UCLG will call for maintaining the SDGs as the framework for the COVID-19 recovery at the 2020 HLPF

UCLG will call for maintaining the SDGs as the framework for the COVID-19 recovery at the 2020 HLPF

The 2020 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) will take place virtually from Tuesday 7 July, to Thursday, 16 July 2020. Under the auspices of ECOSOC, this year’s theme is “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.

The gathering will assess the state of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the midst of the outbreak, allowing participants to reflect on how the international community can respond to the pandemic and set us back on track to achieve the SDGs and accelerate action.

Local and regional governments are proving that solidarity among territories and communities is critical to build a future that leaves no one and no place behind. During the HLPF, our constituency will address the importance of the 2030 Agenda as a framework for the transformative measures in the aftermath of the pandemic, as well as the need for the renewal of the current multilateral system as integral to address the shortcomings of our current development systems.

The Local and regional Governments’ delegation at the HLPF

UCLG and UN Habitat: VLR Series Launch (8th July). UCLG, together with UN-Habitat, will be presenting the first volume of Guidelines for VLR, aiming to showcase the value of VLRS, beyond their importance in the monitoring and reporting process towards the global goals, but also as a political process that can enhance coordination between spheres of government. VLRs are an integral element that can contribute towards multilevel governance and the transformation necessary to achieve just, resilient, and sustainable cities, territories, and societies that leave no-one and no place behind in the aftermath of the crisis.

Local and Regional Governments Day (10th July) UCLG, on behalf of the GTF, is convening a dedicated event of the organized constituency of local and regional governments at the HLPF. The objective of the LRG Day is to bring together the whole delegation of local and regional governments to discuss and agree on the constituency's Statement to the HLPF; reinforce linkages with partners from the UN, civil society, and other stakeholders; and define the priorities of the constituency for the decade of action.

The Local and Regional Governments’ Day will also see the launch of the fourth “Towards the Localization of the SDGs” report, our constituency’s report to the HLPF. This year’s edition highlights the progress made on the local involvement in the monitoring and reporting process of the global goals, as well as the measures that local and regional governments are implementing to carry out the SDGs in their territories and overcome the pandemic.

Local and Regional Governments Forum (13th July) The Global Taskforce, facilitated by UCLG, will be co-organizing the third edition of the Local and Regional Governments’ Forum with UN DESA, UN-Habitat, UNDP and the Executive Office of the UN Secretary General. The overall objective of the Local and Regional Governments Forum is to produce a fruitful debate and strong commitments from local and regional governments, national authorities and the international community to support a transformative bottom-up process grounded on multilevel governance based on the achievement of the SDGs in the aftermath of the COVID19 crisis, while contributing to the Decade of Action. The LRG Forum will debate the importance of basic service delivery, the need for a renewed multilevel territorial governance in the midst of the pandemic, and how to carry out a full collaboration among spheres of government to build back better after the outbreak.

Dialogue between UCLG and UHC2030 (14th July) Co-organized with the WHO the session will aim at envisioning the future of health services and the critical role that local governments can play to ensure that no-one is left behind in our communities. Through an open dialogue between our constituency, experts on health, and high-level authorities on the matter, the dialogue will aim at ensuring the link between science and policymaking, and move the conversation on universal healthcare forward by highlighting the necessary steps that need to be taken to protect the public servants that take care of all.

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