UNCDF participates in the 2018 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
The 2018 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development took place from 9 July to 18 July. UNCDF provided substantial support for the Local2030 event: Local Action for Global Commitments Special Event on 17 July and participated in the Local and Regional Governments’ Forum on 16 July.
16th July: Local and Regional Governments’ Forum
Co-organized by UN-DESA, UN-Habitat and the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, in collaboration with Local2030, this event highlighted the local dimension of the SDGs, and shared challenges and opportunities related to their achievement at the local level.
Mr. David Jackson, Director of Local Development Finance at UNCDF, moderated Panel 4 Re-thinking sub-national financing systems to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Panellists and respondents including Ms. María Ángeles Elorza (Secretary for External Relations in Basque Country, Spain), Mr. Yücel Yilmaz (Mayor of Karesi, Turkey), Mr. Mauricio Rodas (Mayor of Quito, Ecuador), Mr. Roland Ries (Mayor of Strasbourg, France) and Mr. Berry Vrbanovic (Mayor of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada), shared their local perspectives and practices about financing systems to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Mr. Andries Nel (Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, South Africa) also provided his perspective on how central government can support the financing for local governments to promote sustainable development.
Mayors emphasized that financing mechanisms are a top priority for most local and regional governments. Additional institutional reforms are needed to support subnational governments’ mobilization of adequate resources and to build local capacities to develop financial strategies that strengthen the three pillars of subnational finances: local tax mobilization, assets management, and access to capital markets at the right price.
17th July: Local2030: Local Action for Global Commitments Special Event
Co-hosted by Local2030 and the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, this multi-stakeholder event brought together experts from the public, private and non-governmental sectors and explored the challenges and opportunities local leaders face with respect to implementing the SDGs.
Ms. Tehmina Akhtar, Deputy Director of Local Development Finance at UNCDF, made remarks in Thematic Session 1 Localizing Finance to Reach the Furthest Behind. She addressed the significance of recognizing the role of local governments in achieving the SDGs and the need for innovation to support reshaping of the international financial architecture in support of localizing financial flows. She then provided a concrete example of UNCDF establishing a coalition with the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) to promote a financial ecosystem that works for cities. UNCDF will soon launch a Municipal Investment Fund which can provide direct access for local governments, together with domestic banks, pension funds, and international investors for investment transactions that create precedent and develop the market for municipal finance. The Fund will support sub-national transactions that demonstrate what can be achieved at the local level. For example, together with the UNCDF Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility, the Fund will show how local government investments can drive the implementation of the Paris Agreement and support central government to meet their contributions.
17th July: Local2030 Special Event: Celebrating Innovative Solutions for Localizing the SDGs
Co-organized by the UN Global Compact, International Peace Institute (IPI) and UNCDF, in collaboration with Local2030, the event provided an open platform for networking and sharing new commitments for localizing the SDGs among businesses, local governments, civil society, academia and others, including the launch of a new Local2030 Community of Practice on innovative solutions to implement the SDGs at the local level. Dr. Adam Lupel (Vice President of IPI), Ms. Masumi Ono (Officer in Charge and Senior Officer, Sustainable Development Unit, Executive Office of the Secretary-General) and Mr. Parks Tau (President of UCLG) made welcoming remarks.
Mr. David Jackson, Director of Local Development Finance at UNCDF, moderated the panel discussion on innovative solutions and public-private partnerships that accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda and maximize transformative impacts. He explained that local development is not simply development that happens locally, but rather development that leverages the comparative and competitive advantages of localities and mobilizes their specific physical, economic, cultural, social and political resources.
Panellists then shared examples of localizing SDGs in their practice. Mr. David Connor, Founder of the first Local2030 Hub (in Liverpool), shared his experience in amplifying cross-sector collaboration in achieving the SDGs at the local level. Ms. Chantal Line Carpentier, Chief of UNCTAD New York Office, addressed that local actors can use Local2030 as a platform to realize various aspects of the SDGs with a bottom-up approach. Mr. Ed Prokop, Partner of Jenner & Block LLP also shared how his work in the private sector contributes to the local implementation of the SDGs.
18th July: Localizing the SDGs: Local and Regional Governments as Drivers of Change
The Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments (GTF) presented at this event the second report on the role of local and regional governments (LRGs) in the localization of the SDGs. The report explores the extent to which LRGs are able to create and spread awareness, their involvement in the preparation of the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), and the initiatives they have undertaken to localize the SDGs.
Mr. David Jackson, Director of Local Development Finance at UNCDF, made comments at the event. He reflected on lessons learned from the 2018 HLPF and reiterated, “Localizing SDGs and the role of local governments must not be washed away. Localizing the SDGs must include local government.”
