The Role of Government, Private business and Civil Societies in the Implementation of SDGs

An important distinction between the SDGs and the MDGs is the departure from the member-state dependent and donor action that was the driving force behind the MDGs.   The SDGs depend on a three-pronged approach involving partnerships among governments, the private sector, and civil societies.  In fact, one of the seventeen core goals of the SDGs is the revitalization of global partnerships for sustainable development.

This new, inclusive approach to global aid will ideally create a growth environment that will encourage nations, private companies, and civil societies to strive to achieve more.  However, the coming fifteen years will present challenges to all of the players being invited into the global health arena.  According to Helen Dennis, a senior advisor on poverty and inequality at Christian aid, multinational corporations’ avoidance of taxes can cost developing nations around 212 billion dollars a year.  Governments are also not without their own set of complications.  During the Pope’s address to the United Nations he warned of the, “bureaucratic exercise of drawing up long lists of good proposals…” and of the belief that “A single theoretical and aprioristic solution will provide an answer to all the challenges”.  Clearly, both Governments and the private sector have their own issues that need to be managed to successfully accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals.

Before mentioning specific plans, it is important to note that the inclusion of the private sector along with the government can help to self-manage the issues of each group.  The private sector can serve as a motivating force and apply selective pressure to ease governmental bureaucratic delays.  Additionally, foreign direct investment has been five times as high as governmental spending. This can take some pressure off governmental aid groups with tight budgets.  In turn, government agencies can enforce trans-national laws that regulate multinational corporations to ensure they aren’t taking advantage of developing countries.

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RGH serves as an advisor working with private groups, governmental agencies, and civil society organizations to achieve lasting health results.  When working with governments, private groups, or civil society organizations it is important to have a guide that enables these groups or governments to effectively provide aid where it is needed.  The Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness provides five principles that guide our decisions and advice: country ownership, harmonization, alignment, managing by results, and accountability.

The last two Paris declaration principles are particularly important when it comes to ensuring the effectiveness of the aid used to accomplish SDGs.  Managing by results via the use of RGH’s solutions and tools ensures that one health-related solution will not become the answer to every problem.  If one technique is not producing the results the community needs, we have the flexibility to use proven solutions to make sure the health system will be strengthened and will provide the results desired.  Mutual accountability ensures that transparency will be a key part of any health plan.  A transparent health plan developed through an effective and efficient planning process ensures that businesses spend money in an ethical and effective way and also helps to control possible corruption on the governmental level.  While we cannot enforce global tax law or apply undue pressure to governmental organizations, we can ensure that every government agency and private organization that works with RGH is making the right choices toward establishing effective, self-reliant, and sustainable health solutions.

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Source: Public Health Students receiving lecture on the Right to Health

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