Coherent Policies for Water, Energy, Industry and Cities Bridging the Gapsfor Sustainable Development COHERENT POLICIES FOR WATER, ENERGY,INDUSTRY AND CITIES This work is issued under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD, and does not necessarily reflect theofficial views of OECD Member countries. This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty overany territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. ISBN 978-92-64-32741-2 (print)ISBN 978-92-64-42233-9 (PDF)ISBN 978-92-64-77452-0 (HTML) Photo credits:Cover © Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock.com. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. By using this work, you accept to be bound by the terms of this licence(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Attribution– you must cite the work.Translations– you must cite the original work, identify changes to the original and add the following text:In the event of any discrepancy between the original work and thetranslation, only the text of the original work should be considered valid.Adaptations– you must cite the original work and add the following text:This is an adaptation of an original work by the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed inthis adaptation should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its Member countries.Third-party material– the licence does not apply to third-party material in the work. If using such material, you are responsible for obtaining permission from the third party and forany claims of infringement.You must not use the OECD logo, visual identity or cover image without express permission or suggest the OECD endorses your use of the work.Any dispute arising under this licence shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Arbitration Rules 2012. The seat of arbitration shallbe Paris (France). The number of arbitrators shall be one. Foreword The world is approaching a critical moment for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. With onlyfour years remaining until 2030, progress lags behind global commitments in areas such as water, energy,industry and urban development where challenges are increasingly and more visibly interconnected.Climate pressures, resource constraints, digital transformation and geopolitical tensions create effects thatcross sectors and borders. At the same time, tighter and less predictable international funding makesfragmented responses more costly. No single policy field can address these pressures alone. Fasterprogress will depend on governance systems that can support coherent and co-ordinated action acrosslevels of government. This report is the OECD’s contribution to the 2026 United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF) onSustainable Development. The Forum will focus on transformative, equitable, innovative and co-ordinatedaction to advance the 2030 Agenda. It will review progress on SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (SustainableCities and Communities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The report examines how fragmentedpolicies across water, energy, industry and urban development slow progress on these Goals. It identifiespractical ways to improve policy coherence, strengthen institutional co-ordination and support integratedimplementation. It also highlights governance practices and policy tools that can help countries movetowards faster and more integrated action that reflect the interconnected nature of the 2030 Agenda. As countries look beyond 2030, global discussions such as the Pact for the Future and the Beyond 2030dialogue reinforce the need for governance systems that can anticipate risks, manage complex interactionsacross policy areas and support more effective international co-operation. Governments are operatingunder tighter fiscal constraints, declining public trust and increasing expectations to deliver green anddigital transitions, which have highlighted persistent gaps between long-term strategies and day-to-dayimplementation. At the same time, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are set to intensify,making fragmented responses increasingly costly and ineffective and underscoring the need to balanceenvironmental, economic and social objectives. Meeting these challenges will require institutions with clearroles and responsibilities that can co-ordinate planning, ensure accountability and maintain alignmentacross government. Policy coherence is becoming an essential capability for shaping the next phase ofsustainable development, strengthening consistent decision making and enabling more effective collectiveaction on shared risks. Through standards, country reviews, data and monit