Financing across sectors for sustainable development – Guidance Note

This note provides guidance on an innovative approach developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine-supported STRIVE Research Consortium (STRIVE) to support efficient resource allocation for integrated planning and programming for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The approach, known as ‘cross-sectoral co-financing’ or simply ‘co-financing’, offers a new way to budget for interventions that deliver benefits across multiple sectors, SDGs and SDG targets simultaneously.

This guidance note focuses on one particular solution to SDG financing challenges – financing across sectors. Co-financing is relevant for most if not all funding sources. The note focuses on co-financing’s application to public budgets, given the expectations of increased domestic financing for sustainable development, and the need for national and sub-national governments to be optimally efficient in their allocation of limited resources across the SDGs. As such, the note is intended primarily for public sector planners and budget managers, including senior finance managers and programme managers from relevant ministries including finance. It is further intended for economists and development partners supporting governments to plan for, finance and implement the SDGs.

Find the guidance note here.