1.2 SDG targets translated into national and subnational strategies and targets

The Global Strategy includes 17 key targets drawn from the SDGs which are crucial to the health of women, children and adolescents (see Table 1 above). SDG goals and targets require translation for countries’ own contexts, with the setting of country-specific goals and targets, linked to national and global accountability frameworks through the following steps to be undertaken by the country platform:

1. Compare SDG targets to current targets already set in existing national plans and strategies
2. Analyse current progress against both national and SDG targets (for example, by analysing the distribution of reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) mortality and morbidity (including stillbirths) as well as underlying causes and determinants) Accountability – Reinforcing global and national accountability mechanisms
3. Establish country baselines for SDG targets related to RMNCAH, disaggregating data by key stratifiers to identify geographical areas and/or specific populations and communities of greatest need
4. Model the current national and subnational trajectory towards the 2030 SDG targets
5. Set or reaffirm national targets for 2030 for the SDGs related to the Global Strategy for joint monitoring of national health and RMNCAH strategies across different sectors
6. Identify subnational targets tailored to regional and local populations, focused on reducing inequities and gaps in data for monitoring these targets.

Example of a Logical Framework for the Process of Setting Targets
(Source: UNECE & WHO 2010)

Like the MDGs, the SDG targets highlighted in the Global Strategy mostly focus on outcomes, rather than what is required to achieve them – this reflects that country contexts vary, and different paths will be required to achieve these targets to account for this diversity. Countries may find it useful to set additional targets, either on the key interventions and strategies in health and other sectors required, or intermediary milestones (e.g. for 2020 and 2025) to guide progress towards the 2030 deadlines.

1.3 Strengthening prioritized, costed, national and subnational plans

Setting national SDG targets and considering the Global Strategy provides an opportunity for countries, via the country platform, to review existing strategies, identify and eliminate implementation constraints, prioritize interventions and consolidate plans into a single prioritized, costed strategy for women’s, children and adolescents’ health. Such a plan clearly focused on results (“investment case”) aims to guide and attract additional financing from national and global partners over a three-to-five-year period, and can be further developed iteratively depending on the mobilization of resources. Consolidation and review of plans also provides an opportunity to prioritize key interventions in both health and non-health sectors, integrating with national strategies in key areas such as nutrition, education and social protection. Countries may draw from the overarching interventions presented in the Annexes of the Global Strategy and existing country programmes. Thus, priority interventions for scale-up can be identified, taking into account the country situation, coverage and human rights principles.

A prioritized, costed plan can drive agreement among key stakeholders on the set of priorities that can feasibly be implemented given the resources available. It can thus help shape the financing of such priorities. Such a plan should ideally be finalized as early as possible in the SDG era, drawing upon, integrating and clarifying existing planning processes and documents. Steps in the development process include:

1. agreement on what basis and what form the investment case should take
2. situation analysis (taking into account modelling undertaken in setting national targets)
3. selection of interventions and strategies
4. assessment of costs, cost-effectiveness of strategies and mapping of available resources
5. definition of priorities
6. agreement on who will finance each part of the plan among national and global partners (for more detail see section on “Aligning and Mobilizing Financing”)
7. publication and dissemination of draft plan to seek feedback
8. finalization of plan
9. implementation.

1.4 Effective stewardship and monitoring of implementation across sectors

Country leadership extends beyond planning – even more important is stewarding and coordinating effective implementation across key sectors. Other parts of this Operational Framework consider key aspects of this, in particular the crucial contribution of an accountability framework that enables rapid action to address data revealing poor progress on national plans and strategies, or unforeseen consequences.

Strengthening of subnational platforms, similar to the country platform, is required for subnational coordination and monitoring the plan’s implementation. Decentralized implementation may also improve its responsiveness to marginalized communities.

Effective implementation also requires strengthening of management capacity in health and other social services, particularly at the decentralized level, including:

• building local level evidence for investing in the health and opportunities for women, children and adolescents
• engaging decision-makers at subnational level on the need to adequately finance and implement interventions that improve the health and wellbeing of women, children and adolescents.