Alignment between nationally determined contributions and the sustainable development goals for West Africa
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Date
2018
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TANDFONLINE.COM
Abstract
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2015 Paris Agreement are two
of the most important policy frameworks of the twenty-first century. However, the
alignment of national commitments linked to them has not yet been analysed for
West African states. Such analyses are vital to avoid perverse outcomes if states
assess targets and develop SDG implementation plans, and Nationally Determined
Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, without integrated planning and
cross-sectoral alignment. This article provides a situation analysis guided by the
following questions: (a) Which priority sectors are mentioned in relation to
adaptation and mitigation in West African NDCs? (b) Are the NDCs of West African
states well aligned with the SDGs? (c) What are the co-benefits of NDCs in
contributing towards the SDGs? and (d) How are West African states planning to
finance actions in their NDCs? The study uses iterative content analysis to explore
key themes for adaptation and mitigation within NDCs of 11 West African states
and their alignment to selected SDGs. A national multi-stakeholder workshop was
held in Ghana to examine the co-benefits of the NDCs in contributing towards the
SDGs and their implementation challenges. Results show that agriculture and
energy are priority sectors where NDCs have pledged significant commitments. The
analysis displays good alignment between mitigation and adaptation actions
proposed in NDCs and the SDGs. These represent opportunities that can be
harnessed through integration into national sectorial policies. However, cross sectorial
discussions in Ghana identify significant challenges relating to institutional
capacity, a lack of coordination among institutions and agencies, and insufficient
resources in moving towards integrated implementation of national planning
priorities to address successfully both NDC priorities and the SDGs.
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This article is published by TANDFONLINE.COM and is also available at https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2018.1431199
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https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2018.1431199