July 2018: An input to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) describes how ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability contributes to global frameworks. It notes that SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) is a “central level” to attaining the other Goals.

The publication outlines ICLEI’s Strategic Vision 2018-2024, in line with the SDGs and Paris Agreement on climate change, which features five interconnected pathways to support the ICLEI network.

The pathways are focused on five types of development: low-emission, nature-based, circular, resilient, and equitable and people-centered development. Each pathway is mapped to the SDGs at Goal-level. ICLEI notes that they will enable local and regional governments to take an integrated approach to sustainable urban development.

Focusing on the SDGs under review at the 2018 HLPF, the document also draws from the ICLEI Montréal Action Plan to showcase projects that contribute to SDGs 6 (clean water and sanitation), 7 (affordable and clean energy), 11, 12 (responsible consumption and production), 15 (life on land) and 17 (partnerships for the Goals). Key partners, it reports, include actors from the UN system, international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Emphasizing contributions to SDG 11, ICLEI pays special attention to SDG targets 11.2, 11.3, 11.6 and 11.b (on public transport, planning, environmental impact and integrated policies and plans, respectively), highlighting outcomes under each.

The document notes that ICLEI comprises more than 1,500 local and regional governments advancing sustainable urban development globally. [Publication: How ICLEI Advances Global Frameworks: Input to HLPF 2018]