Blog Post
Getting Started with the SDGs in Cities
Jul 15, 2016
Getting Started with the SDGs in Cities outlines how cities can get started with implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in cities and human settlements. Effective and decisive action on sustainable development at the local level, within all cities and human settlements, is crucial to the success of Agenda 2030. Despite the key role of local authorities inSDG implementation, there is very little guidance material currently available on how to adapt the global goals to the local level. The SDG Cities Guide aims to fill this knowledge-gap, and suggest how city leaders, local practitioners and policy makers can use the SDGs to guide on the ground planning and development.

In the interest of remaining applicable across a wide variety of development contexts, the handbook provides general principles and processes that will need to be adapted to local conditions. Case examples are drawn from cities in low- to high-income countries, and an effort has been made to frame guidelines that can be applied across all territories. An interactive website for the guide is available.

This handbook complements an earlier SDG guide that was developed for national governments and focused on country-level implementation. The SDSN National SDG Guide, Getting Started with the SDGs- A Guide for Stakeholders (https://sdg.guide/), also touches on the supportive role of national governments for subnational implementation in cities and at the municipal level. Together, the two guides provide a holistic framework for SDG implementation from the local through regional and national levels.
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