Ensuring Policy Coherence in Sustainable Development

This toolkit is for EU13 members of the EC-DEAR funded Coherent Europe for Sustainable Development (CE4SD).

From September 2018 to October 2020, Bond partnered on a programme, funded by the European Commission, ‘Coherent Europe for Sustainable Development’. As part of this programme, Bond provided advocacy capacity-building support, through online and offline training and coordination meetings, collaborated with project partners in Central and Eastern Europe and produced the following toolkit about policy coherence for sustainable development (PC4SD).

It includes information on policy coherence for sustainable development (PCSD) as well as resources, and tools to support these organisations to become PCSD watchdogs following evidence-based recommendations or meeting evidence-based specific practice standards.

The EU is now committed to promoting a whole-of-government approach to PCSD and ensuring political oversight and coordination efforts at all levels for SDG implementation. PCSD should oblige decision-makers to balance the four dimensions of sustainable development (social, environmental, economic and governance).

It should ensure that the way in which they design policies contribute to, rather than undermine, the ability of EU member states and other countries to achieve sustainable development and consider its consequences for future generations. Efforts for PCSD, therefore, should not only minimise negative external impacts: they should aim at fundamentally changing the economic, social and political system.

This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.