Sdg Cities Lusophone Innitiative - The Portuguese Speaking Countries Example

This proposed side event is intended to be organized at the Egypt International Exhibition Center's World Urban Forum, which will take place in Cairo, between November 4 and 8, 2024. This year, the World Urban Forum takes on the theme "It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities".

Localizing SDGs is crucial to achieving the 2030 Agenda. Cities, regions, and communities play a key role in the implementation of the SDG targets, where tangible policies, programs, and practices are developed and implemented. Focusing efforts at local levels, makes it possible to tailor strategies to the specific needs of each context, actively engage citizens and local stakeholders, and ensure that no one and any place is left behind. In addition, localizing the SDGs, allows a more integrated and holistic approach to sustainable development, recognizing the interconnections between the various goals and fostering collaboration between different sectors and stakeholders at the local level.
Portugal is working on the SDG's indicators alignment, having presented its second VNR in July 2023.
A section for SDG's was created in 2022 at the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities, and in this sense, several Portuguese municipalities have joined forces to develop their Voluntary Local Reports. In this process, 6 SDG laboratories were created for Lusophone Cities, which aim to involve countries of the Portuguese-speaking Community. For example, the SDG's Municipalities Lusophone Seminar, held in Mafra in September 2023, allowed the exchange of experiences on the way to innovative solutions for the Portuguese-speaking countries.