Circular
14/2024
Barcelona, 11 July 2024
 
To the members of the World Council
To the Secretaries General
To the Vice-Presidents of United Cities and Local Governments
To the Chairs of UCLG Committees, Working Groups, Communities of Practice and Fora

For information: To the Presidency


New annual report on SDG localization 
Launch at the 2024 High Level Political Forum, New York

 

Dear members,

The 8th annual report of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, facilitated by UCLG, has been launched at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF).
 
The report, called “Towards the localization of the SDGs. Local and regional governments driving equality, climate action and a new agenda for peace”, sheds light on how local and regional governments are advancing SDG localization year after year around the world, and the national and global decisions and mechanisms that are urgently needed to foster a more enabling environment for local action. The report has been produced and presented to the HLPF every year since 2017, and has become a reference to the UN and partners to assess the advancement of SDG localization.
 
Highlights:

• A critical push is necessary to incorporate a whole-of-government approach to the SDGs in a comprehensive, inclusive and sustained way. LRGs have been broadly involved in 59% of this year’s VNRs and 41% of the national coordination mechanisms of the countries reporting to the 2024 HLPF.
• The SDG localization movement continues to grow driven by the organized constituency of LRGs and its partners. Over 750 practices have been compiled and allowed important analyses.
• The catalytic role of Voluntary Subnational Reviews (VSRs) and Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) keeps making a difference in reporting on the SDGs and filling the data gaps at the national and local levels. The report sheds light on the 7 new VSRs developed by associations from Costa Rica, Ecuador, Brazil, Mauritania, South Africa, Nepal and the Nordic countries. It also provides a snapshot of the current state of the VLR movement, as the total number of available VLRs reaches 300.
• The initiatives analyzed in this report build the case on the importance of ensuring a seat of local governments at the global table as a critical means to revitalize the multilateral system.

 
Read how LRGs are localizing the SDGs under review this year:

• Paper 1: The role of local and regional governments regarding poverty and prosperity: A people approach (SDGs 1-2)
• Paper 2: Localizing climate action and SDG 13 through bold initiatives and advocacy: A planet perspective (SDG 13)
• Paper 3: Advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies (SDG 16) at local and regional levels: A government perspective

 
We also take the opportunity to invite you to the third edition of the VLR-VSR Days, co-organized with UN-Habitat and UNDESA. The four online thematic sessions will take place on Monday 15 July (14:30-18:00 CEST) and Tuesday 16 July (14:30-18:15h CEST). You can find all the information here.
 
Our constituency remains convinced that all progress made towards the achievement of the SDGs brings us closer to a fairer, more sustainable world. The role of LRGs here is critical and our constituency gathered in the GTF is committed to continue working together to link local and global aspirations.

Sincerely,

The UCLG World Secretariat