If the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to be truly transformative – an Agenda “of the people, for the people, and by the people” – it needs to be implemented and fully realized at the local level. It is at the local level where it can most directly and positively impact people’s lives.

One of the biggest paradigm changes emerging from the Agenda is its emphasis on the promotion of integrated solutions to complex development challenges. The local spheres remain, for the vast majority of men and women, the most accessible level of engagement with public authority and state institutions. Local governments stand in a unique position to identify and respond to development needs and gaps and be responsible for a wide range of functional responsibilities that go beyond basic service provision. But local governments cannot succeed on their own. They need to engage the private sector, civil society organizations and academia to assist in transforming the global goals into local realities, while coordinating with all other levels of governance.

As we are in the third year of implementing the SDGs and the second year of the New Urban Agenda, it is important that Governments (local, sub-national and national), Civil Society, private sector, academia and development partners make a critical review of what has been, and what remains to be, accomplished.

To take this discussion forward, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched an electronic discussion (e-Discussion) to be held from 26 March to 8 April 2018. 

The purpose of the e-Discussion is to engage stakeholder groups, experts, practitioners and policy-makers from various regions in a global dialogue on specific aspects of the 2018 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) theme “From global to local: supporting sustainable and resilient societies in urban and rural communities.”

The e-Discussion provides an opportunity for the wider development community to participate in formulating critical policy messages and recommendations for consideration by ECOSOC.  Contributions made by participants will be included in a summary of the e-Discussion, which will be posted on the ECOSOC website.  The contributions will also be channeled through the report of the United Nations Secretary-General on the ECOSOC theme in support of the Council’s deliberations during its high-level segment in July 2018.

Participants may join the e-Discussion at: https://www.globaldevhub.org/ECOSOC-2018/discussion

We hope you will join us for the e-Discussion and share your perspective!