Background

Policymakers in developing countries face numerous challenges in achieving sustainable development and advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These challenges are compounded by global crises in food, energy, and finance, which have hindered progress.

A key issue is the limited evidence base available to policymakers for creating sustainable and inclusive strategies. Improving access to data and building the capacity to analyze it are essential to help policymakers navigate trade-offs and enhance decision-making.

The Economic Analysis Policy Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs will implement a capacity development project for over 10 target countries from 2023–2027, funded by a $2 million Peace and Development Fund grant. Find more about the project here.

Download the project brochure here.

Methodology

The project will introduce innovative tools, including the World Economic Forecasting Model (WEFM), Overlapping Generation Core (OG-Core) model, Climate, Land, Energy, and Water Systems (CLEWS) tool, and micro-simulation methods.

• WEFM allows for scenario-based macroeconomic simulations.
• OG-Core assists in designing economic policies with a focus on taxation, social protection, and demographic impacts.
• CLEWS analyzes interlinkages between energy, water, and agriculture to evaluate climate impacts and policy trade-offs.

The beneficiaries include government agencies, academic institutions, NGOs, and other stakeholders.

Expected Outcomes

The adoption of these tools is expected to improve decision-making and national planning by enhancing in-country analytic capacity. Strengthening this capacity enables continuous monitoring and analysis, providing a stronger evidence base for policy discourse and ensuring effective, appropriate policy-making.

Major Deliverables

• Reports on planning gaps and data availability.
• Customized macroeconomic, micro-simulation, or CLEWS tools for each country, adapted for COVID-19 recovery and SDG implementation.
• National training workshops on policy simulation tools.
• Policy documents developed using simulation results.
• Support for national engagement in regional and global policy dialogues.

Partnerships

UNDESA collaborates with key research partners in each country to ensure that modelling tools are locally relevant, technically sound, and institutionally supported.