From data to evidence for Youth-led localisation of Sustainable Development Goals

Cities engage with the SDGs for a variety of reasons, but one frequent rationale is to provide a framework for strategic planning or prioritisation. The diverse topical focus of SDG targets, combined with the detailed and globally comparable array of SDG indicators, allows cities to ensure that strategic planning processes are both robust and resilient to the array of shock and stressors that we are facing in the polycrisis. The development of Voluntary Local Reviews is often the first step in this process, done either in tandem with – or as the basis of – strategic planning cycles.

This event will examine the state of play of SDG localisation efforts in Asia and the Pacific, examining both efforts to establish consistent pathways to VLR development, and highlighting new regional tools and guidance on applying the SDGs at the urban scale. Drawing on learnings from VLR development in cities from Australia, Fiji, and Malaysia, the differences in both VLR development processes, as well as national and regional alignment, will be discussed by a panel of practitioners, academics, and multilateral experts in SDG Implementation.