Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been adopted under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and act as a successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It is therefore important
to build on the MDGs’ achievements and address gaps and weakness that remain unresolved, thereby
preparing properly for the 2030 Agenda. Despite the remarkable progress of Bangladesh and Indonesia
towards many of the MDGs, there is inherent tension regarding the securing of a successful sustainable
trajectory. Gaining environmental sustainability while aiming for inter-linkages and synergies between
environmental, social and economic dimensions has remained an unresolved issue as both countries have
more or less implemented development efforts in isolation, with inadequate consideration of the potential
impacts on the environment. This paper, therefore, seeks to address gaps in environmental governance in
both countries for gaining environmental sustainability and for ensuring national preparedness towards the
SDG implementation.