German municipalities begin to localize the SDGs
On the 8th of February 2017, the UCLG World Secretariat was invited to share its global strategy for SDG localization and get feedback on local experiences at an exchange in Dortmund, Germany.
The event was part of a project that is supporting fifteen municipalities and the provincial (Land) government of North Rhine Westphalia in Germany to develop SDG implementation strategies. The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and facilitated by SKEW (Municipalities for one world, a Service for Development Initiatives) and the LAG NRW (Sustainability Network North Rhine-Westphalia).
The SDG project supports municipalities develop their SDG roadmaps, facilitated by LAG 21 with participatory planning tools and scientific consultation. In all 15 local governments, the strategies use the same planning process designed with invited representatives of all stakeholders, from civil society, administration and political representatives.
“The SDGs are recognized as an important tool for policy orientation to all government levels, and allow us in the municipalities to articulate what we can do, what we do and where are our chances and limits”, said Thomas Pieperhoff, advisor to the Mayor of Dinslaken.
During SDG strategy development, many cities report a well-informed and committed civil society, while they see a more cautious attitude from officers in local departments, who remain uncertain of the implications of the 2030 Agenda. SDG strategies are perceived as a chance to foster more integrated planning and more crosscutting knowledge exchange between departments.
Collaboration between departments was highlighted as a key result of the sustainability strategy of North Rhine Westphalia, the first provincial SDG strategy in Germany.
Read the full article on UCLG website.
