While great progress was made towards sustainable development during the MDG era, this progress has been unevenly distributed. Hidden under global and national averages are groups of people, mostly the poorest and most marginalized that have not been properly reached by development efforts. SDG 17 is about working together to make the 2030 Agenda a reality for all. In this regard, the Global partnership stresses the fact that achieving the SDGs will be as much about the effectiveness of development co-operation as it is about the quantity and form such co-operation takes. Local governments are in the ideal position to encourage and facilitate partnerships between public bodies, the private sector and civil society in the communities. In this regard, the “localization” process contributes to effectiveness of development cooperation and aims at accelerating the SDGs implementation on the ground. In order to facilitate the implementation of the SDGs at the local level, UNDP, UN-Habitat and the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments are developing a Toolbox to support local stakeholders to design and implement strategies ensuring that no one is left behind. This Toolbox will help city leaders, municipal and regional governments to address the development challenges, in order to help them translate the 2030 Agenda into concrete development strategies and have a positive impact on citizens’ life.

 OBJECTIVES:

1. To provide a learning space on development effectiveness at the local level.
   The side event will showcase approaches and mechanisms that have been successful in maximizing the impact of development cooperation at the local level. It will look at what localizing a development agenda means and how it could be done in practice. The event will promote commitment to and partnership on localizing global agendas to ensure that “no one is left behind’.
2. To link the Global Partnership to the Localizing SDGs process.
   To effectively contribute to the implementation of the SDGs and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The SDG 17 calls for governments and stakeholders to revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development, to maximise its impact. The event will highlight the critical points of the localizing process for a successful implementation and attainment of the 2030 Agenda.
3. To contribute to the “Toolbox for Localizing the SDGs” and the Roadmap for Localizing the SDGs.
   The approaches featured and discussions at the session will feed into the open initiative of the co-organizers. The toolbox describes mechanisms to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the local level, advocacy arguments and key features of the enabling environment required for stakeholders to help deliver this agenda. A Roadmap on Localizing the SDGs will be presented, constituting one of the elements of the Toolbox.

Through such event, specific attention will be given to the localization of SDGs as a process to revitalize the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. It will shed the light on the essential responsibility of the local political leaders with a direct mandate from citizens to ensure the inclusion of a diversity of local stakeholders thereby creating broad based ownership, commitment and accountability. The communication and the awareness-raising efforts are meant to highlight the need –and potential – for national and local governments to work together in localizing the 2030 Agenda and delivering sustainable development.

 SPEAKERS:

• Ms Nonceba Agnes Molwele, Councillor, City of Johannesburg, South Africa 
• Ms Leslie Norton, Global Affairs Canada
• Mr Boubacar Bah, Mayor of Bamako 5th District, Mali
• Representative of Italy (tbc)
• CSO representative (tbc)

Presentation of the Localizing SDG Toolbox: Diana Lopez Caramazana, Head of the Local Government Unit, UN-Habitat

Moderator: Ms Simona Marinescu, Chief Development Impact Group, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP

Please note: translation in English and French will be available throughout the event.