5 Measuring Progress in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals László Pintér, Marcel Kok, and Dora Almassy
The momentum offered by the Sustainable Development Goals could help find a common voice for diffuse measurement efforts. Measurement has become one of the important elements of the means of implementation, with both the UN Statistical Commission and Division playing key roles. However, this is not the first time the United Nations and governments have embarked on the construction of sustainable development indicator systems: Three editions of detailed methodological guidance were prepared and made available to member states earlier under the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UN 2007), without achieving a convincing breakthrough in the development or mainstreaming of these indicators in decision making. A breakthrough was missed, not simply because of technical problems with the indicators put forward by these efforts or the ever-present problems with data availability. The work was limited to the technical and statistical level, and without sufficient political support and public interest, stopped short of addressing the various governance-related aspects of how the new metrics would change policies, policy implementation, and accountability regimes. Technical and statistical issues, of course, continue to persist and need addressing, but a breakthrough cannot be expected unless the work on measurement is also seen through the broader lens of governance and political economy. Observation, measurement, and assessment are integral parts of strategic management and governance and essential for recognizing, understanding, and addressing sustainability-related problems. From individuals and society at large to businesses, governments, civil society, and multilateral organizations, measurement matters because it contributes information to decision making, whether related to understanding past problems, managing in the present, or preparing for and exploring the state of the planet.
