Macro-Level Studies of Direct and Indirect Relationships between SDG 4 and the 16 SDGS

Abstract

SDG 4 is a foundational goal having an enabler role for the realisation of most of the other SD goals. Seven SDGs (3, 8, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 17) have targets that are directly related to SDG 4 which are education and or capacity building in nature. The remaining 9 other SDGs were assessed to be indirectly related with SDG 4. This paper examined SDG 4 from 2 levels: Goal to Targets (SDG 4 versus the targets/goals of the other 16 SDGs) and Targets to Targets, which is a comparison between the 10 SDG 4 targets and the remaining 159 targets of the others. We identified 38 direct-relationships and 322 indirect relationships between SDG 4 targets and the targets of the remaining 16 SDGs. These findings confirm that Sustainable Development Goals are inter-dependent (direct relationships) or interrelated (indirect relationships) in many respects. At the level of interventions, the school feeding programme which can qualify as an intervention to reduce the incidence of out of school children amply illustrates inter-relationships, as it is shown to be impacting directly on SDG 2 by addressing hunger and SDG 1 (poverty) through increased revenues for farmers and service providers. For developing nations to derive the greatest benefits from the implementation of the SDGs, they must give priority to interventions that have the potentials to achieve multi-goal needs/inherent positive multiplier effects.