Monitoring the status of selected health related sustainable development goals: methods and projections to 2030

Abstract

Background: Monitoring Sustainable Development Goal indicators (SDGs) and their targets plays an important role in understanding and advocating for improved health outcomes for all countries. We present the United Nations (UN) Inter-agency groups' efforts to support countries to report on SDG health indicators, project progress towards 2030 targets and build country accountability for action. Objective: We highlight common principles and practices of each Inter-agency group and the progress made towards SDG 3 targets using seven health indicators as examples. The indicators used provide examples of best practice for modelling estimates and projections using standard methods, transparent data collection and country consultations. Methods: Practices common to the UN agencies include multi-UN agency participation, expert groups to advise on estimation methods, transparent publication of methods and data inputs, use of UN-derived population estimates, country consultations, and a common reporting platform to present results. Our seven examples illustrate how estimates, using mostly Bayesian models, make use of country data to track progress towards SDG targets for 2030. Results: Progress has been made over the past decade. However, none of the seven indicators are on track to achieve their respective SDG targets by 2030. Accelerated efforts are needed, especially in low-and middle-income countries, to reduce the burden of maternal, child, communicable and noncommunicable disease mortality, and to provide access to modern methods of family planning to all women. Conclusion: Our analysis shows the benefit of UN interagency monitoring which prioritizes transparent country data sources, UN population estimates and life tables, and rigorous but replicable modelling methods. Countries are supported to build capacity for data collection, analysis and reporting. Through these monitoring efforts we support countries to tackle even the most intransient health issues, including the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 that is reversing the hard-earned gains of all countries.

Are midwives ready to provide quality evidence-based care after pre-service training? Curricula assessment in four countries—Benin, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda

“…Meeting the EPMM [37] and the ENAP targets by 2025 [38] as well as the SDG targets by 2030 [6], will require accelerated efforts to ensure reductions in stillbirth, and maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity [39].…”

Advocacy for Better Integration and Use of Child Health Indicators for Global Monitoring

“…Those disease-specific programs that have been well funded enough to invest in data for their own M&E, use approaches that could be adapted for integrated M&E of child health outcomes through efforts to make better use of national data sources; provide training to national workforce; and promote transparency about data analysis methods, reporting cycles, limitations, and key uses in national and global platforms ( Box 1 ). 9 , 15 , 16 Furthermore, some initiatives that initially addressed single diseases have already taken steps toward integrating other areas, including reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health, leveraging United Nations agency and donor support to improve monitoring of health outcomes in an integrated manner ( Box 2 ). 17…”

Global Epidemiological Patterns in the Burden of Main Non-Communicable Diseases, 1990–2019: Relationships With Socio-Demographic Index

“…NCDs are not just one of the most pressing global health concerns, but also a significant development challenge and human rights issue [ 3 ]. Given this apparent shift and the increasing NCD burden worldwide, the United Nations released the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target 3.4 to reduce the premature mortality from NCDs by a third by 2030 from several aspects, such as poverty, economic growth, education, and gender disparity [ 10 ]. Meanwhile, many developing countries, like Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, also affirmed to make efforts to achieve the SDGs 2030 [ 11 ].…”