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Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17Note de bas de page 1 aims to revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development in support of the ambitious goals of the 2030 Agenda. A successful development agenda requires inclusive partnerships:

  • at the global, regional, national and local levels
  • built upon a shared vision, common principles and values
  • with people and the planet at the center

Bringing together national governments, the international community, civil society, the private sector and other actors, SDG 17 targets comprise a broad range of issues, including:

  • finance
  • science and technology
  • trade
  • partnerships
  • data
  • transparency

Canadian ambition under partnerships for the goals

Canada’s ambition for this goal is to foster collaboration and partnerships to advance the SDGs, recognizing the catalytic potential of SDG 17 to help accelerate progress on all other SDGs. Canada is seeking to increase cross-sectoral collaboration domestically and abroad, including through its participation in multilateral forums and international assistance. In 2020, Canada provided $10.7 billion in Total Official Support for Sustainable DevelopmentFootnote 2, of which $1.7 billion supported SDG 17.

Canadian Indicator Framework

In collaboration with federal departments and agencies, Statistics Canada has developed the Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) for the Sustainable Development Goals. The CIF includes 76 indicators specific to Canada, which measure progress using a set of nationally relevant, objective and comprehensive indicators. CIF indicators for SDG 17 are:

  • Number of open datasets published by the Government of Canada
  • Total official support for sustainable development

What we are doing to foster partnerships for the goals in Canada

In February 2021, the Government of Canada launched Moving Forward Together: Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy. The Strategy is an important call to action to create and foster an enabling environment for whole-of-society collaboration to advance the 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs both domestically and abroad.

The SDG Funding Program provides $59.8 million in funding over 13 years (2018 to 2031) to support the participation of all stakeholders in the implementation of the SDGs in Canada. Partnerships aim at making progress on the SDGs, and advancing key priorities for the Government of Canada, including but not limited to gender equity, reconciliation and supporting the most vulnerable to leave no one behind. Partners include:

  • not-for-profit organizations
  • provinces and territories
  • municipalities
  • academia
  • the private sector
  • members of Indigenous communities
  • members of racialized communities

The SDG Funding Program also focuses in part on the projects led by Indigenous and/or projects that include a significant indigenous engagement component to contribute to reconciliation efforts put forward by the 2030 Agenda. This includes dedicated Engagement Protocol Agreements (EPAs) with National Indigenous Organizations to further foster and integrate Indigenous perspectives to achieve the 2030 Agenda in Canada.

In Canada, Open Government is about making government more accessible to everyone. The Open Government Portal allows Canadian individuals and organizations to access government data and datasets, digital records, information on completed access to information request summaries and contracts.

Open data provides critical information to help achieve the SDGs and to measure progress in meeting them. These insights can inform priorities and help determine the most effective paths for action on issues.

Open data is an important mechanism to enhance transparency and ensure evidence-based dialogue and collaboration between governments and civil society. Statistics Canada supports transparent reporting of data and statistics that help Canadians better understand their country—its population, resources, economy, society and culture. This is done through publishing thousands of data tables where the public can select variables of interest to them and create customized data tables.

Furthermore, Statistics Canada has the mandate to report for the Government of Canada on indicators for the SDGs. In 2018, Statistics Canada released the SDG Data Hub. The Hub reports on Canada’s data for the Global Indicator Framework. In addition, the Canadian Indicator Framework data hub is an open source platform that reports the most recent data for the Canadian SDG indicators.

Canada also supports research programs to promote knowledge exchanges with the private sector and establish partnerships with other science systems. Science and technology (S and T) partnerships involving industry are crucial for:

  • accelerating innovation
  • ensuring that the technologies necessary to achieve sustainable development are widely affordable
  • driving economic growth

What Canada is doing to foster partnerships for the goals abroad

In January 2018, Canada launched its own Development Finance Institution, FinDev Canada. FinDev supports the private sector in developing countries with a focus on SDG 5, 7, 8, 9 and 13. FinDev has since become key to implementing Canada’s development agenda, particularly women’s economic empowerment and climate action in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. As of December 2021, FinDev Canada has announced 29 investments (with 27 partners), for a total of US$383.3 million.

In June 2018, Canada hosted the first ever joint G7 Finance and Development Ministers meeting. The meeting focused on mobilizing new resources for the SDGs. The G7 Charlevoix Commitment on Innovative Financing for Development calls for new international development partnerships, and capacity to mobilize more private sector investments for sustainable development.

In 2020 to 2021, Canada provided development, humanitarian, and peace and security assistance globally through multilateral and bilateral mechanisms and by partnering with Canadian, international and local organizations. In total, Canada delivered $8.4 billionFootnote 3, with $7.9 billion in official development assistance, to help:

  • improve the lives of billions of people
  • amplify the voices of the marginalized
  • address inequity and inequality around the globe

Canada is committed to achieving the trade goals outlined in SDG 17. Since 2018, Canada has been leading discussions in the Ottawa Group on World Trade Organization reform on ways to ensure the multilateral trading system remains relevant for 21st century trade, including supporting the SDGs and global economic recovery.

Canada has also taken a leadership role in WTO initiatives aimed at enhancing inclusion and sustainability in the multilateral trading system.

Canada co-chairs the WTO Trade and Environment Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) together with Costa Rica. TESSD provides a space for developed and developing countries to work together to arrive at solutions that contribute to achieving global environmental sustainability objectives.

Canada is also an active member of the WTO Informal Group on Trade and Gender and the Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs). As part of this group, Canada continues to champion its inclusive approach to trade. It does so by encouraging members to adopt policies and programs to encourage participation of women-led businesses and MSMEs in international trade.

Canada has also led on the Global Trade and Gender Arrangement (GTAGA) under the Inclusive Trade Action Group (ITAG) that advances women’s economic empowerment in international trade.

To promote economic growth in the world’s poorest countries, the Government of Canada extends duty-free treatment to imports from least-developed countries (LDCs). Canada fully meets its commitments at the World Trade Organization (WTO) with respect to duty-free quota-free market access, and preferential rules of origin for LDCs.

Canada co-chaired the preparatory process for the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-5). The conference took stock of progress made towards sustainable development objectives over the last decade in LDCs. It also facilitated an ambitious new Programme of Action for 2022 to 2031.

Since 2016, Canada and Jamaica have been leading financing for development discussions at the UN as co-chairs of the Group of Friends on SDG Financing. The Group is a platform to promote solutions-oriented ideas for unlocking finance for development. In May 2020, Canada, Jamaica, and the UN Secretary General launched the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond initiative. It consists of a series of solutions-oriented conversations between leaders, Ministers of Finance, representatives from the private sector, international organizations and civil society, on how to foster a coordinated, multilateral response to COVID-19.

In 2020 and 2021, Canada collaborated with private sector representatives and other stakeholders to develop the Private Sector Engagement for Sustainable Development Strategy. The Strategy encourages private actors to engage in international assistance initiatives in new, more efficient and scalable ways to solve social, economic and environmental problems globally, and achieve the 2030 Agenda. The Strategy aligns with the Feminist International Assistance Policy’s recognition of the role that the private sector plays in driving innovation, productivity, and inclusive economic growth, and the importance of partnering to achieve development results.

Canada supports meaningful and active engagement with civil society. Canada continues to advocate for safe and supportive environments in which civil society can thrive around the world. These priorities are affirmed in Canada’s Policy for Civil Society Partnerships for International Assistance: A Feminist Approach and its respective implementation plan. The plan outlines Canada’s commitment to working collaboratively with civil society.

Canada plays a leading role internationally for the measurement of the SDGs. Canada is a founding member and now Co-chair of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators. Canada was instrumental in the:

  • development of the Global Indicator Framework
  • the 2020 Framework review
  • other work of the group including leading the work on the interlinkages and intersectionality of SDGs

Canada also leads the work stream on COVID-19 and SDG measurement. This group is examining which indicators are most likely to be heavily impacted by the pandemic to enable countries to prioritize measurement and monitoring during the pandemic.

Canada is a founding member of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Steering Group on Statistics for SDGs and works collaboratively with other countries in the region to advance the robust measurement of SDG data and Statistics. This group has developed the Roadmap on Statistics for SDGs. The Road Map provides guidance to those working in national statistical systems and other stakeholders on how to best navigate the complex task of measuring the achievement of the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda. By doing so, it strives to strengthen reliable data-based national information systems and support efforts to achieve the Goals. The Road Map covers different aspects of measurement, such as:

  • national coordination
  • reporting on global SDG indicators
  • tracking progress at various levels
  • quality assurance
  • leave no one behind communication
  • Voluntary National Reviews
  • capacity development

Canada is committed to enhancing policy coherence for sustainable development. This entails fostering synergies across economic, social and environmental policy areas with internal and external stakeholders. As part of this work, Canada is a member of the OECD’s Informal Network of National Focal Points for Policy Coherence. As part of this group, member states can share best practices and discuss similar challenges.

At the G7 summit in Carbis Bay in June 2021, the Government of Canada announced important investments in international assistance, including:

  • a doubling of Canada’s international Climate Finance to $5.3 billion over five years
  • $300 million over 5 years to support the Global Partnership for Education
  • $100 million to support initiatives for paid and unpaid care work

Canada continues its strong participation with the international financial institutions (IFIs), to support the achievement of SDGs. The capital increase outlined below, as well as on-going policy dialogue, allows Canada to continue as a leading voice in the promotion of gender equality, inclusive societies and climate change in the developing world.

  • African Development Bank negotiated in 2019 (US$253,334,912 over 3 years starting in 2020 and 2021) and the replenishments of the African Development Bank / African Development Fund ($355,200,000 over 3 years starting in 2020-2021)
  • Asian Development Bank/Asian Development Fund ($120,545,862 over 4 years starting in 2021 and 2022)
  • the Caribbean Development Bank / Special Development Fund ($81,411,000 over 4 years starting in 2021 and 2022)

COVID-19 response

Canada has been a leading international donor to the global pandemic response.

Since February 2020, Canada has mobilized more than $2.7 billion in international assistance to the global COVID-19 response, including over $1.3 billion in support of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A). The ACT-A is an unprecedented global collaborative effort designed to increase the development, distribution and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines, and strengthened health systems. ACT-A also represents a significant level of engagement and investment for Canada’s international assistance program in response to the global pandemic. Canada has played an integral leadership role in this global effort, with Ministerial engagement on the ACT-Accelerator’s Facilitation Council and as co-chair of the COVAX Advance Market Commitment Engagement Group.

Canada supported trusted bilateral and multilateral partners in 2021 and 2022 to support developing countries affected by COVID-19. This includes $545 million channeled through the COVAX Facility to purchase and deliver COVID-19 vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

Canada has committed to increase its credit line for the International Monetary Fund’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust from $2 to $3.57 billion. This will help meet all requests for interest-free loans from low-income countries.

Canada, working alongside G20 and Paris Club partners, sought to ease the growing liquidity constraints in the poorest countries by implementing the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). Over the course of 2020, this initiative provided nearly US$6 billion in debt service relief to eligible countries. In October 2020, Finance Ministers agreed to extend this payment relief until June 30, 2021, and assess at that time whether a further extension is needed.

Canada also endorsed the G20’s Common Framework for debt relief beyond the DSSI. This  creates a platform for coordinated debt treatments for DSSI eligible countries deemed to be in debt distress.

Through the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond initiative, Canada is leading discussions, alongside Jamaica and the UN, to promote an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery. The initiative was launched in May 2020. It identified more than 250 concrete policy options to help guide global economic recovery efforts. To date, Canada has co-hosted 3 meetings of heads of state and government to galvanize joint action for least developed countries and Small Island Developing States.

In 2020, Canada strengthened alliances and forged new partnerships, including through the Ministerial Coordination Group on COVID-19, and the Development Ministers Contact Group on COVID-19.

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