The UN is sharing “inspiring breakthroughs and success stories” related to the SDGs as Good Practices. An innovation that COSA worked on to push the sustainability learning envelope between companies, donors, and NGOs is now one of the UN DESA’s examples of SDG Good Practices, selected for its potential for replication and scale.

The Sustainable Agriculture, Food, and Environment or SAFE Platform, conceived and funded by the IDB-LAB, chose projects focused on critical learning in vital areas such as climate change, technology, gender, and youth, to support Latin American coffee and cocoa sectors. The Platform’s key distinction was to engage a system of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, crafted by COSA, that guided a shared approach to data quality and metrics. It allowed the institution and its borrowers unprecedented levels of collective learning. Some project members received better insights into their own efforts, enabling them to course-correct as needed and thus improve their chances of success. 

For a good understanding of SAFE Platform achievements, consult COSA’s report “Sustainability Investing that Powers Data-based learning” and “SAFE Platform: A Multi-Stakeholder Initiative for Scaling Climate,” a report from Hivos, the executing partner.