GOLD – Global Observatory on Local Democracy and Decentralization

1. GOLD – Global Observatory on Local Democracy and Decentralization The Localization of the SDGs – Monitoring and Review

2. Localization as a strategicframeworkfromagreement to practice • As advocated by LRGs during the last years, the ambitious goals of the global development agendas could only be achieved with the involvement of empowered local governments. • In the Bogotá Commitment – the main political output of UCLG’s World Congress in 2016 – LRGs expressed their political will to turn these global goals into reality in towns, cities and territories. • However, the involvement of LRGs in the implementation of these agendas is still limited: unless they are properly mobilised and empowered -via awareness-rising, supportive institutional frameworks, adequate funding and inclusive knowledge exchange -, the global development goals will not be met. • For UCLG, Localizing the SDGs has become the thread that ties advocacy, learning, implementation and monitoring together

3. Supporting and assessingLRGs in theLocalizationprocess • UCLG is developing several channels to understand and analyse the role of LRGs in the process of implementation, while also offering visibility and support to the achievements and the efforts of LRGs worldwide • One of the main channels is to contribute to the monitoring and reporting processes on the SDGs and the other global agendas. UCLG and the GTF are taking part in the UN High-Level Policy Forum yearly meetings, providing the point of view of LRGs in the implementation process and emphasizing cases of cooperation between local, national governments and international institutions. • The first report, presented with the collaboration of CIB in New York in July 2017, analysed the progress in the involvement of LRGs and their participation in coordination mechanisms in the 65 countries that reported to the HLPF in 2016 and 2017. The GOLD’s mission for the coming years will be to ensure the follow-up of the localization efforts.

4. Anassessment of blossomingLocalization • The 1st report shows that in several countries the LRGs are integrating the SDGs in their strategies, local plans and daily initiatives. Nevertheless, progress is very uneven, and the challenges are very diverse • National governments have involved LRGs in the review processes in only 58% of analysed countries and 44% in coordination and follow-up mechanisms that allow them to take part in policy and decision-making • Top-down approaches continue to dominate, but change is at reach via enhanced awareness-raising, stronger multi-level governance framework, and policy dialogue • Stronger efforts are needed to involve LRGs in the VNR consultation processes and in the new institutional frameworks for SDGs implementation and follow-up and to have a seat for LRGs in the Global Table

5. Anassessment of blossomingLocalization

6. NextstepsforLocalization: learning and reporting • To address the Localization of the global goals, UCLG will strengthen its learning agenda and use the GOLD V report, to collect the experience and analyse the practices of LRGs, national associations, UCLG’s sections and committees for localization, with the support of expert groups and partners. • It will also assess the emergence of adequate ‘enabling policy environments’ for local and regional governments to act and contribute to the localization of the global goals • It will help develop country fact sheets providing an effective overview of the institutional, political and financial situation for the localization process in more than 100 countries • UCLG, the GTF and their partners will keep on fostering first-hand information and knowledge exchange among LRGs to participate in the HLPF assessments in 2018 and 2019 • AS EXPERIMENTED FOR THE 1ST REPORT PRESENTED IN 2017, A CLOSER COLLABORATION WITH LGAs, UCLG’s SECTIONS AND COMMITTEES IS NEEDED

7. NextstepsforLocalization: a closerinvolvement of LGAs and UCLG sections • Methodology to develop the contents – Options: surveys / questionnaires for LGAs, interviews for mayors, presentation of good practices and case analysis, country profiles… Other options? • Tasks: LGAs answer questionnaire & help collecting key information and practices; Regional sections and CIB manage questionnaires, mayors interviews and identify regional practices. UCLG Committees contribute with good practices and mayors interviews. They are associate to the different phases of the process (and validate regional drafts) • Schedule: June 2018 - 2nd preliminary report (48 countries); June 2019 – Global report (around 120-130 countries). 2018: Country profiles for GOLD & the Global Observatory on Subnational Governments Finance. • Support: Regional experts and World secretariat consolidate country profiles (e.g. to contribute to regional assessments in Africa and ASPAC), consolidate the analysis at regional level in the GOLD V Report, and prepare a global summary to be presented to the HLPF

8. NextstepsforLocalization: 48 Countriesreporting in 2018 - 6 goals /6, 7, 11, 12, 15 & 17 • Africa (10): Benin, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Guinea, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Republic of Congo, Senegal, Sudan, Togo • Asia – Pacific (7): Australia, Bhutan, Kiribati, Laos, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam • Eurasia (1): Armenia, • Europe (13): Albania, Andorra, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland • Latin America (5): Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay • MEWA (5): Bahrain, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, State of Palestine, United Arab Emirates • North America (3): Bahamas, Canada, Jamaica • TOTAL VNR 113 countries: 2016  22 countries, 2017  43 countries, 2018  48 countries