scholarly journals Health in All Policies: Perspectives From the Region of the Americas

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kira Fortune ◽  
Francisco Becerra ◽  
Paulo Buss ◽  
Orielle Solar ◽  
Patricia Ribeiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Health Equity ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Health In All Policies ◽  
Policy Coherence ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Powerful Approach ◽  
Development Goals

There is a broad consensus that the health of an individual or population is not influenced solely by the efforts of the formal health sector; rather, it is also defined by the conditions of daily life as well as the inputs, intentional or not, of various stakeholders and policies. The recognition that health outcomes and inequity in health extend beyond the health sector across many social and government sectors has led to the emergence of a comprehensive policy perspective known as Health in All Policies (HiAP). Building on earlier concepts and principles outlined in the Alma-Ata Declaration (1978) and the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986), HiAP is a collaborative approach to public policies across sectors that systematically takes into account the health implications of decisions, seeks synergies, and avoids harmful health impacts in order to improve population health and health equity. Health in All Policies has become particularly relevant in light of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as achieving the goals of the agenda requires policy coherence and collaboration across sectors. Given that local governments are ideally positioned to encourage and galvanize partnerships between a diversity of local stakeholders, the implementation of HiAP at the local level is seen as a powerful approach to advancing health and achieving the SDGs through scaled-up initiatives. As there is no single model for the development and implementation of HiAP, it is critical to examine the different experiences across countries that have garnered success in order to identify best practices. The Region of the Americas has made much progress in advancing the HiAP approach, and as such much can be learned from analyzing implementation at country level thus far. Specific initiatives of the Americas may highlight key examples of local action for HiAP and should be taken into consideration for future implementation. Moving forward, it will be important to consider bottom up approaches that directly address the wider determinants of health and health equity.

scholarly journals Addressing Policy Coherence Between Health in All Policies Approach and the Sustainable Development Goals Implementation: Insights From Kenya

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joy Mauti ◽  
Lara Gautier ◽  
Faith Agbozo ◽  
Veronica Shiroya ◽  
Nasreen S. Jessani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Health In All Policies ◽  
Policy Coherence ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals

Background: Addressing health in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls for intersectoral strategies that mutually enhance both health promotion and sustainable development. Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach aims to address this as well as promote ownership among key stakeholders. Kenya was at the forefront of adopting the SDGs and has committed to the HiAP approach in its Health Policy document for the period 2014-2030. This study aims to assess how the adoption of the HiAP approach can leverage on SDGs implementation in Kenya. Methods: This is an exploratory case study using qualitative data and some descriptive quantitative data. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) eight building blocks for policy coherence on sustainable development was our guiding framework. Qualitative data was derived from a review of relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature, as well as 40 key informant interviews and analyzed in NVIVO. Quantitative data was accessed from the United Nations SDG indicator database and exported to Excel. Results: Kenya has expressed a strong political commitment to achieving the SDGs and has now adopted HiAP. The study showed that Kenya can leverage on local level implementation and long-term planning horizons that it currently has in place to address the SDGs as it rolls out the HiAP approach. The SDGs could be mapped out against the sectors outlined in the Adelaide statement on HiAP. It is also possible to map out how various ministries could coordinate to effectively address HiAP and SDGs concurrently. Funding for HiAP was not addressed in the OECD framework. Conclusion: Kenya can advance a HiAP approach by leveraging the ongoing SDGs implementation. This will be made possible by facilitating coordinated intersectoral action both at national and local level. Funding for HiAP is crucial for its propagation, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and can be considered in the budgetary allocations for SDGs.

scholarly journals Equity in Health Policy Assessment: Region of the Americas

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Health Equity ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Equity In Health ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Sustainable Health ◽  
Health Agenda

The Region of the Americas has prioritized the achievement of health equity—“the absence of avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people, whether these groups are defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically” (WHO)—both through regional agreements, such as the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas (2017), and by reporting progress toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (the Sustainable Development Goals) (2015). Public sector policy is the principal initial lever through which both national and local governments institute and finance actions toward accelerating the achievement of equity in health. This study assessed 32 national health plans to report on whether and how countries in the Region are integrating the achievement of health equity into strategic lines of action in the health sector. It provides a snapshot of approaches and advances, allowing for knowledge sharing among countries on options for attention to equity in health policy. It will also facilitate future monitoring of trends in the integration of health equity aims and approaches in policies. The study found that stated overall commitments to health equity are common, as are commitments toward the disaggregation of data and monitoring of inequalities, while other elements of health equity like, for example, the identification of populations in situations of vulnerability, receive less attention. While further study is needed on the implementation and impacts of approaches in specific programmatic actions, the study provides useful insights to inform efforts for a stronger framework for health equity action toward the Region’s goals for 2030.

Local governments and sustainable development: Nurturing best practices through horizontal learning process (HLP) across countries

2020 ◽  
pp. 014473942096316
Author(s):  
Santanu Lahiri ◽  
JB Rajan
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Phase Out ◽  
National Governments ◽  
Tacit Learning

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. To maintain the pace of development, local government institutions (LGIs) in many countries have started adapting innovative good practices. These practices are being generated as an offshoot of some projects, initiated by local governments, sub-national and/or national governments. However, these innovations are generally so closely associated, and depend so much on those projects, that once the projects officially phase out, the good practices also start falling apart. Those training institutions for LGIs in Asian countries are imparting training and applying participatory methodologies like peer learning. This enhances the capacities of the functionaries of the respective LGIs. However, the learning that emerges from the good practices, that have evolved, is often missed out in these course curricula, despite the fact that both the good practices and capacity for generating good practices, exist at the local level in the form of tacit learning. The Horizontal Learning Process (HLP) helps to overcome the inherent limitations of existing training methodology by capturing, upscaling, and nurturing tacit learning based on good practices. This paper highlights the concept and salient features of HLP, its evolution, process and steps, application areas, achievements and challenges—especially in the context of the SDGs and the role of LGIs.

Local governments and sustainable development: Nurturing best practices through Horizontal Learning Process (HLP) across countries

2020 ◽  
pp. 014473942097474
Author(s):  
Santanu Lahiri ◽  
JB Rajan
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Phase Out ◽  
National Governments ◽  
Tacit Learning

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. To maintain the pace of development, local government institutions (LGIs) in many countries have started adapting innovative good practices. These practices are being generated as an offshoot of some projects, initiated by local governments, sub-national and/or national governments. However, these innovations are generally so closely associated, and depend so much on those projects, that once the projects officially phase out, the good practices also start falling apart. Those training institutions for LGIs in Asian countries are imparting training and applying participatory methodologies like peer learning. This enhances the capacities of the functionaries of the respective LGIs. However, the learning that emerges from the good practices, that have evolved, is often missed out in these course curricula, despite the fact that both the good practices and capacity for generating good practices, exist at the local level in the form of tacit learning. The Horizontal Learning Process (HLP) helps to overcome the inherent limitations of existing training methodology by capturing, upscaling, and nurturing tacit learning based on good practices. This paper highlights the concept and salient features of HLP, its evolution, process and steps, application areas, achievements and challenges—especially in the context of the SDGs and the role of LGIs.

scholarly journals Tackling Sustainable Development Goals in Italian Regional Legislation: a Health in All Policies comparative analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Stirparo ◽  
F Rallo ◽  
D Gori ◽  
L Blandi ◽  
C Seidenari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Health In All Policies ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Lombardy Region ◽  
Emilia Romagna Region ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Global Agenda

Abstract Background The Health in All Policies approach has been increasingly used to assess public health impact of rules and regulations. In 2015, all UN member States adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) to achieve the 2030 Global Agenda. SDGs can be conceived in a practical way, as analytic tools to classify existing legislation. In the context of the ASPHER-ASPPH sponsored “This is Public Health in Italy” campaign, the Public Health Schools of University San Raffaele, University of Bologna, University of Pavia and University of Parma decided to monitor their own local governments' level of SDG compliance. The study aims at identifying a procotol for a Health in All Policies, SDG-driven analysis in two Northern Italy Regions: Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. These two regions 4.45 millions and 10.04 million accounting for over 24% of national population. Methods Between November and December 2019, two teams were established for separate analyses of the 2 Regions. All laws were retrieved from the two Regional Council's offical websites. Exclusion criteria were set by ruling all healthcare-related laws out of the analysis. An agreement was reached to label each law with the most representatives SDG tackled. As a proxy for internal validity, results were double-blinded. Each Regional Group met collectively and double-checked the other group's anlysis. To minimise detection bias, results were sent anonymously to the Scientific Committee, who supervised the analytic process and solved disagreements. Results A total of 57 laws were examined, 26 issued by Lombardy Region and 31 by Emilia-Romagna Region. SDG-related laws number was: 11 (42%) in Lombardy Region, whereas in Emilia-Romagna Region the proportion was much higher (n = 22, 71%). The most addressed SGD in Lombardy Region was number 15 (Life on Land), while in Emilia-Romagna number 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth). Conclusions SDGs can be considered an innovative indicator to measure governement's activities and monitor the progress towards achieving the 2030 Global Agenda. Key messages Sustainable Development Goals are useful tools for policy analysis. The “This is Public Health in Italy” campaign allowed for a survey of public health legislative initiatives.

Governing health equity in Scandinavian municipalities: The inter-sectorial challenge

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Elling Scheele ◽  
Ingvild Little ◽  
Finn Diderichsen
Keyword(s):  
Health Equity ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Health Concept ◽  
Equity Policy

Aims: Local governments in the Scandinavian countries are increasingly committed to reduce health inequity through ‘health equity in all policies’ (HEiAP) governance. There exists, however, only very sporadic implementation evidence concerning municipal HEiAP governance, which is the focus of this study. Methods: Data are based on qualitative thematic network analysis of 20 interviews conducted from 2014 to 2015 with Scandinavian political and administrative practitioners. Results: We identify 24 factors located within three categories; political processes, where insufficient political commitment to health equity goals outside of the health sector and inadequate economic prioritization budget curbs implementation. Concerning evidence, there is a lack of epidemiological data, detailed evidence of health equity interventions as well as indicators relevant for monitoring implementation. Concerted administrative action relates to a lack of vertical support and alignment from the national and the regional level to the local level. Horizontally within the municipality, insufficient coordination across policy sectors inhibits effective health equity governance. Conclusions: A shift away from ‘health in all policies’ based on a narrow health concept towards ‘health equity for all policies’ based on a broader concept such as ‘sustainability’ can improve ownership of health equity policy goals across municipal sectors.

scholarly journals A Systematic Study of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Interactions in the Main Spanish Cities

2021 ◽  
pp. 69-80
Author(s):  
Javier García López ◽  
Raffaele Sisto ◽  
Julio Lumbreras Martín ◽  
Carlos Mataix Aldeanueva
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Open Framework ◽  
Urban Sustainable Development ◽  
The Us ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Potential Interactions ◽  
Us Cities

AbstractIn October 2018, the Spanish SDSN Network, REDS, launched the SDG Spanish Cities Index report summarizing the progress of 100 Spanish cities toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This study, developed in collaboration with the Technical University of Madrid, follows the methodology used by the Global SDG Index and Dashboards and the US Cities Index, which SDSN co-produces annually to assess SDG performance at both the national and international levels. This study, previously developed by the same researchers, identifies the most suitable indicators, metrics and urban data to measure the commitment and degree of compliance with SDG 17 for a selection of Spanish cities. It provides, through a set of 85 indicators, a unique vision of their sustainable development and allows monitoring the implementation of the SDGs at the local level in the Spanish context. In this paper, the analysis of their interactions using this dataset has been systematized. This is an innovative first step in defining the path toward urban sustainable development to make policies happen: dependencies among the goals in terms of potential interactions need to be evaluated in the Spanish context. Those results, improvements and applicability are presented and discussed in the following to identify action priorities and raise awareness of local governments and policymakers. It concludes that major efforts are required to increase sustainability and suggests an open framework that can be gradually improved as more data become available.

scholarly journals Australian policies on water management and climate change: are they supporting the sustainable development goals and improved health and well-being?

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni Delany-Crowe ◽  
Dora Marinova ◽  
Matt Fisher ◽  
Michael McGreevy ◽  
Fran Baum
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Health Equity ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Coherence ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals

Abstract Background Sustainable management of the natural environment is essential. Continued environmental degradation will lead to worsened health outcomes in countries and across generations. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework for viewing the preservation of natural environments and the promotion of health, well-being and health equity as interconnected pursuits. Within the SDG framework the goals of promoting environmental sustainability and human health are unified through attention to the social determinants of health and health equity (SDH/HE). This paper presents findings from a document analysis of all Australian environment sector policies and selected legislation to examine whether and how current approaches support progress toward achieving SDG goals on water, climate change, and marine ecosystems (Goals 6, 13 and 14), and to consider implications for health and health equity. Results Consideration of a broad range of SDH/HE was evident in the analysed documents. Related collaborations between environment and health sectors were identified, but the bulk of proposed actions on SDH/HE were initiated by the environment sector as part of its core business. Strengths of Australian policy in regard to SDGs 6, 13 and 14 are reflected in recognition of the effects of climate change, a strong cohesive approach to marine park protection, and recognition of the need to protect existing water and sanitation systems from future threats. However, climate change strategies focus predominately on resilience, adaptation and heat related health effects, rather than on more comprehensive mitigation policies. The findings emphasise the importance of strengthened cross-sectoral action to address both the drivers and effects of environmental degradation. A lack of policy coherence between jurisdictions was also evident in several areas, compounded by inadequate national guidance, where vague strategies and non-specific devolution of responsibilities are likely to compromise coordination and accountability. Conclusions Evidence on planetary health recognises the interconnectedness of environmental and human health and, as such, suggests that ineffective management of climate change and water pose serious risks to both the natural environment and human well-being. To address these risks more effectively, and to achieve the SDGs, our findings indicate that cross-jurisdiction policy coherence and national coordination must be improved. In addition, more action to address global inequities is required, along with more comprehensive approaches to climate change mitigation.

scholarly journals Localising the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa: implementation challenges and opportunities

2021 ◽  
pp. 4-23
Author(s):  
Eunice Annan-Aggrey ◽  
Elmond Bandauko ◽  
Godwin Arku
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Development Goals

At the point of adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Africa’s starting point on almost all dimensions of development was much lower than that of other regions of the world. Thus, SDG progress on the continent determines to a large extent whether the global SDG commitment to ‘leave no one behind’ remains rhetoric or becomes reality. Local government action is critical to the achievement of the SDGs, as most services provided at the local level have a direct impact on SDG indicators. This paper reflects on the first quadrennial review cycle of the SDGs, and highlights challenges encountered in localising the SDGs in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, the paper contributes to the ongoing strategising for the remaining timeline of the SDGs and analyses the opportunities for local governments to contribute to SDG implementation. The paper also seeks to inform policy action to strengthen local capacity to drive the SDGs agenda in the ‘Decade of Action’ (2020–2030).

scholarly journals Defining and Quantifying National-Level Targets, Indicators and Benchmarks for Management of Natural Resources to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Dickens ◽  
Vladimir Smakhtin ◽  
Matthew McCartney ◽  
Gordon O’Brien ◽  
Lula Dahir
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
National Level ◽  
Resource Quality ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Country Level ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Global Indicators

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are high on the agenda for most countries of the world. In its publication of the SDGs, the UN has provided the goals and target descriptions that, if implemented at a country level, would lead towards a sustainable future. The IAEG (InterAgency Expert Group of the SDGs) was tasked with disseminating indicators and methods to countries that can be used to gather data describing the global progress towards sustainability. However, 2030 Agenda leaves it to countries to adopt the targets with each government setting its own national targets guided by the global level of ambition but taking into account national circumstances. At present, guidance on how to go about this is scant but it is clear that the responsibility is with countries to implement and that it is actions at a country level that will determine the success of the SDGs. Reporting on SDGs by country takes on two forms: i) global reporting using prescribed indicator methods and data; ii) National Voluntary Reviews where a country reports on its own progress in more detail but is also able to present data that are more appropriate for the country. For the latter, countries need to be able to adapt the global indicators to fit national priorities and context, thus the global description of an indicator could be reduced to describe only what is relevant to the country. Countries may also, for the National Voluntary Review, use indicators that are unique to the country but nevertheless contribute to measurement of progress towards the global SDG target. Importantly, for those indicators that relate to the security of natural resources security (e.g., water) indicators, there are no prescribed numerical targets/standards or benchmarks. Rather countries will need to set their own benchmarks or standards against which performance can be evaluated. This paper presents a procedure that would enable a country to describe national targets with associated benchmarks that are appropriate for the country. The procedure builds on precedent set in other countries but in particular on a procedure developed for the setting of Resource Quality Objectives in South Africa. The procedure focusses on those SDG targets that are natural resource-security focused, for example, extent of water-related ecosystems (6.6), desertification (15.3) and so forth, because the selection of indicator methods and benchmarks is based on the location of natural resources, their use and present state and how they fit into national strategies.

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