Uncovering SDG Interlinkages : interconnection at the core of the 2030 Agenda : an analysis of the state of the art on SDG Interlinkages and an update of the JRC tool to foster policy coherence for sustainable development in EU policymaking

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the plan of action to secure peace and prosperity for people and the planet. The SDGs are designed to be integrated and indivisible. In this context, the concept of SDG interlinkages refers to the complex network of interactions existing within and between SDGs. This study presents an in-depth review of the growing body of literature providing evidence of positive and negative interlinkages in different contexts. The goal is two-fold. On the one hand, the report discusses the state of the art on SDG interlinkages research, looking at the frequency of pairwise interaction, their type, description and geography, as well as the methodologies used to capture interlinkages and their limitations. On the other hand, the study highlights the importance of understanding SDG interlinkages for shaping coherent policies that maximize synergies and minimize trade-offs in SDG implementation. The review shows that authors apply a mix of methods to capture interlinkages, with data analysis becoming increasingly relevant while semantic analysis decreases in popularity. Similarly, as SDGs become increasingly operationalized, research, which initially focused on the global level, begins to contextualize interactions at lower geographical scales. Most of the interlinkages collected are synergies (positive interlinkage), with SDG 6 appearing with overwhelming frequency, which highlights both the synergistic nature of the goal on water and a possible bias in the literature towards collecting synergies and focusing on specific goals. On the contrary, SDG 2 and its targets have the most negative interlinkages (trade-off), confirming the complexity of the goal on ending hunger. SDG 7 on energy is also frequent, both in terms of synergies and trade-offs, whereas less interactions are recorded for more overarching SDGs like 16 and 17. At the same time, the report shows how the data collected can be used to analyse interlinkages from different perspectives and for specific policy areas. In this way, the study bridges interlinkages analysis with real-life policymaking. Indeed, the information collected feeds into the update of the JRC SDG Interlinkages Tool, which allows users to visualize and understand interaction existing between specific goals and targets. In this way, the Tool can support policymakers to approach the complex network of SDG interactions and enhance policy coherence for sustainable development.