undertaken to support LRGs. The Czech Republic introduced a priority area on ‘Regions and Municipalities’ in its strategic framework. In its VNR, it presented a reform of regional public administration to be completed by 2030, so as to build a “polycentric territory and achieve the cohesive development of big cities and regions at all levels”. Estonia defines an ‘administrative reform’ initiated in 2016 as a priority in terms of regional policy. The reform also includes local authorities in a process to re-organize local administrations and use national and EU structural funds to improve – among the initiatives planned or already put into practice – access to basic services, quality of life, climate change adaptation measures, and county-level planning procedures. Ethiopia’s Main Message cites further progress towards a “decentralized administrative system with power devolution to regional states” as a key step for future administrative reforms. Madagascar built its SDG implementation strategy on a National Development Plan that calls, in its first pillar, for more decentralization to support local development policies and ensure the effective participation of local stakeholders. For each SDG, Nigeria lists the policies and contributions that are expected from sub-national governments, as well as potential synergies to better integrate them with national programmes. In its review, Togo illustrates the various legal and policy reforms that the country is undertaking to support decentralization.
A fisherman tosses in his net into Lake Nokoue near Cotonou, Benin (photo: David Stanley/ Flickr.com)
Countries such as Honduras, the Philippines or Uganda, recognize in their documents that the localization of the SDGs requires adequate capacity-building intervention on local governance: development planning, monitoring and evaluation, fiscal administration, accountability and service provision. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, stresses that “plans are in place to strengthen sub-national authorities”, although the VNR fails to provide additional details.
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