Localising the SDGs in regions and cities in Europe
The LocalSDGs project seeks to offer assistance and direction to local officials and stakeholders in adapting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the subnational level, including regional and urban contexts.
Actions necessary for achieving the SDGs globally must be implemented locally. Therefore, it is essential for all levels of government to participate and collaborate in this initiative.
Building on the URBAN2030 project (2018-2020), the LocalSDGs project emphasizes various geographical levels, from urban areas to regions, with a particular focus on monitoring the SDGs at the subnational level.
What does the localisation of the SDGs mean?
The SDGs localisation is the process of translating the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within the local context and challenges, defining, implementing and monitoring local actions and strategies that contribute to the global achievement of the SDGs.
Monitoring the SDGs at regional level in Europe
The monitoring of SDGs at regional level requires the use of a sound and robust framework of indicators, possibly harmonized at EU level. However, such a framework does not yet exist.
The aim of the REGIONS2030 pilot project is to address this gap by developing, testing and improving a framework of indicators for monitoring the achievement of the SDGs at regional level, together with 10 pilot regions.
The project is supported by the European Parliament and developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in collaboration with ESTAT and DG REGIO in the framework of LocalSDGs. The indicators thus identified will be included in the Urban Data Platform Plus of the JRC.
Monitoring the SDGs at urban level in Europe
Since 2018, the JRC has collaborated with DG REGIO to guide local governments and stakeholders in implementing and monitoring progress towards the SDGs at the urban level.
The main output of this activity is the European Handbook for SDG Voluntary Local Reviews, periodically updated and refined, currently in its second edition (2022). It includes a set of specific indicators for European cities, and support on various technical aspects relevant for the preparation of Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs).
Training, testing and dissemination activities are part of this project, as well as thematic studies.
2030CATALYSTS: from monitoring to implementation of SDGs in European regions
The implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) varies across European territories, highlighting the urgent need for cohesive and transformative SDG strategies.
Regions committed to creating a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive world will greatly benefit from participating in the '2030CATALYSTS: Implementation of the SDGs in the regions – from monitoring to action' project.
Turning SDGs into a Regional Mission
2030CATALYSTS aims to equip regions with the knowledge and tools needed to implement SDGs through localized strategies. By refining their approach to SDG monitoring and achievement, regions access scientific expertise, identify relevant indicators, and learn from best practices and analyses by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).
Twenty regions were selected to join a participative process and explore alternative options for SDG monitoring, governance and policy implementation, and to provide regional insights on their progress towards achieving SDGs.
Regions: Styria (Austria), North Karelia (Finland), Aaland islands (Finland), Ile de France (France), Crete (Grece), Western Greece (Grece), Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy), Sicily (Italy), Lombardy (Italy), Vidzeme (Latvia), Tramutana (Malta), Norte Region (Portugal), Centro Region (Portugal), South West Oltenia (Romania), Centru Region (Romania), Podravje (Slovenia), Andalucia (Spain), Canary Islands (Spain), Basque Country (Spain), Rivne Oblast (Ukraine)
Find more on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and EU Strategies
The 2030 Agenda emphasises the need for an inclusive and localised approach to the SDGs. It addresses the need to integrate all level of governments and stakeholders in the elaboration of strategies, the use of transformative means of implementation and sound methods for monitoring and reporting. The EU has worked on mainstreaming the SDGs into its proposals, policies and strategies on internal and external actions across all sectors. All 17 SDGs feature in one or more of the six headline priorities of the European Commission (2019-2024). In 2019, the EC released a Reflection Paper on the SDGs, entitled ‘Towards a Sustainable Europe in 2030’ committing the EU to fully integrate the SDGs in the EU policy framework and to recognize the principle of multilevel governance in the elaboration and implementation of EU policies.
Find more on JRC Projects on SDGs
In parallel to the LocalSDGs project, the JRC also works on several other aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs. Examples and references can be found on the KnowSDGs Platform, including:
