Welcome to the United Nations
LOCAL AUTHORITIES MAJOR GROUP, GATHERED WITHIN THE GLOBAL TASKFORCE OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS
SECTORAL POSITION PAPER
1. Local and regional governments (LRGs) understand the global agendas as one single universal framework addressing many of the planet’s most urgent priorities. The 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework, the New Urban Agenda – which we conceive as an accelerator for implementation – constitute a key asset to preserve our planet and the wellbeing of communities around the world.
2. LRGs mobilization and involvement to localize the SDGs is progressing in all regions: there is mounting evidence worldwide that LRGs are taking action and innovating to achieve the 2030 Agenda. LRGs associations at national, regional and international level are creating a favorable momentum to raise awareness and push for bottom-up implementation of the goals. LRGs have been able to foster capacity-building and mutual training and sharing lessons. The first time ever LRG’s Forum organized in the 2018 HLPF provided an important space for dialogue between LRGs, Member-States, and the UN system involved in the definition, implementation and follow-up of this agenda.
3. With over 65% of the SDGs targets closely related to the delivery of basic service provision in the hands of LRGs, it will be critical to strengthen local institutions. Although the 17 SDGs are integrated and indivisible, special attention should be payed to SDG 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 13 16 and 17 as critical accelerators of strong local ownership and empowerment.
4. Increasing mismatches between responsibilities, development expectations and means of implementation are preventing LRGs from contributing their full potential to SDGs achievement. Restrictive legal, financial or institutional frameworks have limited LRG’ ability to mobilize funds for sustainable investments in all world regions.
5. Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) do not sufficiently reflect involvement of LRGs in the implementation of global agendas. LRGs have been consulted in VNR drafting processes in only 45 of the 102 countries that reported to the UN between 2016 and 2018. To fill in this gap, Voluntary Local and Regional Reviews are being promoted by the LRGs networks around the world to foster reporting on localization.
6. Our constituency commends the content of the Seville Commitment, promoted by the Governments of Spain, Ecuador and Cape Verde, which calls for cementing a global-local movement to localizing the Sustainable Development Goals. We reiterate the importance of the localization of the Global Goals to be fully owned and shaped by local actors.
7. We underscore the relevance of mobilizing a multi-level coalition around localization, and to set up enabling national frameworks that empower local actors to develop and lead their own SDG strategies. Sound governance and integrated territorial development approaches need to be reinforced within accountable, multi-stakeholder and effective local institutional frameworks.
8. We call on national government and the international community to join this local-global movement for the localization of the SDGs, and to partner with LRGs in this process, especially by: fostering adequate financial instruments and resources to support localization; promoting multi-level, permanent and structural dialogue between national and LRGs and their networks; strengthening the capacities, resources, technologies, innovation and data necessary for long term transformation; promoting territorial and urban-rural cohesion, and energizing decentralized development cooperation as a support to the implementation of local 2030 agendas.
9. We reiterate the commitment of our organized constituency towards the localization of the global agendas and the wellbeing of our communities. The task is too large for any single level of government or any single stakeholder to fulfill alone. As the closest level of government to our citizens we are committed to leave no one and no place behind, and call on national governments and the international community not to leave local and regional governance and territorial cohesion behind.
