Global Stocktake on SDG Localisation - The Climate-Housing Nexus for Sustainable Cities

At WUF 12 in 2024, the OECD and UN-Habitat launched the Global Stocktake on SDG Localisation to build on lessons and experiences from nearly a decade of implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the local level. The initiative is based on the understanding that achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG 11 targets, requires sustained engagement and action by local and regional governments (LRGs), supported by evidence-based and coherent policies and strategies, multi-level governance and multi-stakeholder co-ordination, adequate, localised and predictable financing, and robust data and monitoring systems. This WUF 13 session represents the next milestone of the Global Stocktake and will present findings from ongoing analytical work, with a particular focus on SDG 11 and the WUF theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities”. The session will examine how SDG localisation contributes to housing affordability, access to basic services, inclusive urban development and urban resilience, while highlighting synergies with climate action under SDG 13. The session will discuss preliminary evidence from the Global Measurement Framework on SDG localisation (GMF), currently under development by the OECD and UN-Habitat to enable, for the first time, a systematic assessment of SDG progress at the city level worldwide. Findings will draw primarily on indicators related to SDGs 11 and 13, highlighting emerging patterns across cities in diverse geographical and development contexts. In addition, the session will share initial lessons from thematic and geographic deep dives, including ongoing work in Italy, Germany, Serbia, the State of Paraná (Brazil), and the Aqaba Municipality (Jordan). These deep dives examine how SDG localisation is being operationalised in practice, with a focus on multi-level governance arrangements, policy integration, financing and budgeting frameworks, and the use of local data to support housing and sustainable urban development outcomes. Objectives: 1. Discuss the Global Stocktake on SDG Localisation, including the framework used to assess progress towards the SDGs at the local level, with a focus on SDGs 11 and 13. 2. Share insights from selected deep dives on how SDG localisation has been operationalised to advance SDGs 11 and 13, with specific attention to housing and urban resilience. 3. Facilitate a dynamic exchange with LRGs, national governments and international organisations to test the policy relevance of findings, identify data gaps and inform the next phase of the project.