On the penultimate day of the 2026 High-level Political Forum, local and regional government representatives gathered for the Local and Regional Governments Forum on the 2030 Agenda. Speakers emphasized that cities and local governments are on the forefront of action on conflict, climate change, housing, and many other important global issues.

Featuring three panels with over 30 speakers in total, the event on 14 July explored lessons from across the globe on: coherent and integrated action on SDG localization; tools such as Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) and Voluntary Subnational Reviews (VSRs); financing strategies; and accelerating action ahead of the 2027 SDG Summit and in the remaining time before 2030.

The event was opened by Emilia Sáiz, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Government (UCLG), and UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President Lok Bahadur Thapa. Sáiz highlighted that 2026 marks 10 years of local and regional governments (LRGs) reporting on localization efforts on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thapa emphasized that LRG efforts are measured not by ambitions but by realities experienced by people in their daily lives.

The first panel on Delivering the Localization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at Scale saw speakers from Germany, Mozambique, Senegal, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, the United States and two UN agencies speak about the need for stronger multilevel governance and decentralized, flexible and predictable financing for local development. The mayor of Heidelberg, Germany, Eckart Würzner, spoke about how citizen engagement has changed the entire political system. He noted the city is experiencing record low rates of unemployment among youth, and that the city has moved from being predominantly reliant on motor vehicles to only 20% of the population getting around by car. A representative from Mozambique emphasized that subnational authorities need to have the legal mandate for action, cities need financing to bring development to life, and robust data systems need to be built to ensure evidence-based decision making.

On Voluntary Local Reviews, speakers from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the United States noted their value goes beyond just reporting, as they are important tools for accountability and city to city learning. Speakers also noted that they generate evidence to inform national priorities for Voluntary National Reviews.

During a panel on the SDGs Under Review: Reclaiming Essential Public Services for the 2030 Agenda, speakers explained that financing remains one of the biggest barriers to action. Examples such as blue-green infrastructure and sponge cities were highlighted as a way to mitigate excessive flooding. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Koldo Casla, identified LRGs as duty-bearers when it comes to human rights, as housing policies are more often implemented at the local level with policies such as rent control, protection of vulnerable populations, and measures to address land speculation.

A representative from Ecuador explained how his region relied on financing from the development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean to complete bridges, roads, and other major infrastructure. As part of their development efforts, they also added independent solar energy and identified five areas for conservation. A French representative outlined water as a global public good and stated that water infrastructure should never be weaponized for any reason. A representative from the Dominican Republic spoke of the country’s efforts to cover the population with health insurance, with current coverage at 90%. As climate change causes more migration, he also noted 3000 homes have been built, with some going to people displaced by climate change.

A third panel discussed the UN’s Engagement with Local and Regional Governments towards the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda for the Final Stretch to 2030. Speakers focused on the recommendations presented in the Secretary-General’s report A/79/968, mandated under Action 55 (e) of the Pact for the Future, including how to strengthen UN engagement with local and regional governments, identify synergies across existing mechanisms to support national implementation of the SDGs through local action, and the New Urban Agenda. Oumar Sylla, UN-Habitat, identified how the recommendations presented in the Secretary-General’s report provide LRGs with an opening to be embedded in the decision-making process, as no government can solve the issues of climate vulnerability and housing pressures alone.

In Ecuador, Yuri Colorado, the mayor of Muisne, spoke about how the city her family has lived in for generations accessed financing from development banks, France, and other sources to install infrastructure for clean drinking water for the first time in her canton. The mayor of Genk, Belgium, Wim Dries, stated that there cannot be a UN strategy on sustainable development without a permanent local government seat at the table. He concluded by saying “the SDGs will be local, or they won’t be.” The mayor of Almería, Spain, María del Mar Vázquez, said “the best way to predict the future is to create it, so let’s create it together.” [SDG Knowledge Hub sources] [9th Local and Regional Governments Forum on the 2030 Agenda webpage]