Building blocks for coherent implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

The first year of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda has shown that countries are advancing in aligning national strategies, adapting institutional frameworks and shifting policies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This chapter looks at the initial steps for SDG implementation taken by the nine OECD countries that presented Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) at the 2016 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF): Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Korea, Switzerland and Turkey. The chapter applies eight key elements of the Framework for Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development as a lens to identify good institutional practices, as well as challenges for enhancing policy coherence for sustainable development as called for by SDG Target 17.14. The analysis benefits from several examples from the VNRs that serve to illustrate national variations in the approaches and mechanisms used for implementation.