United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), in collaboration with the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, which gathers the 25 main networks of local and regional governments worldwide, has been producing the yearly reports ‘Towards the localization of the SDGs’ since 2017.

These reports, which are presented at the United Nations’ annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), aim to make visible the state of SDG implementation at the local level around the world, as well as the opportunities and the challenges faced by local and regional governments in the process of delivering better local policies and services to their populations.

Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, local and regional governments worldwide have demonstrated their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other global agendas. Indeed, the localization of the SDGs has greatly expanded over the years. The expansion of subnational reporting efforts deserves special attention in this regard, with double the total number of Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) available worldwide: from approximately 40 VLRs in May 2020 to more than 100 in June 2021). In the same period of time, 15 Voluntary Subnational Reviews (VSRs) have emerged in 14 countries from different regions, which together represent more than 16,000 LRGs.

The fifth report of local and regional governments to the HLPF, published in 2021, provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of local and regional government efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in cities and territories worldwide, as well as their connections with the SDGs under review, with a particular focus on the 43 countries presenting Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) this year. The report shows how, despite the new challenges brought about by the pandemic, local and regional governments have been tirelessly contributing to promoting a safe, just and green recovery at all levels that is fully in line with the 2030 Agenda.

The report, which builds amongst others on the responses of hundreds of local and regional governments to a global survey launched by UCLG, and on a thorough analysis of VNRs, local experiences and global reports, also shows what challenges must be overcome to harness local and regional governments’ full potential in achieving the SDGs. This involves inter alia the recognition by national governments of the role local and regional governments play in SDG localization; their involvement in the production of VNRs, in the coordination of the implementation strategies and monitoring mechanisms, as well as in the overall response to and recovery from the current pandemic in a safe, equitable and green manner; the empowerment of local and regional governments through adequate finances and multi-level coordination mechanisms; and the renewal of the multilateral system by acknowledging LRGs’ voices at the global level and fully engaging them in decision making processes.

You can find the reports here:

• 2017 (available in EN/FR/ES): https://www.gold.uclg.org/sites/default/files/UCLG_GTF_LocalizationSDG.pdf
• 2018 (available in EN) : https://www.gold.uclg.org/sites/default/files/Towards_the_Localization_of_the_SDGs.pdf
• 2019 (available in EN): https://www.gold.uclg.org/sites/default/files/Localization2019_EN.pdf
• 2020 (available in EN): https://www.gold.uclg.org/sites/default/files/Informe%20HLPF-FINAL.pdf
• 2021 (available in EN): https://gold.uclg.org/sites/default/files/hlpf_2021.pdf

Edgardo Bilsky, Head of Research at United Cities and Local Governments