A strong national planning process is crucial. By this means, national governments establish priority areas for action and set targets, assign responsibility for their achievement to particular arms of government, create formal and informal mechanisms for inter-governmental co-ordination, and promote citizen participation and social dialogue. This In focus contribution on Colombia and its pioneering planning process illustrates the importance of complementary policies and institutional capacities to operationalise national plans. It also highlights how aligning national plans to global commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals can support greater co-ordination across governments and more targeted development co-operation, and more effectively tackle shared global challenges.