Sustainable Development Goals and International Governance: Indicators as a Key Mechanism for Success

The purpose of this chapter is to encourage consideration of the SDGs from the perspectives of measurement and indicators, that is, measurement of progress with the SDGs. After clarifying what kind of governance is required for the SDGs, the chapter will discuss the roles and functions of measurements and indicators in connection with the SDGs, reviewing targets and indicators related to resource circulation. Then, the chapter considers the ideal design of SDG indicators. The development of measurement systems for the SDGs is a new challenge for the relationship between science and policy. Indicators require a technical understanding, but they are also a step toward policy discussions. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recommends making indicators by country, by local government, and by company (i.e., by stakeholder). It is crucial to design systems of indicators by considering indicators for each actor and creating systems of indicators that can be compared, so that those indicators can lead to subsequent policies and actions. The development of indicators based on goals and targets can be expected to deepen the connections between stakeholders. In that sense, we could say that the very process of creating indicators is one key to transformation toward 2030.