Localizing SDG 16+ speaks to contextualizing and grounding SDG 16 in local-level realities and structures, formal and informal. Focused on bottom-up engagement, localization of SDG 16 is key to a “Leave No One Behind” approach.
Localizing the VNR for SDG 16 can take two tracks, one focused on Local and Regional Governments (LRGs), and the other more broadly focused on inclusion and engagement of a range of stakeholders, non-state and state.
This module will focus on LRGs, with the role of civil society in localization of the VNR and SDG 16 addressed in the subsequent civil society module.
Localizing VNR Findings through LRGs: This relates to
The degree to which VNR findings are integrated into, applied, or informed by subnational policy, programming and governance can be impacted by:
The relevance of local governance to SDG 16+ implementation through VNR and post-VNR processes is evident by their inherent role as representatives of local communities. As highlighted by UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, “local governments are critical in turning Agenda 2030 from a global vision into a local reality”.
From the provision of public goods and the building of transparent and inclusive local institutions, to violence prevention and anti-discriminatory policies, addressing inequalities in access to justice, protecting public access to information and maintaining civic space, local institutions and actors, state and non-state, are central to translating national policies, development plans, and strategies into local action.
Bottom Line: Local governance actors are key to delivering upon SDG 16 and to rebuilding trust between communities and authorities.
Overarching approaches and entry points for localization (relevant for SDG 16 and all SDGs) include:
While some LRGs act independently from their national governments in advancing the SDGs, collaboration and coordination across levels of government – local, regional, and national – enables policy coherence and makes meaningful a whole of government and whole of society approach.
About one third of the 232 SDG indicators can be measured at the local level, “while 65 percent of the SDGs depend on the direct action and involvement of local governments for their achievement”.
To this end, the 2020 “Comparative Study on SDG Monitoring Systems at Local and Regional Levels” found that of the 35 local systems studied, SDG 16 was among the top three SDGs monitored (by about 80% of systems studied).
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan offers an example of a local monitoring initiative reporting progress on SDG 16, specifically SDG 16.10.2 on Public Access to Information. Despite Pakistan being an early adopter in South Asia of a Right to Information (RTI) law in 2002, the use of the law by its citizens was limited. Accordingly, the KP Province then adopted its own RTI Law and appointed an independent oversight body, the RTI Information Commission. Civil society and the media have since made many requests, appealed against refusals to disclose information, and used the law to promote government accountability and inform citizens.
Using a methodology developed by local governments and civil society, the province’s RTI Commission concluded that the right to information had started to reverse the culture of secrecy in Pakistan, while supporting relationship-building efforts between the government and the people based on transparency and citizen engagement in public decision-making, inspiring other provinces to carry out similar monitoring and reporting.
Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s 32 federal states, presented its first Voluntary Sub-national Review (VSR) at the 2020 UN General Assembly. In revising its State Development Plan (2016-2022) to align with Mexico’s NDP (2019-2024), the Oaxacan Government sought to create an integrated, multi-level strategy that relates to national and regional planning in achieving the SDGs. The State Plan is to have three SDG 16 specific local indicators for future reporting. Further, in linking governance levels, Oaxaca prepared, in collaboration with GIZ, a guide for its municipalities to align local plans with the SDGs. In addition, the state government selected 10 local governments to work closely with GIZ to develop legal and planning tools for reaching the SDGs through their sustainable development plans guidelines.
Recognizing a historical lack of trust in multi-stakeholder activities, Oaxaca prioritized multi-stakeholder engagement, inclusion, and transparency in developing its VSR and next steps. The VSR’s main operating body, the State Council for the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda charged with integrating the SDGs into state policy and monitoring implementation with office or department attribution, has three Working Committees that include civil society, academia, and government institutions, with civil society acting as chair. These Committees feed into the VSR and cover social inclusion (where SDG 16 lies), economic growth and environment sustainability. In addition, civil society also takes part in the Council’s ‘ordinary sessions’.
Furthering inclusion, the VSR has been translated into native languages, with the purpose of being socialized among various groups through partners, including different actors from the governor’s cabinet as well as state TV and radio. In strengthening citizen awareness and transparency, Oaxaca also publishes online how public resources are spent and who the beneficiaries of social programs are.
Take-aways and Going Forward: Include civil society and other actors in drafting and designing the VSR, as well as implementation through national and local policy – for example, through multi-stakeholder partnerships and participatory budgeting.
Civil society is often better equipped to understand local needs, particularly for the most vulnerable, and what actions need to be prioritized. Furthermore, VSRs should be strengthened and promoted at HLPF.
Finally, VSR-generated data should be considered for the VNR (accompanied by additional standardization efforts) to better track SDG progress at local levels.
Module 5: Civil Society Engagement, ‘Leaving No One Behind’, and Ownership at all Levels
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The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan offers an example of a local monitoring initiative reporting progress on SDG 16, specifically SDG 16.10.2 on Public Access to Information. Despite Pakistan being an early adopter in South Asia of a Right to Information (RTI) law in 2002, the use of the law by its citizens was limited. Accordingly, the KP Province then adopted its own RTI Law and appointed an independent oversight body, the RTI Information Commission. Civil society and the media have since made many requests, appealed against refusals to disclose information, and used the law to promote government accountability and inform citizens.
Using a methodology developed by local governments and civil society, the province’s RTI Commission concluded that the right to information had started to reverse the culture of secrecy in Pakistan, while supporting relationship-building efforts between the government and the people based on transparency and citizen engagement in public decision-making, inspiring other provinces to carry out similar monitoring and reporting.
Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s 32 federal states, presented its first Voluntary Sub-national Review (VSR) at the 2020 UN General Assembly. In revising its State Development Plan (2016-2022) to align with Mexico’s NDP (2019-2024), the Oaxacan Government sought to create an integrated, multi-level strategy that relates to national and regional planning in achieving the SDGs. The State Plan is to have three SDG 16 specific local indicators for future reporting. Further, in linking governance levels, Oaxaca prepared, in collaboration with GIZ, a guide for its municipalities to align local plans with the SDGs. In addition, the state government selected 10 local governments to work closely with GIZ to develop legal and planning tools for reaching the SDGs through their sustainable development plans guidelines.
Recognizing a historical lack of trust in multi-stakeholder activities, Oaxaca prioritized multi-stakeholder engagement, inclusion, and transparency in developing its VSR and next steps. The VSR’s main operating body, the State Council for the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda charged with integrating the SDGs into state policy and monitoring implementation with office or department attribution, has three Working Committees that include civil society, academia, and government institutions, with civil society acting as chair. These Committees feed into the VSR and cover social inclusion (where SDG 16 lies), economic growth and environment sustainability. In addition, civil society also takes part in the Council’s ‘ordinary sessions’.
Furthering inclusion, the VSR has been translated into native languages, with the purpose of being socialized among various groups through partners, including different actors from the governor’s cabinet as well as state TV and radio. In strengthening citizen awareness and transparency, Oaxaca also publishes online how public resources are spent and who the beneficiaries of social programs are.
Take-aways and Going Forward: Include civil society and other actors in drafting and designing the VSR, as well as implementation through national and local policy – for example, through multi-stakeholder partnerships and participatory budgeting.
Civil society is often better equipped to understand local needs, particularly for the most vulnerable, and what actions need to be prioritized. Furthermore, VSRs should be strengthened and promoted at HLPF.
Finally, VSR-generated data should be considered for the VNR (accompanied by additional standardization efforts) to better track SDG progress at local levels.