Progress on sustainable development is slowing as pressures linked to climate change, resource constraints, urbanisation and economic uncertainty increasingly intersect. At the same time, governments face tighter fiscal conditions and declining official development assistance, making fragmented policies on water, energy, industry and cities increasingly costly. When policies are designed and delivered in isolation, they weaken impact, increase trade-offs and generate spillovers that undermine results at home and abroad.
This report examines how disconnected policies are constraining progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and why more coherent action is essential in the current global context. Drawing on OECD analysis and country experience, it shows how better alignment across sectors and levels of government can help governments manage trade offs, reduce systemic risks and address cross border spillovers, while making more effective use of limited public resources.
The report is aimed at policymakers, practitioners and stakeholders working on sustainable development, climate action, infrastructure and urban policy. It highlights how policy coherence for sustainable development supports clearer prioritisation, better sequencing of action and stronger alignment of decisions over time, helping governments deliver more effective and credible public action towards 2030 and beyond.
