SDGs AT SUB-NATIONAL LEVEL:Roles and good practices for sub-national governments in relation to the SDG/post-2015 processes

UNOSD, SDTFRegional Breakout Discussions - Europe

Dr. Ingeborg NiestroyIISD Associate

Public Strategy for Sustainable Developmentwww.ps4sd.euinge.niestroy@ps4sd.eu

Comparative studies on SD governance / strategies:

I.N., Sustaining Sustainability 2004 11 countries / EU

IISD / FFU / GIZ 2004 19 countries / global

ESDN from 2007 (with regular updates)

online country sheets / (28) EU

Bertelsmann / IISD preparatory work for RMP

2012 32 countries and regions (sub-national) / global

ASEF, Asia-Europe Strategies 2012 Aggregated / 2 regions

Bertelsmann / I.N., RMP 2013 4 countries, 1 region (sub-national) / global

Bertelsmann / FFU, SDSs for the sub-national level (Germany), international study

2013 5 countries, 5 regions (sub-national) / global, but …

What is good practice for vertical coordination:

1)Links between the levels on the mere document side:SDSs refer to the strategies of the upper level, translate and break down goals and targets?2)Not only top-down, but also bottom up? How much does the sub-national level develop own action?3)SDSs refer to the lower level: national to sub-national (and local),sub-national to local level?4)What are the coordination mechanisms, e.g. framework laws, targets that need to be broken down? What are the mechanisms that lower level needs, capabilities and ambitions are taken up in an upper level strategy?5)What is the style of the vertical coordination? How does the cooperation of governments and administration of different levels look like: Formal rules for participation in decision-making (e.g. in federal states, EU)? Are there more cooperative mechanisms in place, such as consultation committees?

Good practice for vertical coordination (so far):

National level SDSs:•Joint SD strategy (“national”: federal and regional level ): Austria•Emphasizing the local level, incl. bottom-up approaches:Finland, France, (Germany) / Bhutan, Ecuador

Regions (sub-national):•Tyrol (AT), Aargau (CH)

Regions with good practice, but… :•Basque Country, Catalonia (ES), Flanders (BE), Wales (UK), German Laender (varied)

Soft steering:•Greening the European Semester (economic policies of the EU MSs)

3 themes with collaboration: public procurement, indicators (but still disconnected), land take (no reference to national target)

no reference to national SDS indicators

but totally outdated

no link to the national or regional level

no link to the national or regional level

Conclusions:

Better links are needed; even on the mere document side rather rarely done

Top-down framework and bottom-up feeding in (with policies and action)

Sub-national level: D.Y.O.T.

Avoid one-off projects; build in a capacity building strand from the onset, aim at scaling-up good practice and lessons learned, go for partnership approaches with effective duration

National level: encourage, support, foster sub-national level (good for implementation)

Establish functioning mechanisms (groups, bodies) for collaboration, deliberation, strategy and action plan development and monitoring

Have metagovernance in mind

Insights on Governance for SD (2004):"and – and" .. "mix/balance/moving towards ‘ends’" diversity

Leadership(is performed)

Ownership(is fostered)

P

FIND

Top-down Bottom-upP FINB

Firmness FlexibilityALLUKD

Framework document

Actionfocus

NLFIND

D UK S

P

FIND

Top-down Bottom-upP FINB

Firmness,Monitoring

FlexibilityALLUKD

Actionfocus

NLFIND

D UK S

Niestroy, 10 April 2014, UNOSD SDTF, Korea

Niestroy, 10 April 2014, UNOSD SDTF, Korea

... found in other theory development

• "Metagovernance" (Meuleman, 2008)

- smart mix of the three basic governance styles: hierarchy, market, network- adapted to specific phases + situations

• "TransGov" (IASS / In 't Veld, 2011; Meuleman, 2012)

- social reflexivity- knowledge democracy / transdisciplinarity- 'second modernity' (Beck, 1992): - 'and' ... 'and' (not 'or') - diversity rather than simplicity combined: 'transgovernance'

• "Balance of the opposites" (Heraklit / Cornélis, 2012)