“Bridging the Divide”: New Report by the Global Forum for National SDG Advisory Bodies

The study shows how various stakeholder groups can jointly advance the planning, implementation, and monitoring of the SDGs.

This report examines emerging good practices in cross-societal collaboration for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation, based on interviews with 46 organisations across 32 countries. The research reveals both significant challenges facing multi-stakeholder platforms and innovative adaptation strategies that demonstrate remarkable organisational resilience.

The report builds on the previous Global Forum publications, Pieces of a puzzle, Part I: towards national sustainable development advisory bodies, Pieces of a puzzle Part II: further steps on a journey. Bridging the divide outlines the enabling environment needed for effective multi-stakeholder engagement in SDG planning, implementation and monitoring, before sharing emerging good practice from Global Forum members and beyond on adapting to challenges to cross-society collaboration such as political instability, funding constraints, and civic space restrictions.

Accompanying the report are detailed case studies from countries such as Germany, Finland or Ghana, demonstrating diverse approaches to whole-of-society engagement for SDG Implementation in a range of contexts.