Synergies and trade-offs between sanitation and the sustainable development goals

Abstract

To better leverage opportunities arising out of sustainable and inclusive management of sanitation services there is a need for robust and comprehensive evidence of the wide-ranging benefits that sanitation can deliver. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a comprehensive framework for sustainable development broken down into 169 interconnected Targets which are articulated under 17 Goals. Based on a methodology developed at University College London (UCL), this study identifies linkages between sanitation and the 169 Targets corroborated by published evidence. We show that there are synergies between sanitation and all 17 Goals and 130 (77%) of the Targets, and trade-offs for 28 (17%) of the Targets. We identified 83 Targets (49%) that call for action in the sanitation sector. The results demonstrate the far-reaching benefits that can be unlocked from investment in sanitation, which extend beyond health and spread across sectors. The evidence base for the 17 Goals establishes links that can inform cross-sectoral action, collaborations and investment across governance levels for integrated sanitation solutions. The research provides different stakeholders with a framework that can be applied to context-specific cases and projects. We propose a range of recommendations to policy makers, practitioners and researchers who seek to take this study further to help achieve the SDGs.

Keywords: SDG; cross-sectoral partnerships; interdisciplinary; sanitation; sustainable development; synergies; the environment; trade-offs; water.

Figure 1

Methodology to assess the interlinkages between sanitation systems and the UN 2030 Agenda (adapted from Fuso Nerini et al. [9]).

Figure 2

Wheel diagram showing SDGs ‘calling for action (Question A)’, ‘synergies (Question B)’ and ‘trade-off (Question C)’. Diagram adapted from Fuso Nerini et al. [9]. The line represents an evidence call for action, synergy or trade-off and the dot represents each Target.