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Policy and enabling environment 5.1 CREATING OWNERSHIP OF THE SDGs The successful implementation of the SDGs will depend on strong mobilization of all stakeholders and the creation of truly shared ownership of the goals. With only a few exceptions, however, SDGs have just begun to make their way into the plans and agendas of local and regional governments around the world. Generally, LRGs and local government networks with a history of commitment to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Local Agenda 21 or a positive track record in international cooperation have supported the new global agendas more enthusiastically than those LRGs that had not been active on similar topics in the past. Accordingly, many of the LRGs and LRG associations that have contributed information and data to this report see the SDGs as an opportunity to strengthen local development and sustainability, while also supporting national and international solidarity. Many other LRGs around the world, however, still see the SDGs as something detached from or irrelevant to their agenda. It is necessary, therefore, to deploy a strong awareness-raising effort that may help mobilize LRGs around the SDGs and their targets and, at the same time, make them aware that several goals can already be achieved through the ordinary work that local and regional administrations do in their territories and with their communities on a daily basis.8 Making the SDGs not just a matter for the sustainable development community or for specialized administrations or focal points, but rather a comprehensive quest for all stakeholders and a shared political initiative supported by large socio-political alliances and all types of local actors, is one of the key challenges of this agenda. It is crucial, in this regard, that local governments do not perceive this as a ‘top-down’ external imposition with no adequate resources provided in support, but rather that they foster real ownership of the goals and embody this vision of the future in their actions and initiatives.
5.1.1 Participation of LRGs in the consultation process for the VNR About 38 (58%) of the 63 countries that have reported before July 6, 2017, mention that LRGs were included in the consultation process leading to the published VNR (Figure 1). The degree of participation of LRGs in such processes, however, is extremely diverse. The case of the Netherlands stands out; the national government itself requested that the national association of local and regional government contribute directly to a section on local governments and the SDGs in a report that was presented in May 2017 to the national parliament. National associations of LRGs in Denmark, Norway and Sweden were also asked to submit reports to be included in national reviews. The degree of participation of LRGs in national reviewing processes also has to be assessed in light of the institutional mechanisms available for such dialogue, as well as the ‘quality’ of the interactions actually taking place between different levels of government. In a few countries, LRGs could count on pre-existing mechanisms of cooperation (e.g., Norway), national councils on sustainable development (e.g., Estonia), or newer mechanisms established expressly for the follow-up of SDG implementation (e.g., the inter-ministerial and non-governmental Core Working Group for the SDGs in Nigeria; for more examples, see also Section 5.2.2 below).
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8 UCLG (2016) The Sustainable Development Goals, What Local Governments Need to Know, the document is available online at this address: https://www.uclg.org/sites/default/files/the_sdgs_what_localgov_need_to_know_0.pdf.