The difficulties of diffusing the 2030 agenda

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has successfully set a normative framework that defines development as a universal aspiration for inclusiveness and sustainability. Yet, the agenda has been characterised by power struggles and unresolved contestations, reflective of what is an incoherent and fragmented landscape of global cooperation. In this light, it is uncertain whether the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be achieved.  

DIIS researchers Lars Engberg-Pedersen and Adam Moe Fejerskov contribute to a new handbook that explores how different narratives and norms in international cooperation can be reconciled to achieve the 2030 Agenda. In their chapter, they argue that the diffusion of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs is not only challenging due to contemporary political circumstances, but also because of the fundamental nature of how actors engage with global norms.