PLATFORMA - Local & regional international action

Available for the first time in an online format, PLATFORMA and CEMR have just published their fifth annual study on the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Released on the occasion of the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York, discover this innovative publication today at local-sdgs.eu

This study gathers the most recent information on how and to what extent associations and networks of local and regional governments have been involved in the localisation of the SDGs, both in Europe and with their global peers, and in particular during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s survey therefore included questions on the SDGs’ implementation since 2015 and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. In the last two sections, there were also additional questions regarding Voluntary Subnational Reviews (VSR) and decentralised cooperation.

It gathers 63 answers from 28 European countries, 37 associations of local and regional governments and 18 municipalities and regions.

Main recommendations

Six main recommendations came out of this study, targeting EU institutions, national governments and local and regional governments and their national associations:

1. The European Commission should report regularly on any progress made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  at EU level and indicate how the different levels of governance have contributed to this process.
2. We encourage associations of local and regional governments to actively take part in the Voluntary Subnational Reviews (VSR) process.
3. Local and regional governments (LRGs) are calling for the firm recognition and inclusion by national governments of the role of LRGs and their associations in the monitoring and reporting of progress in the implementation of SDGs at the national level.
4. European states and the EU need to strengthen their dialogue with the subnational levels and include them in any relevant high-level delegation meetings.
5. Strengthen international cooperation to achieve the 2030 Agenda at the local and regional levels.
6. There is still a need to localise and territorialise the SDGs through the deployment of appropriate funds and resources.

 
This study will be presented by a PLATFORMA-CEMR delegation at different events during the second week of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) taking place in New York between 5 and 15 July 2022.
This delegation is composed of:

• Fabrizio Rossi, CEMR Secretary General
• José Hila, Mayor of Palma de Mallorca (Spain, FEMP)
• Hannah-Lea Braun, Member of Maichingen Council (Sindelfingen, Germany) and the CEMR Young Elected Officials Committee
• Luis Salaya, Mayor of Cáceres (Spain, FEMP)
• Valérie Dumontet, Vice-President of Aude Region (France, Cités Unies France)
• Pilar Díaz, Mayor of Espluges de Llobregat, Deputy to the Presidency, Delegate for International Relations at the Diputació de Barcelona (Spain, Barcelona Provincial Deputation - DIBA)
• Jan van Zanen, Mayor of The Hague (Netherlands, VNG International)

Directors, advisers and technicians from CEMR, the City of Paris, DIBA, FEMP, the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS), UCLG and VNG International are also attending HLPF this year.