March 27-30, 2023 | UCLG ASPAC partook in the 10th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development from March 27 to 30, 2023, held in Bangkok, Thailand. Organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Forum is the regional preparatory process towards the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). With the theme “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels in Asia and the Pacific,” the Forum assessed progress on the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation); Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy); Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure); Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and Goal 17 (Partnership for the Goals).
As part of its advocacy, UCLG ASPAC serves as the focal point of the Asia-Pacific Local Government Coordinating Body (APLG), the regional coordination mechanism of local governments in the region. UCLG ASPAC led the preparation of the Joint Statement of Local Authorities to the APFSD which was delivered by UCLG ASPAC Secretary General Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi at the plenary session on March 27, 2023.
She highlighted the need for local level SDG indicators in line with the national frameworks, capacity building for local governments in Least Developed Countries especially the Pacific on the Voluntary Local Review (VLR), and innovative financing and investment to localise the SDGs. “Local governments are helping each other through decentralised cooperation and we need national governments and the international community to provide an enabling environment that will let us be more effective in the essential work that we do. With our collective power, the power of we, we can build our common future.”
Under the Agenda Item 5(b) on progress towards the achievement of Goals 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17, Caoayan Mayor Germelina Singson-Goulart, who is also the Executive Vice President for Operations of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), delivered a second Joint Statement of Local Authorities in plenary which focused on the vital role of local governments in the achievement of the SDGs. She underscored that “Localisation and SDG 11 are crucial enablers of all the SDGs that must be invested upon.”
UCLG ASPAC organised/co-organised, together with partners, several in-person and virtual side events at the APFSD. At the side event “SDG11 in Focus: Glocalisation: Catalysing Local Implementation of Global Goals in Asia and the Pacific,” UCLG ASPAC Secretary General emphasised the importance of localisation to realise the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
Ms. Germelina Singson-Goulart, and Mayor of the Municipality of Caoayan, presented the context of Philippine decentralisation and reality that most local governments do not have the technical and financial resources to realise the development goals. Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar of the Ministry of Village, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, Indonesia, acknowledged that localising the SDGs is crucial and discussed village-level implementation of the SDGs.
UCLG ASPAC members had the opportunity to share their work on SDGs localisation at the Urban Engagement Space, a dedicated area for interactions on SDG 11, on 29 March 2023. Mr. Rajan Sultan Pirzada, President, Association for Development of Local Governance (ADLG), highlighted the importance of local solutions to universal problems. Caoayan Mayor Germelina Singson-Goulart discussed about LMP’s work on the Philippine Voluntary Subnational Review in 2022, and the challenges and initiatives she led in the municipality.
The APLG’s members have also been active in the Round-Table Discussions on Goals 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17. UCLG ASPAC Secretary General served as rapporteur for the Roundtable on SDG 11. She presented the recommendations including: harmonised and inclusive local data platforms in synergy with central data platforms; people-centred urban, territorial and spatial planning processes; inclusive urban governance; and financing to enable multi-level climate and urban action in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Asia-Pacific SDG Partnership Report 2023 “Delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals through Solutions at the Energy, Food and Finance Nexus” was launched during the APFSD. Prior to this, UNESCAP virtually launched the Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2023. The Report of the 10th APFSD will serve as the region’s input to the HLPF to be held in July 2023.
