Now that accountability has been successfully woven into the Sustainable Development Goals, discussions have to begin in earnest to find concrete, specific tools that will give it substance, Yves Leterme, secretary-general of International IDEA, shared with Devex.
Goal 16 — to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels — and Goal 9 — to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation — provided a turning point in the design of the SDGs, he said.
The former prime minister of Belgium also stressed the importance of reaching a consensus on ways to monitor progress in its entirety, not just in the economic sense.
Watch the above clip to learn more about Leterme’s call to action on accountability and democracy.
Democracy Matters is a global conversation hosted by Devex, in partnership with International IDEA, to discuss accountability as a central element of deepening democracy. Visit the campaign site and join the conversation using #DemocracyMatters.
About the author
Jacques Jimeno
Jacques is a copy editor at Devex’s news production team. Previously, he worked with the Philippine Department of Tourism and the World Wide Fund for Nature. He is currently taking his master’s degree in communication from the University of the Philippines Diliman.