Addis Ababa, 4 March 2022 (ECA) - A regional workshop on bolstering the capacity of African countries to conduct and report their local and national reviews of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 has concluded in Kigali, with a focus on inclusive progress that leaves no one behind.
The two-day hybrid workshop was co-organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the African Union Commission.
Held on 1 and 2 March, the workshop sought to support local and national governments in conducting voluntary reviews on the implementation of the two agendas and submitting their reports to the 2022 High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development.
The gathering further offered officials from national and local governments a platform to exchange good practices, enhance coordination of priorities and policies on the two agendas, and mobilise stakeholders on resources that could address challenges impeding progress.
‘Local governments are at the frontline’
Speaking at the workshop, Ms. Edlam Yemeru, acting Director of ECA’s Gender Poverty and Social Policy division, said: “This workshop is of enormous significance. We are only eight years away from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We are far behind on several targets, slipping even further behind due to COVID-19. It is more urgent now to localise and implement the two agendas because their realisation rests on the implementation at the local level.”
She continued: “Local governments are at the frontline of planning, managing and financing the policies, strategies and investments necessary to achieve goals and targets across the board. Voluntary local reviews are central for this as they enable greater local ownership, participation and action by cities, local governments and communities.”
“While the momentum for voluntary local reviews has been gaining traction in Africa,” said Ms. Yemeru. “We must do more and ensure that the review reports are not an end but rather a means to galvanise further action.”
At the workshop, participants, which included officials from local governments, regional institutions, civil society organisations, academia and the private sector, examined key challenges impacting the voluntary review process in Africa. These included enabling deliberate integration of local reviews in voluntary national reviews, enhancing statistical capacity and data reliability, aligning national development frameworks with both agendas, and addressing the impact of the pandemic on local governments.
African Regional Guidelines on Voluntary Local Reviews
In addition, ECA presented its African Regional Guidelines for Voluntary Local Reviews at the workshop. Developed in partnership with UN-Habitat and the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa, the guidelines provide a template to cities and localities to prepare local voluntary reviews, foster coherent reporting and benefit from peer learning opportunities.
The workshop was hosted on the margins of the eighth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, which is taking place in Rwanda this week.
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