Local Perspectives - Cities Leading the Way to Achieving the Sdgs

The event will offer a unique opportunity to delve into the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from local perspectives. It aims to highlight how cities are approaching the issue of achieving and addressing the SDGs, emphasizing the urgent need to close the action gap towards the SDGs, including through cooperation and with support from actors in the global multilateral system.
The proposed session is spearheaded by the city of Tallinn, Estonia, and will be moderated by Eurocities, the largest network of European cities. Reflecting on its longstanding efforts of SDG implementation, Tallinn will share insights into its journey, discussing its challenges and the pivotal role international cooperation has played in its efforts. Providing a real-world example, Tallinn will illustrate how cities can draw insights from peer-learning initiatives and institutional work on achieving the SDGs, such as the collaborative work undertaken in the Eurocities SDGs Taskforce and making use of the research and technical support by organisations like the JRC, OECD and the UN Environment Programme.
The session will feature the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre’s (JRC) new research designed to help make informed decisions about local SDG implementation, drawing on a global analysis of cities' Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs). This research, focused on the collection of actions reported in VLRs, provides valuable insights into how cities strive to achieve the SDGs. It offers a comprehensive understanding of the means of implementation and the varying approaches across different SDGs and targets.
The event will also include highlights from the OECD stocktake on the Localisation of the SDGs efforts, challenges and successful examples, focusing on policies, multi-level governance, financing, indicators and stakeholder engagement. It will present an update on measuring the distance of cities and regions to the SDGs targets and bring local perspectives from its programme partner Parana, Brazil.
Finally, the event will host the UN Environment Programme's Cities Unit. The panellists will discuss existing institutional arrangements supporting the engagement of subnational actors, aiming to strengthen multilevel governance approaches. Through their technical assistance to cities, they bring a practical perspective on the tools and frameworks required for local governments to deliver on global agendas.
The discussion aims to bridge the "monitoring hype" by focusing on actual, real-world actions and policy solutions to achieve significant SDGs impact. By analysing the actions taken by cities to deliver on the SDGs, the event will provide stakeholders at all levels with valuable information to strengthen dialogue, cooperation, and governance for sustainable development.
The session will start with short presentations by the speakers to set the scene, and then proceed to a moderated panel discussion that aims to meet the below objectives.