Beware the politics: Leveraging Foreign Policy for SDG Implementation

The adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015 marked a high point for international multilateral cooperation. With its 17 goals and 169 targets, the implementation process for the SDGs may appear an essentially technocratic exercise. Yet in view of the social transformation that it seeks to bring about across key dimensions of human civilisation, SDG implementation remains a profoundly political process. Because of the intense political implications, in-depth analysis, political foresight and strategic guidance are needed. As the consequences of SDG implementation cross and transcend borders and impact international relations, foreign policy has a critical role to play.

adelphi's volume "Driving Transformative Change:Foreign Affairs and the 2030 Agenda", comprised by 6 provocative essays, explores what contributions foreign policy can make on the road to achieving sustainable ways of life and provide guidance by pointing out entry points, priorities and trade-offs. They aim to inspire actors around the world to work together to initiate and boost the necessary changes and keep winning over new like-minded partners.

More essays from the series

• Leadership for the SDGs: Why foreign policy must recharge multilateral cooperation now
• Beyond 16: The SDGs and the opportunity to build a more peaceful world
• Managing the trade-offs of transformation through foreign policy
• Worth Every Cent: Smarter Approaches to Addressing Fragility
• Beyond Rhetoric: Why Foreign Policy Needs to Foster Private Sector SDG Implementation