The Seville Commitment: putting "Local Action" in the center of the global development agenda

From the 25th to 27th of February a high level international meeting was held in Seville (Spain) to discuss the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This meeting, planned by the governments of Spain, Ecuador and Cape Verde in collaboration with the United Nations Local Initiative 2030 as well as with the participation of the Global Taskforce (GTF) of Local and Regional Governments was attended by the UN Assistant Secretary-General and proved to be an important milestone ahead of the high-level political forums to be held in New York in July and September.

The event included a large delegation representing UCLG, led by Co-President Rodas, Mayor of Quito, and Vice President Carlos Martinez, Mayor of Soria. Joining the delegation were mayors from Rabat, Utrecht, Subang Jaya (Malaysia), and the Prefect of Pichincha, among others.

The delegation from UCLG emphasized the need to acknowledge the vital role that local governments play in the execution of the global agenda, especially laying the groundwork for the social transformations necessary to meet the ambitious goals set out by the 2030 Commitment. At the same time, they underscored the importance of resources and skills needed to train local governments on how to meet their responsibilities and obligations to their citizens, stating that more than 65% of the goals of the SDGs depend directly on the services allotted by these levels of government. In addition, the delegation appealed to the participants to form new partnerships and underscored the work being done within the network of local governments around localization with the support of UN Habitat and UNDP in particular.

Two days of high level dialogue regarding the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable development culminated in the “Seville Commitment”. This commitment, the product of said high-level discussions between representatives across all spheres of government, reaffirms that the localization of the SDGs has to do not only with political will, but the cooperation with local communities in the search for real local solutions for global challenges.

06.03.2019

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