Bilbao -
The Government of Spain, the Basque Government, and Bilbao City Council, together with BBK presented their bid to host the Local2020 Coalition Secretariat in Bilbao at the 2022 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development last July. The bid was endorsed by the Local2030 Coalition Steering Committee.
The Local2030 Coalition is the UN system-wide platform and network for supporting and accelerating the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It brings together the UN-system, national, regional and local governments and their associations, businesses, and community-based organizations to foster collaboration and innovation, share solutions, and implement strategies to support local stakeholders in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The Local2030 Coalition is co-chaired by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), a lead agency for its Secretariat, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a rotational co-chair for 2022-2023 period.
The Local2030 Coalition Secretariat that will be located in Bilbao will energize the work of the Local2030 Coalition and further advance the localization of the SDGs within the UN system and at the territorial and local level. Its partnership with the Government of Spain, Basque Government, Bilbao City Council, and BBK will maximize the transformative impact of the Coalition and strengthen its strategic and catalytic capacities. The goal is to help local actors maximize the impact of their efforts and foster partnerships that will generate innovative solutions for local action and impact.
"We look to Spain as a strong advocate and champion of local action, and recognize that Spanish municipalities and regions, such as Bilbao and the Basque Country, have been at the forefront of efforts to accelerate achievement of the global goals," said Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat. "The crises we face today are universal and multi-faceted, requiring urgent, decisive, and coordinated action from the global to the local level. Harnessing the power of local action, and learning from communities, is the only sustainable route out of crisis." said Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP, "The commitment and support of partners, such as Spain, are crucial in securing a green, resilient, and inclusive future for all, especially the most vulnerable".
The opening of the Local2030 Coalition Secretariat will be held in Bilbao on the occasion of World Cities Day (WCD). WCD promotes global interest in sustainable urban development, boosts cooperation between countries and cities to find opportunities, and addresses the challenges posed by urbanization. WCD was launched by UN-Habitat in 2014 to emphasize the world's urban challenges and engage the international community towards implementing the New Urban Agenda, a roadmap to sustainable urbanization adopted at Habitat III Conference in Quito in 2016. The WCD theme of this year Act Local to Go Global focuses on accelerating the implementation of the SDGs in cities, towns and urban environments. In this sense, the discussions around this day will address the best ways in which we can accelerate the implementation of the SDGs and contribute to realizing the transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one and no place behind.
The event will also be a landmark of the World's To-Do List global campaign that calls for greater support to cities to achieve the SDGs.
