Achieving sustainable development goals: Fact or Fiction?

Abstract

This study investigates the capacities of Iran as a developing country to attain the full meaning of sustainability and explores the achievability of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a conceptual system dynamics (SD) model. From one perspective, investigating complex systems such as sustainable development requires research methods that take into account the dynamic interdependencies among the 17 SDGs. From another perspective, although achieving SDGs are a universal agenda for all nations, the evaluation of each country's accomplishments has to be based on its national capacities and challenges in the way of implementing these goals. Therefore, as a response to this research agenda, the presented conceptual SD model of sustainable development consists of 14 causal loops that highlight the direct and indirect interdependencies among the SDGs. Moreover, based on the proposed SD model, it is concluded that not only the obstacles in the way of attaining several SDGs in Iran, namely as 1) regional conflicts and environmental concerns, 2) internal conflicts of interests among key stakeholders, 3) sanctions, and 4) absence of updated data and credible evaluation mechanism, makes it impossible for the country to reach the preordained milestones of specific SDGs, but also they would eventually affect the achievements of other goals badly. Furthermore, the presented study reveals that I) SDG 9 and SDG 17, II) SDG 8, III) SDG 12, and IV) SDG 13, SDG 14, SDG 15, respectively have the highest influence on achieving the desired behavior of the system in the context of Iran. This study provides valuable insights to the local managers in Iran in designing a set of prioritized policies for mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda into national plans and for the policymakers in other developing countries, creates a profound understanding of the systematic relationships among SDGs.