Localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the new, universal set of economic, social and environmental goals and targets that the United Nations (UN) member states are expected to achieve by the year 2030.
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This new international development framework will serve as a launch pad for action by the international community and by national governments to promote shared prosperity and well-being for the next 30 years and beyond.
The ambition and scope of the SDGs makes it impossible for government alone to achieve the agenda. There is growing awareness and acknowledgement by the international development community and national governments that the local sphere of government is in the best position to facilitate the mobilisation of local development stakeholders, notably NGOs and private sectors, local communities and national and international organisations for promoting inclusive sustainable development for their respective localities. This implies the adoption of an inclusive approach that utilises local knowledge to adapt the ambitious global development agenda to specific local circumstances.
Localisation of the SDGs refers to the process of defining, implementing and monitoring strategies at the local level for achieving global, national and sub-national sustainable development goals and targets. This involves concrete mechanisms, tools, innovations, platforms and processes to effectively translate the development agenda into results at the local level. The concept of localisation should, therefore, be understood holistically, beyond the institutions of local governments to include all local actors through a territorial approach that includes civil society, traditional leaders, religious organisations, academia, the private sector among others.
Collective ownership and commitment
Collective ownership and commitment is crucial for effective localisation of the SDGs. There is the need to communicate the global agenda more effectively in the local languages, foster stronger engagement of local stakeholders in defining, implementing and monitoring, as well as secure support for awareness raising campaigns and education for development at local level, with specific focus on women and young people. It is only through this approach of collective community engagement in the design, implementation and monitoring of development project that community ownership and commitment can be assured.
Decentralisation and good governance
Decentralisation and good governance at all levels are essential to localising the SDGs. The transfer of responsibilities from the central government to local assemblies should be accompanied by appropriate resources and finance and local capacities should be recognised and harnessed to implement the agenda. As the level of government closest to the people, local assemblies are in a unique position to identify and respond to development needs and gaps and be responsible for a wide range of functional responsibilities that go beyond service provision. Ghana sought to implement a comprehensive local government and decentralisation reforms with the passing into law the local government bill. However, progress has been slow and hampered by contradictory regulations, lack of clarity regarding roles of the centre versus the local governments, and capacity constraints. To ensure effective localisation of the SDGs in Ghana, then the local government act should be implemented to the latter.
Strengthening institutions
There is the need to build local capacities to effectively localise the SDGs. Domestic resource mobilisation forms an integral part of the localisation process. National governments are expected to finance a greater percentage of SDGs from domestically mobilised resources and to a minimum extent on donor funds. Investments must be made to enhance the ability of state revenue mobilisation institutions to effectively raise the needed resources. At the same time, the human, technical and financial capacities of all relevant agencies required to achieve the goals must be enhanced.
Integration of SDGs into national development framework
A critical element in ensuring successful implementation of the SDGs is the integration of these goals into national development strategies and frameworks. Current discussions have highlighted two main approaches to integrate the SDGs. The first approach, favoured by some of Ghana’s negotiators on the SDG, is the development of a National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP). Support for this approach is predicated on the belief that an NSDP may minimise distractions and offer the space to more forcefully address the SDGs. The second approach advocated by some senior government figures is the incorporation of key SDGs into existing national development frameworks, rather than the development of a NSDP. The idea, according to advocates of this approach, is that national development frameworks already address many of the SDGs and thus what may be necessary is to incorporate goals that are not yet sufficiently covered.
Monitoring progress at the sub-national level
Localising the SDGs could mean monitoring progress on the goals at sub-national level. This would allow better assessment of inequalities within the country and inform better decision making and resource allocation at all levels. It would also provide vital information for local communities and civil society organisations to hold their governments to account. There is a general consensus amongst the various stakeholders in Ghana about the importance of availability of data for a successful implementation of the SDGs. Investment into the generation of reliable data that can drive development planning must be prioritised as a first step towards implementation of the SDGs at both the local and national level.
In conclusion, Ghana must work out what localising means when thinking about implementation plans, including coordination between different levels of government for the delivery of different levels of government for the delivery of the agenda. If the SDGs are effectively aligned with national and local policy processes, it could help improve availability of data for planning, allocating of resource and for monitoring progress till 2030 when the SDGs comes to an end. In doing all these, conscious efforts must be made to ensure that, no one is left behind.
