels of development, and respect
national policies and priorities

6. 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development
⇒adoption of the Rio Declaration and the Agenda 21
⇒UNFCCC and CBD
⇒GEF and UNCSD
2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development
1972: UN Conference on the Human Environment
1987 Brundtland Report －Our Common Future－
2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
（UNCSD, Rio+20）
Environment and development related events Millennium Development Goals related events
1995 World Summit for Social Development
2000 UN Millennium Summit
⇒Millennium Declaration
⇒Millennium Development Goals（2001）
Post 2015 Development Agenda/ Sustainable development goals
Transforming Our World
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
 From “development” to
“sustainable development”
 Integrating three pillars of
sustainable development:
environment, economic and
social aspects

7. SDGsProcessPostMDGsProcessOthers
1-2 Jul. (NY)
The Role of Partnerships and
their Contribution to the Post-
2015 Development Agenda
30 Jun.-3 Jul. (NY)
HLPF Non-ministerial meeting
7-9 Jul. (NY)
High-level aspect of the Forum
1 Sep. (NY)
High-level Stock
Taking Event on
Post-2015 Agenda
1-12 Dec. (Peru)
UNFCCC COP
20/CMP 10
2013 2014 2015
Sep.
(NY)
70th
UNGA
Jul.
UNSG’s
Report
21-23 Sep.
(TBC)
UN Summit
to adopt the
post-2015
development
agenda
24 Sep.
(TBC)
Approval
by UNGA
Intergovernmental Committee
of Experts on Sustainable
Development Financing
UN SG High-Level
Panel (Jul. 2012 -
May 2013)
Consultations by
theme/country
Sep.
(NY)
68th
UNGA
Expert Group Meeting on Science
and SDGs (Mar. 2013)Technical Support Team
Expert Group
30 Nov.
-11 Dec.
(Paris)
UNFCCC COP
21/CMP 11
14-18 Mar.
(Sendai, Japan)
3rd World
Conference on
Disaster Risk
Reduction
4-8 Nov. (Okayama, Japan)
Stakeholder Meetings, World Conference on ESD
10-12 Nov. (Aichi, Japan)
World Conference on ESD
By June 2015 (TBC)
Hearing with civil
society and the private
sector to provide input
Global Sustainable Development Foundation
Future Earth
16-29
Sep.
(NY)
69th
UNGA
4 Dec.
UNSG’s
Synthesis
Report
International Conference on Financing for
Developments (27-29 Jan. / 13-17 Apr. / 13-16 Jul.)
26 Jun. – 8 Jul.
High Level
Political Forum
• 19-21 Jan. Stocktaking
• 17-20 Feb. Declaration
• 23-27 Mar. SDGs and targets
• 20-14 Apr. Framework for monitoring and review
of implementation
• 18-22 May Means of Implementation and Global
Partnership for Sustainable Development
• 22-25 Jun. / 20-24 Jul. / 27-31 Jul. Finalization of
the outcome document
• 25-27 Sep. United Nations Summit to adopt the
post-2015 development agenda
Post-2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations
(Jan. – Jul. 2015)
Integrating
Post MDGs
and SDGs
processes
Sustainable Development Solution Network
Open Working Group on SDGs
(Mar. 2013 – Jul. 2014)
Independent Expert
Advisory Group on the Data
Revolution for Sustainable
Development (IEAG)
(Aug. – Nov. 2014)
<Towards SDGs Indicator Adoption> (Informal)
• Jul. 2015: 1st proposal of an indicator framework
Complete a first proposal
• Sep. 2015: Formal adoption of the post-2015 agenda
• End of 2015: Deliver final update of the indicator framework
• Feb 2016: official adoption
United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC)
(Mar. 2015 – Mar. 2016)・・・・・・

8. Characteristics of the SDGs negotiation process
2. 30 seats shared by 70 UN Member States
 Avoiding coalition formation of negotiating groups
3. Negotiation texts provided by the Co-Chairs of the OWG (UN Ambassadors from Kenya and
Hungary)
 Avoiding using brackets to enclose non-agreed matters, e.g., [30][50]per cent
1. Stakeholders and researchers were invited to the Open Working Group (OWG) to provide
information on the issue of sustainable development (account for 2/3 of the OWG)
Strengthening science-policy interface
Discussing the issue of sustainable development based on scientific data and knowledge
The agreed documents contain scientific languages

9. OWG-1:
General discussion (including “achieving and building on the MDGs,” “balancing the three
dimensions, linking priority areas,” “national application of global goals,” “guiding principles”
and “means of implementation.”)
OWG-2:
Conceptualizing the SDGs
Poverty eradication
OWG-3:
Food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture, desertification, land degradation and
drought
Water and sanitation
OWG-4:
Employment and decent work for all, social protection, youth, education and culture
Health, population dynamics
9
OWG-5:
Sustained and inclusive economic growth, macroeconomic
policy questions (including international trade, international
financial system and external debt sustainability),
infrastructure development and industrialization
Energy
OWG-6:
Means of implementation (financing, science and technology,
knowledge-sharing
and capacity building)
Global partnership for achieving sustainable development
Needs of countries in special situations, African countries,
LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS as well as specific challenges facing the
middle-income countries
Human rights, the right to development, global governance
OWG-7:
Sustainable cities and human settlements, sustainable
transport
Sustainable consumption and production (including chemicals
and waste)
Climate change and disaster risk reduction
OWG-8:
Oceans and seas, forests, biodiversity
Promoting equality, including social equity, gender equality
and women’s empowerment
Conflict prevention, post-conflict peacebuilding and the
promotion of durable peace, rule of law and governance

10. Challenges need to be addressed at the multi-layered approach
 Approach 1: Regional, national and local authorities can design their own targets which connect within the
global target defined in the SDGs process.
 Approach 2: Sub-global targets are nested within each other in a system where political decisions at one level
shape progress at other levels.
 The S-11 research outcome was reflected to the agreed documents, which suggested each governments and
stakeholders to set their own targets rather than to set “one-size-fits-all” type of targets.
Approach 1 Approach 2

11. Transdisciplinary research approach
Workshop in NY by inviting
researchers, UN staff,
representatives from countries,
OWG co-chairs etc.
Conceptualization of discussions,
policy advocacy, publication of policy
briefs
Agreed documents, academic articles
Co-designing research questions; co-
producing outputs together with
researchers and policy makers

12. Characteristics of the SDGs negotiation process
2. 30 seats shared by 70 UN Member States
 Avoiding coalition formation of negotiating groups
3. Negotiation texts provided by the Co-Chairs of the OWG (UN Ambassadors from Kenya and
Hungary)
 Avoiding using brackets to enclose non-agreed matters, e.g., [30][50]per cent
1. Stakeholders and researchers were invited to the Open Working Group (OWG) to provide
information on the issue of sustainable development (account for 2/3 of the OWG)
Strengthening science-policy interface
Discussing the issue of sustainable development based on scientific data and knowledge
The agreed documents contain scientific languages

13. Nature of the SDGs
Benefits
Inclusiveness: “leave noone behind”
Universality: applicable to both
developing and industrialized
countries
Diversity: each government to set its
own national targets guided by the
global level of ambition. A set of
global indicators will be
complemented by indicators at the
national levels
Integrity: integration of environment,
social and economic aspects
Activities: implementation of the
SDGs
Critics
Too many targets (17 goals and
169 targets)
Difficult to understand
Low interest by industrialized
countries
No legal obligations

14. Background of the SDGs
MDGs’ unfinished tasks
Challenges raised by the limits of the Earth System
Social aspect of sustainable development
(equity and equality)

15. SDGs: Recognition of interlinkages among environmental,
social and economic aspects
Sustainable development in the 20th
Century (MDGs)
Sustainable development in the 21st
Century (from pillars to nested)
ENV SOC
ECO
N
SD
Sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs. （Brundtland
Report, 1987)
Development that meets the needs of the present while
safeguarding Earth’s life-support system, on which the welfare of
current and future generations depends
David Griggs, Mark Stafford-
Smith, Owen Gaffney, Johan
Rockstrom, Marcus C Ohman,
Priay Shyamsundar, Will
Steffen, Gisbert Glaser,
Norichika Kanie and Ian Noble,
‘Sustainable Development
Goals for People and Planet.’
Nature (Vol 495, 21 March
2013).

16. Interlinkages to attain the goals
E.g. linkages between the SDG targets and food, including food loss and food waste
2.1 end hunger
2.2 end all forms of malnutrition
12.a Support developing countries to strengthen
their capacity towards more sustainable patterns of
consumption and production
2.3 double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food
producers
2.4 ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient
agricultural practices
2.5 promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising
from the utilization of genetic resources
2.a Increase investment in rural infrastructure to enhance agricultural
productive capacity in developing countries
2.b Correct trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets
2.c Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity
markets in order to limit extreme food price volatility
12.6 Encourage companies, especially large
and transnational companies, to adopt
sustainable practices and to integrate
sustainability information into their
reporting cycle
12.1 Implement the 10-Year Framework of
Programmes on Sustainable Consumption
and Production Patterns,
8.4 Improve resource efficiency in
consumption and production and endeavor
and decouple economic growth from
environmental degradation
12.8 ensure that people have the relevant
information and awareness for sustainable
development and lifestyles
4.7 ensure that all learners acquire the
knowledge needed to promote sustainable
development, including through ESD and
sustainable lifestyles
12.5 reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling
and reuse
12.4 achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and
all wastes
11.6 reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities by
waste management
12.2 achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural
resources
8.9 implement policies to promote sustainable tourism
12.b Develop and implement tools to monitor
sustainable development impacts for sustainable
tourism
12.BY 2030, reduce food losses along
production and supply chains, including
post-harvest losses
12.3 By 2030, halve per capita global food
waste at the retail and consumer levels
Food loss
Food
waste
Production
waste
Consumption
Life-
style
Responsibility
of consumers
SCP
Food and
tourism
Responsibility
of producers
AgricultureFood
security
Poverty and
hunger
International
cooperation
Environmental
management
Waste
management
Waste
reduction

17. Education
 Potential collaboration of Education for All (EFA) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
(1) New approach from EFA to ESD
• Strengthening a synergy between ESD and “dealing with
poverty and social marginalization” and ”gender
empowerment”
(2) New approach from ESD to EFA
• Re-recognition of equality and objective of education
• Various “Literacies” to lead to behavior changes and to
provide knowledge and value to attain sustainable
development
0
20
40
60
80
100
1. Problem
solving skills
2. Knowledge
of global
environmen…
3. Civic values
and attitudes
4. ESD Policy
& System5.
Incorporation
of ESD in…
6. Inclusion of
ESD in
teacher…
7. Tools and
materials for
ESD
8. Research
on ESD
9.
International
cooperation…
Issues to be solved by the synergy approach
Energy and climate change
Reduction of disaster risks
Sustainable consumption and production
Urbanization
HIV/AIDS, health
biodiversity
（１）development of equitable quality education
（２）solution of the global environmental issues and poverty/ social
marginalization issues

18. Maintaining the balance of the Earth System
Planetary Boundaries
Quality change of
environmental problems:
from environmental issue to
“global change” issue
C.f. Anthropocene (Crutzen
2002)
Source: Steffen et al.
(2015), Science

19.  How to keep safe by distributing limited resources?

20. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Iron
Copper
Gold
Silver
Zinc
Bauxite
Nickel
Manganese
Lead
Chromium
bil. $
Asia Non Asia
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Iron
Copper
Gold
Silver
Zinc
Bauxite
Nickel
Manganese
Lead
Chromium
bil. $
 Additional costs of limiting the use of
mineral resources
Total cost of 10% reductions of resource use
(10 years)
 Unproportional relation between required additional
costs for limiting natural resource use and amount of
reduction
 Preferable to set higher reduction targets in non-Asian
regions
 Impacts of biological resource use to the
planetary boundaries
 The increase in food demand will exceed the planetary boundaries
of land use change (from forest to agricultural land).
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045
2050
2055
2060
2065
2070
2075
2080
2085
2090
2095
2100
追
加
的
な
農
地
面
積
必
要
量
SSP1
SSP2
SSP3
SSP4
SSP5
プラネタリーバウンダリー
Mha
 Development of scenarios to stay within the
planetary boundaries
 Either 30% reductions of meat consumption or zero food waste
is required to stay below 400Mha (tentative)
 The boundaries for mammals is to be met if the 400Mha’s land
use change is distributed to the areas that have low extinction
rate of species.
SDGs in terms of planetary well-beings: natural resource use
Total cost of 20% reductions of resource use
(10 years)
Planetary boundary
Additionalneedsoflandusechange
toagriculture

21.  FY2013 in Japan; FY2014 in Thailand and US;
FY2016 in Indonesia
Results（environmental issues）
 Japan, US and Thailand: high interest in global
warming
 The survey in Thailand showed that people have
interests in the local issues such as wastes and
water pollution as well as a global warming issue
that does not affect their lives in a short period of
time
Discussion
 Universal goals in the 2030 Agenda need be
considered at the regional and local levels’
perspective, taking into account their capacities
and levels of development.
 Energy system and demand for copper
 Without intensive recycling, it will run short of coppers
around 2060-2070.
 To close the gap of the deficiency (1) by recycling, the
recycle rate should be 90% by 2100 compared to the
current rate of 30%, (2) by resource efficiency, the
efficiency needs to be improved up to two and a half
times.
 Survey on the subjective well-beings
SDGs in terms of planetary well-beings: natural resource use
Renewable twofold scenario
Scenario for attaining
the spread of grid in
2030
Scenario for RES twofold + attaining in 2030

22. Governance through Goals
A New Governance Strategy for Sustainable Development
International Regimes and MEAs (e.g., climate change treaty)
⇒ Rule-based governance
SDGs: Start with setting gals then aspiration
NO implementation set forth (when goals are set)
NO legal obligations
But, monitoring and reviews
Pledge what is achievable/possible
Insufficient actions
• Raise ambition
• Promote integrated approach
• Highlight non-MEA agenda （e.g., SCP）
Kanie and Biermann eds. Governance through Goals
to be published by MIT Press
Facing difficulties (e.g., COP15 in Copenhagen)

23. Multi-level governance for implementing the SDGs
 Analyzed the implementation process of the MDGs and the National
Sustainable Development Strategies (NSDS) for the Agenda 21
Results
 Government effectiveness is correlated with achievement of the MDGs.
The improvement of government effectiveness will lead to the
implementation.
 Four elements are important (leadership and vision, institutional
arrangements, stakeholder participation and review of progress). Lack
of the review of progress in the Asian region. Stakeholder participation
is limited even in the European region.
 Priorities and roles of industrialized, emerging and developing countries
would be different.
 Developing countries: access to basic needs (food, water, education,
health etc.)
 Emerging countries: improvement of efficiency (infrastructure,
energy etc.)
 Industrialized countries: transformation of life-style (SCP, MOI etc.)
 Each government needs to set its own targets taking into account its
priorities and needs based on the universal goals.
 There are limits of top-down approach. All stakeholders, including
private sector, academia and citizen, should participate in the process
applying their comparative advantage. Data improvement, partnerships
and Coalitions of Willing are important. Models for blended Finance have
been developed（SE4ALL, Power Africa, SDIP, GFF etc). Inclusiveness
and autonomy as well as vertical and horizontal development are
important.

24.  Private financing
The research extracted challenges for the private financing around the private sector’s environmental activities.
 The risks that take into account environmental aspects in business are high. E.g., prediction of cash-flow is
difficult due to unclear forecast of price for fossils and FIT
 Opportunity costs are high due to high initial investment and long pay-back period (e.g., forest management),
and thus there is an imbalance in types of environmental projects in private business
 Weak support from customers. Unclear demands. Added-value of the environment is not recognized in
developing countries.
 Risks are high due to policy change of governments, especially in the environment and energy areas.
 International rules on MRV are complicated and require costs to implement.
 International public financing
The research examined the existing innovative mechanisms e.g., direct access modalities of the Adaptation Fund
 If the support were provided directly to developing countries’ national authorities from the Adaptation Fund (but
not through multi-lateral agencies):
 It increases the ownerships of national implementing entities of the recipient countries
 Spread best practices of adaptation by using knowledge of experts from the recipient countries
 However, the projects are not clearly implemented with a bottom-up approach in a way to include development
needs of high vulnerability areas
Effective financial mechanisms for SDGs implementation
Finance distribution Project implementation Project performance
International
agencies
Recipient
countries
Multi-lateral funds Multi-lateral agencies
Foreign companies,
organizations
Domestic entities
Government, organizations
Change madeby
direct access

25. 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Developing
countries
20.7 22.4 25.0 28.9 34.7 42.0 49.9
Industrialize
d countries
6.2 6.3 6.4 7.1 8.1 8.8 9.5
2.4倍
1.5倍
DE ONIS, M., BLOSSNER, M. & BORGHI, E. 2010. Global prevalence and
trends of overweight and obesity among preschool children. Am J Clin Nutr,
92, 1257-64
double burden
• Increase in population in
developing countries
• Increase in aging of population in
industrialized countries
• the issue of obesity
and overweight
The issue of distribution needs to be considered
Distribution (internationally
and domestically) is a key to
solve the issues simultaneously
(Double burden will not be
achieved solely through
economic growth)• the issue of hunger

26. Future challenges
1. Setting institutions for the SDGs implementation
 Setting an institution to solve cross-cutting issues that existing frameworks cannot deal with. (e.g.,
disasters, food wastes, job creation, local revitalization) political authority is needed
 Challenges for domestic policies and for international policies
2. Promoting Japan’s best practices at the global level (policies, industries)
 Promoting sustainable technologies that lead to Japan’s growth, and improving awareness of Japan by
promoting such best practices internationally
3. Promoting awareness of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
 Recognition that the SDGs are strategies for economic growth
 Benefits for strengthening existing policy frameworks such as local revitalization
4. Enhancing partnerships among governments, companies and non-governmental organizations
 Comprehensive implementation is required at multiple levels

27. Reduce the environmental impact of food
production processes
Provide information regarding sustainability-friendly
agricultural products
Ensure sustainable food production and promote
local businesses and communities
Preserve seeds and DNA information of certain
agricultural products
Promote long and healthy lives
Address mental health problems and drug addiction
Prevent and control pandemics
Establish equal access to quality medical and
elderly care services
Promote equal access to quality education and
vocational training
Promote Education for Sustainable Development
(ESD)
Promote inclusiveness within and around schools
Promote international collaboration in research and
higher education
Improve overall social welfare system to ensure
equal access to quality medical care and support
Provide financial and social support to couples
experiencing difficulties in starting families
Prescription
2.1
Prescription
2.2
Prescription
2.3
Prescription
2.4
Food
security
Prescription
3.1
Prescription
3.2
Health
Prescription
3.3
Prescription
3.4
Prescription
4.1
Prescription
4.2
Prescription
4.3
Prescription
4.4
Education
Prescription
1.1
Prescription
1.2
Poverty &
Disparity
Related UN SDGsTargets

28. Promote efficient energy use
Promote production and use of renewable energy
Enhance energy literacy among citizens and
promote self-supply of energy
Improve resource productivity
Enhance preparedness for water-related disasters
and problems
Maintain clean and safe water environment
Enhance water literacy across the country
Contribute to the global efforts of addressing water-
related problems
End any gender-oriented discrimination in the work
place
Promote women’s leadership in business and
overall society
Eradicate gender-based violence (GBV) and
promote human rights
Promote maintenance of biodiversity
Establish institutional frameworks for the
achievement of the SDGs
Enhance the mobilisation of funding for the
implementation of the SDGs
Prescription
7.1
Prescription
7.2
Prescription
7.3
Energy and
resources
Prescription
7.4
Prescription
6.1
Prescription
6.2
Prescription
6.3
Prescription
6.4
Water
Prescription
5.1
Prescription
5.2
Prescription
5.3
Gender
Prescription
8.1
Biodiversity
Prescription
9.1
Prescription
9.2
Governance
Related UN SDGsTargets

29. 29
Publication (in Japanese)
Journal: special issue
http://www.post2015.jp/
http://sd.iisd.org/post2015-update/
http://sdg.earthsystemgovernance.org/
International
collaboration
Final outcomes
Participation in the expert
meetings of UN
Contribution to Policy makiing
Contribution to the domestic
policy process