7 November 2017
Subnational Actors Localize SDGs, Highlight Role of Culture and Transport in Achieving SDG 11
UN Photo/Kibae Park
story highlights

The Norwegian municipality New Asker has adopted the SDGs as a framework for developing its municipal master plan.

Sixty-four cities have joined UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, which aims to foster innovation and creativity as drivers for sustainable and inclusive urban development.

Women are helping to make cities safer in Afghanistan through the Afghanistan Urban Peacebuilding Programme.

31 October 2017: In order to ensure more sustainable and inclusive urban development, cities across the globe are undertaking efforts to localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), improve sustainable transport, foster innovation and creativity, and consider the needs and priorities of women. The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Governments of the Norway and the Netherlands and others are helping with these efforts.

Municipalities are increasingly integrating the SDGs into their planning processes. For example, the Norwegian municipality New Asker has adopted the SDGs as a framework for developing its municipal master plan and planning strategy. The municipality expects to fully localize the SDGs by 2020. UN-Habitat is working with New Asker to localize the SDGs, and to showcase the municipality at the international level as an example of local leadership for development and sustainability.

New Asker is partnering with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities to develop national performance indicators for other municipalities to adopt and localize the SDGs.

The first Norwegian municipality in UN-Habitat’s programme on localizing the SDGs, New Asker is also partnering with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities to develop national performance indicators for other municipalities to adopt and localize the SDGs.

With local authorities increasingly taking the lead on sustainable development, UN-Habitat and partners issued a publication titled, ‘Roadmap for Localizing the SDGs,’ to give local governments tools to implement the SDGs and to measure progress and their own success criteria, particularly regarding SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities). [UN-Habitat Press Release] [Localizing the SDGs in New Asker] [UN-Habitat’s Roadmap for Localizing the SDGs] [UN-Habitat’s SDG 11 Monitoring Framework]

A UN-Habitat Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on the theme, ‘Refining the Metadata Methodology for Monitoring SDG 11.2: by 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all,’ convened in Berlin, Germany, from 19-20 October. The EGM agreed on key principles of a standard methodology that will guide national and local governments in their efforts to collect, compute, analyze and validate data and information, and help prepare country-based reports. It also discussed a joint monitoring framework, including a work plan, a reporting platform and budget requirements to provide guidance on the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders. The EGM was part of the Urban Pathways Conference, which took place from 16-20 October. [UN-Habitat Story on EGM] [Urban Pathways Conference Website]

Sixty-four cities from 44 countries have joined UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, which aims to foster innovation and creativity as drivers for sustainable and inclusive urban development. UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said that the new designations reflect enhanced diversity in city profiles and geographical balance, with 19 cities from countries not previously represented in the Network.

The Creative Cities Network provides a platform for cities to demonstrate culture’s role in building sustainable cities within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda (NUA). Network members commit to sharing best practices and developing partnerships with the public and private sectors and civil society in order to, inter alia: strengthen the creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities, goods and services; develop hubs of creativity and innovation and expand opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector; improve access to and participation in cultural life; and fully integrate culture and creativity into sustainable development plans. [UNESCO News Story] [UNESCO Creative Cities Website]

Women are helping to make cities safer in Afghanistan with the help of the Government of the Netherlands. The Afghanistan Urban Peacebuilding Programme (AUPP), implemented in the city of Herat, includes five projects: a school building, a kindergarten, a community center, drainage, and waste management infrastructure. AUPP targets women and youth, supporting their active participation and addressing their priorities.

AUPP is a three-year program, running from 2015-2018, with financial support from the Government of the Netherlands and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and technical assistance from UN-Habitat. AUPP focuses on peacebuilding to achieve increased trust in local government capacity to ensure citizens’ rights, which helps promote safe, secure and inclusive cities. [UN-Habitat Press Release] [AUPP Website]

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