The UNSDF outlines the development cooperation strategy between the Government of India and the United Nations Country Team in India, in support of the achievement of India’s key national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNSDF was framed following a highly participative process, in consultation with government entities, civil society representatives, academia, and the private sector. The focus areas include poverty and urbanization; health, water, and sanitation; education; nutrition and food security; climate change, clean energy, and disaster resilience; skilling, entrepreneurship, and job creation; and gender equality and youth development. Across outcome areas, the UN will support the Government of India on south-south cooperation, in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs. The total planned budget outlay for the implementation of the UNSDF 2018-2022 is approximately INR 11000 crore, of which 47 percent is planned to be mobilized through the course of implementation from multiple sources, including the private sector and the government. CEO, NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, highlighted the need to promote innovation in meeting India’s development challenges and bringing on board the power of social entrepreneurs and the private sector to act on scale. The UNSDF is underpinned by the overarching principle of the SDGs to leave no one behind, echoing the Government of India’s message of SabkaSaathSabkaVikas (development for all). The programmatic work outlined in the UNSDF targets the seven low-income states (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, MP, Odisha, Rajasthan, UP), the North-East region, and the aspirational districts identified earlier this year by the NITI Aayog. Work will focus on improving the lives of the most marginalized, poor, and vulnerable communities and people in the country, especially women and girls. UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Yuri Afanasiev, said that “The United Nations in India is committed to provide full support to the Government of India’s development priorities, ensuring that the UNSDF outcomes are achieved. The solutions we find together can catalyze action across the global south- just as solutions from elsewhere in the world will be adapted to India. He added that together, the India-UN team will ensure that poor, vulnerable, and marginalized communities participate in and benefit from the country’s robust growth trajectory.” The UNSDF also includes a set of UN flagship programs that are aligned with major government schemes. The flagship programs will be scalable innovative, multi-sectoral solutions to some of the most pressing development challenges that India faces, while also serving as catalysts for increased investment of development finance. The programmes range from affordable housing for the poor to increasing access to clean energy in rural off-grid areas; from protecting all children from vaccine-preventable diseases to quality education for all children and skilling for young people, especially young girls; and from ending stunting to improving the child sex ratio.

There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 targets. These are universal goals with local implications and intervention possibilities. These universal goals are being localized to the context of each country to ensure relevance, applicability and accountability in the planning, design and implementation of policies and programmes. In this context, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have a crucial role to play in achieving the SDGs. The 74th Constitutional Amendment, 1992, also known as Nagarpalika Act, was promulgated to enable the ULBs to perform effectively as vibrant democratic units of self-government. ULBs are expected to play an effective role in the planning and implementation of functions related to 18 subjects enlisted in the Twelfth Schedule of the Constitution. Many SDG goals are directly relevant within the purview of these subjects, namely, SDG 11 to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. ULBs, which are in the process of preparing the statutory master plan or urban programme/mission-linked city development plans, have the opportunity to synchronize their plans with SDGs. Furthermore, each of the 18 functions of the ULBs as mandated under the 74th amendment, directly contribute to the fulfillment of the India’s commitment to SDGs. Resources from various centrally and state sponsored schemes can be leveraged and converged at urban level. It is important to set urban/wards (zonal)/ward level targets with measurable indicators that will have vertical and horizontal linkages, convergence possibilities, resource mobilization potential and feasible action by ULBs.

Improved housing conditions can save lives, prevent disease, increase quality of life, reduce poverty, and help mitigate climate change. Housing is becoming increasingly important to health in light of urban growth, ageing populations and climate change. The WHO Housing and health guidelines bring together the most recent evidence to provide practical recommendations to reduce the health burden due to unsafe and substandard housing. Based on newly commissioned systematic reviews, the guidelines provide recommendations relevant to inadequate living space (crowding), low and high indoor temperatures, injury hazards in the home, and accessibility of housing for people with functional impairments. In addition, the guidelines identify and summarize existing WHO guidelines and recommendations related to housing, with respect to water quality, air quality, neighbourhood noise, asbestos, lead, tobacco smoke and radon. The guidelines take a comprehensive, intersectoral perspective on the issue of housing and health and highlight co-benefits of interventions addressing several risk factors at the same time. The WHO Housing and health guidelines aim at informing housing policies and regulations at the national, regional and local level and are further relevant in the daily activities of implementing actors who are directly involved in the construction, maintenance and demolition of housing in ways that influence human health and safety. The guidelines therefore emphasize the importance of collaboration between the health and other sectors and joint efforts across all government levels to promote healthy housing. The guidelines’ implementation at country-level will in particular contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals on health (SDG 3) and sustainable cities (SDG 11). WHO will support Member States in adapting the guidelines to national contexts and priorities to ensure safe and healthy housing for all.

This brief argues that a reduction in food loss and waste, particularly in high nutrient foods, has the potential to yield substantial nutritional benefits, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the advancement of the Decade of Action on Nutrition. It also argues why addressing food waste and loss should be a new priority for improving nutrition.

The global AIDS response is at a precarious point-partial success in saving lives and stopping new HIV infections is giving way to complacency. At the halfway point to the 2020 targets, the pace of progress is not matching the global ambition. This report is a wake-up call-action now can still put us back on course to reach the 2020 targets.