Strategic Prioritization of SDGs in Pakistan 

 

By Muhammad Abbas Taqi | Data & Analytics Officer, Development Policy Unit,UNDP Pakistan

Pakistan’s success will depend on the strategic prioritization of its SDG targets.

With less than five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Pakistan’s success depends on the strategic prioritization of its SDGs. Pakistan must create an opportunity to offer high-impact synergies to generate broad and cross-sectoral benefits. In other words, Pakistan must aim to “get many birds with one stone”.

Recognizing the limited time and resources available, the Planning Commission of Pakistan, in collaboration with UNDP, has developed the National Framework for SDGs (2018) to identify and prioritize SDG targets that can deliver the highest impact. The aim is to apply a comparative criteria model that ranks SDG targets using the following indicators: population affected, severity, multiplier effect, urgency, resource efficiency, feasibility, and provincial relevance. This step is followed by categorizing SDGs into three tiers: high priority (Category I), medium priority (Category II), and long-term priority (Category III).1 

Category I SDGs such as SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) are identified as having high potential for short-term gains and strong interlinkages. For example, improving water quality not only enhances health outcomes but also boosts educational performance, agricultural productivity, and economic resilience. 

Category II SDGs include SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), with equally significant interlinkages. For example, SDG 5 for gender equality contributes to better family health, education, and economic outcomes, while SDG 9 for resilient infrastructure supports climate adaptation, economic growth, and service delivery. 

Category III goals such as SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water) demand long-term commitment and systemic reforms. Although their gestation periods are longer, they have significant multiplier effects. Climate resilience, for example, safeguards agriculture, health, and livelihoods, while marine conservation supports food security and biodiversity.

The UNDP SDG Push Insight Report 2023 reinforced this approach by mapping interlinkages among key SDG targets that are particularly relevant to countries’ development contexts. For Pakistan, it identified the following targets:2 

  • SDG 1.3 (social protection systems): as it expands social protection, enhances resilience, and supports multiple SDGs simultaneously; 

  • SDG 8.1 (sustained economic growth): inclusive and sustainable economic growth can catalyze progress across other SDG targets; 

  • SDG 9.1 (resilient infrastructure): infrastructure investments have ripple effects on health, education, and livelihoods; 

  • SDG 11.1 (safe and affordable housing): urban planning integrates housing with services and can uplift marginalized communities and reduce inequalities; 

  • SDG 16.6 (effective institutions): this is foundational for all the SDGs as transparent and accountable governance enables efficient service delivery, policy coherence, and public trust.

Other countries have adopted different approaches. Some countries focus on all 17 SDGs, while others prioritize specific goals. For example, Colombia uses a holistic strategy that aligns its national development plan and investment projects with all the SDGs. Mexico employs SDG-tagging with a significant portion of its budget linked to SDG 16, prioritizing governance and anti-corruption. Finland focuses on the impact of taxes and subsidies on its environmental SDGs, while France incorporates green budget tagging to support environmental goals. Mongolia prioritizes SDG 3 on health, while Kenya targets hunger, health, economic growth, and inclusive cities (SDGs 2, 3, 8, and 11).3 

The policy imperative is not merely to prioritize SDG targets based on urgency or feasibility, but rather, to strategically select targets with systemic leverage that act as accelerators across multiple SDG development priorities. 

However, Pakistan faces persistent structural challenges including fragmented data systems, limited institutional capacity and weak policy coherence, that constrain its ability to operationalize SDG interlinkages effectively. Addressing these gaps requires a shift towards integrated, data-driven governance. By concentrating efforts on high-impact, cross-sectoral goals and fostering institutional collaboration across federal and provincial tiers, Pakistan can unlock compounding benefits across the SDG framework. 

The next five years are pivotal. Leveraging interdependencies through advanced analytics, coordinated planning, and digital transformation (including AI technologies) will be essential to achieving the SDGs.

  • Government of Pakistan, ‘Pakistan’s Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Voluntary National Review’, 2019. Available at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/233812019_06_15_VNR_2019_Pakistan_latest_version.pdf
  • UNDP, ‘Integrated SDG Insights: Pakistan’, SDG Push Insight Report, 2023. Available at: https://sdgpush-insights.undp.org/reports/pak 
  • Scherie Nicol and Natalia Salazar, ‘Budgeting for SDGs and Other High-Level Priorities’, IMF PFM Blog, 6 May 2021. Available at: https://blog-pfm.imf.org/en/pfmblog/2021/05/budgeting-for-sdgs-and-other-high-level-priorities