Localizing the SDGs

Secretary-General and Participants of UN-Habitat’s “Sustainable Cities Days”.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (centre) poses for a group photo with ministers and mayors attending the “Sustainable Cities Days” organized organized by the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and the Friends of the Sustainable Cities and the Global Taskforce. To the left of Mr. Ban is Joan Clos, Executive Director of UN-Habitat. Photo # 574480

Last Friday, the 22nd the Open Working Group on sustainable development goals had conveyed a dialogue between Major Groups and other stakeholders and Member States addressing cross-cutting issues for the SDGs process.

Local and regional governments take action to address 50% of the global emissions of CO2 linked to the daily running of their communities. As the level of government closest to citizens, local and regional governments have the ability to play a role on issues as diverse as urban planning, consumption, transport and housing quality.

The 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held in Colombo, 15-17 November,  formally recognised the role which developmental local government can play in enhancing the exercise of democratic governance and in the defining and delivery of essential services as well as in promoting economic development. Commonwealth leaders also endorsed local government’s role in the post-2015 Development Agenda as set out in the outcomes of the recent Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) 

The 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held in Colombo, 15-17 November,  formally recognised the role which developmental local government can play in enhancing the exercise of democratic governance and in the defining and delivery of essential services as well as in promoting economic development. Commonwealth leaders also endorsed local government’s role in the post-2015 Development Agenda as set out in the outcomes of the recent Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) 

This initiative follows the Rabat World Congress Declaration call for a single and universal development agenda that should include a stand-alone goal on Sustainable Urbanization and the UCLG World Council decision to publicly support the initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s titled “Why the world needs an urban sustainable development goal”.