As a founding member of the Global Task Force for Local and Regional Government (GTF), CLGF is proud to be represented at the UN High Level Policy Forum this week in New York.

Fifth high-level forum

This is the Fifth High-Level Local and Regional Governments Forum (LRGF), a special event organised by the GTF, entitled: Fostering the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals from the local level towards the 2023 SDG Summit, and held during the 2022 High Level Political Forum. 

Local and regional governments have been playing a key role in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs through local action and policy making. During the multiple global crises, local public service provision has been vital in providing social safety nets, promoting economic development, and protecting the environment.

Whether through the provision of education, food, waste management or water, local public services must be front and centre of any measures geared towards recovery and leaving no one and no place behind.

The aim of this event is to illustrate the importance of localising action towards the achievement of the SDGs, particularly those in review in 2022: which includes gender equality (SDG 5), together with SDG 4, 14, 15 and 17, as well as initiating reflections towards the SDG Summit in 2023.

Localising action on SDGs

This Special Event will highlight the actions taken and the solutions needed by local and regional governments to accelerate the implementation of these SDGs by emphasising the link between local public service provision and the targets of each: education, feminist policy making to foster societies of care and social cohesion, the role of cities and territories beyond coastal areas in the protection of our oceans, and the importance of local and regional governments in the protection of nature and biodiversity. 

Local and Regional Governments Day on 11th July 2022 includes sessions on:

• The challenges of decentralised cooperation in the construction of new multi-stakeholder and multilevel global alliances for accelerating the localisation of the 2030 Agenda.
• Bolstering multilevel governance, policy coordination, and innovative actions toB achieve the Sustainable Development Goals from the ground up.  

On the second day of this special event on 12 July, from 1630 hrs, Ms Slack will be moderating a session entitled: Looking towards the SDG summit: localisation at the forefront. Speakers includes a number of mayors from across the globe, the Commissioner for the SDGs and Ministry for Development and Economic Cooperation, Germany, the President of the General Assembly of Partners, and the President of Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

Ms Slack said: "If we are to achieve the targets of the SDGs, we must work at the grassroots level, consulting and involving community members in every action to reach the targets. It is vital that the people in our cities and villages understand the SDGs and how they relate to their lives and their futures, and why they are so important."