Sustainable Development Goals, Governance, and the Private Sector

Abstract

While the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which guided the world's development efforts in 2000-15, have come to an end, world leaders, experts, civil societies, and businesses have been working on developing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2015-30 that will replace the MDGs. Although the MDGs have many success stories, they have also had their limitations. This chapter illustrates that though the world leaders recognized its importance in the 2000 Millennium Development Declaration, governance was not included as one of the goals in the MDGs. However, governance's role as an enabler and a key element of sustainable development has been recognized in the process of formulating SDGs. This chapter explains good governance, areas where it can be enhanced, SDGs' pillars, options for treating governance in SDGs and the interface between SDGs, governance, and the private sector. It also presents different competing ideas about the role of governance and the private sector in SDGs. By indicating different viewpoints of SDGs, governance, and the role of the private sector, the chapter also creates an opportunity for academic and policy debate. The research is an exploratory desk study which focuses on relevant UN documents, articles, government reports, and online material.