With the Topic Exchanges, the ESDN has created a new format for presentations and in-depth discussions on good practice cases for SDG implementation. It is a format that is open to the ESDN Regular Member countries (those making up the ESDN Advisory Board), and will take place twice a year to reflect upon and learn from policy activities, strategies, tools, mechanisms, etc., in an online videoconference setting. Each Topic Exchange showcases 2-4 good practice examples, followed by a discussion on lessons learned, requirements and preconditions for applying similar activities in other countries.
The 1st ESDN Topic Exchange focused on “Effective policy management for SDG implementation”. The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is challenging and requires various measures to enable cross-sectoral coordination, transformative policies, innovative actions, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and follow-up of policy objectives. Therefore, effective policy management of these measures and their inter-connectedness is an important task for government ministries and public administrators. The Topic Exchange centered around experiences and good practices with effective policy management in Germany, with its Transformation Teams, and in Romania, with advancing policy coherence for sustainable development. It took place on May 21st 2024.
The 2nd ESDN Topic Exchange, held on 18 November 2024, focused on two topics, namely “Assessment and monitoring of SDG implementation & Just Transition initiatives”.
Implementing the SDGs has been a key policymaking effort since their adoption in 2015. As we are now past the half-way mark of reaching the SDGs, mechanisms and tools to assess the successes and challenges of policy measures are key to intensify implementation in the future. Therefore, in its first part, this Topic Exchange reflected on the experiences of Finland’s holistic sustainability assessment model, and the Netherlands’ 8th National SDG Report.
The various policies and activities to achieve the sustainable and green transition in Europe have inevitably socio-economic impacts on different stakeholder groups. The Just Transition aims to organize these necessary transitions in a fair and inclusive manner. Various approaches, policies, and activities have been developed in this regard on the European and national level. In the second part of the Topic Exchange, the experiences in Belgium and Austria with Just Transition were presented and discussed among the ESDN Regular Members.