Governors, mayors, local and regional leaders highlighted community-driven solutions and the political roadblocks still standing in their way
 

13 August 2025 - At the 2025 Local and Regional Governments Forum (LRGF), held during the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) as one of its 12 high-level Special Events, mayors, governors and local leaders from around the world spotlighted concrete progress in localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while calling for further strengthened multilevel governance with local and regional governments as indispensable partners in the countdown to 2030.   

Co-organized by the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments (GTF), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), UN-HABITAT, UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Local2030 Coalition, the 2025 LRGF marks the eighth edition of this dedicated annual platform where local and regional governments, national governments, UN entities, civil society organizations and other stakeholders come together to discuss how localization policies, partnerships and multilevel governance can help close the gap in the implementation of the SDGs.

 “It’s so critically important that local governments stay the course and integrate everything that’s going on into their budgets, into their policies, and into their approaches.” said H.E. Mr. Bob Rae, the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) during his opening remarks. 

“The clock is ticking. We cannot achieve the Global Goals without local action,” said Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, echoing the sentiment. He highlighted events like the upcoming Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar in November 2025 as crucial opportunities for the integration of the local dimension into global frameworks.

High-level speakers from the UN this year also included Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder, the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT Anacláudia Rossbach, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Felipe Paullier; and Assistant Administrator of UNDP, Marcos Neto.  National Government representatives from countries including Spain, Brazil, the Philippines and Jamaica also participated in the Forum.

More than 40 representatives from local and regional governments joined the discussions and more than 15 leaders from Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa shared examples of how sub-national action is driving 2030 Agenda progress on the ground—through policies, service provision, community programmes and budgeting choices.
 

Local initiatives driving the Global Goals

Diving into the Cities Countdown to 2030—a UCLG-led initiative aimed at accelerating SDG localization by promoting existing, concrete, scalable, and investment-ready solutions grounded in political leadership at the local level—the Forum participants presented inspiring examples.

In Heidelberg, Germany, 80 per cent of the population uses public transport or bicycles instead of cars, the city’s mayor Eckart Würzner shared at the Forum.

Mr. Abdoulaye Kaba Diakité, the President of the Regional Council of Koulikoro, Mali, highlighted efforts to advance SDG 3 services in his region by promoting the well-being of communities through equitable access to healthcare, education, water, and energy, including the need for innovative solutions adapted to the realities of nomadic populations.

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung reported that the city achieved over 98 per cent universal health coverage in 2024, with 42 per cent of residents receiving full subsidies through the regional budget. Among other developments, Jakarta became the city with the lowest gender inequality index nationwide—an outcome of various initiatives targeting SDG 5: Gender Equality, which included the launch of a women-only bus service and an anti-harassment campaign, he said.

“Many women in Comrat have leadership positions. Women’s groups help us plan our budget, transport, and safety projects,” said Victor Baldji, Vice-Mayor of Comrat, Moldova. “We also work with the police and NGOs to protect women from violence. We provide a support center and teach about respect and equality in schools.”

While progress has been made on implementing SDG 5, work remains to be done at the sub-national level. Carmen Paz, Mayor of San Nicolás, Honduras, drew attention to the underrepresentation of women in leadership, with only 6 per cent of the 298 Honduran municipalities led by women.

“We’re working on strengthening technical capacity in each territory—together with men, because when you talk about gender and opportunities, it’s not just a matter for women, it’s also a matter for men,” she said.

Issaiah Guzmán Arancibia, a 14-year-old Chilean youth advocate and representative from the children and youth group, reminded the attendees that 250 million children are still out of school, highlighting the urgency of educational reform to be done at the local level.

“The current education model, that’s over a hundred years old, does not really respond to the actual needs of the new generations,” he said. “Local governments play an essential role to guarantee access to school, decrease gender inequalities in school, and include digital technologies.”

“To change the world, we must change how we teach,” Arancibia added.


More inclusivity, cooperation needed amid global challenges

Amid sharing the successes, local and regional government representatives expressed hope for more inclusion in decision-making processes.

The President of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Co-President Bheke Stofile put out a call for more recognition and resources.

“We don’t just want the door to open for local and regional governments: we want a seat at the table,” he said.

Maria Clara Muzzio, Deputy Chief of Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, echoed the call.

“We need a social contract that recognizes a political status that is sustainable at the heart of the United Nations, that is not just about being present, but also to have a voice, a right to vote and having financing with formal mechanisms of participation,” she said. “Even when those structural changes are still underway, we, cities, show new results constantly: from Buenos Aires, we take on increased responsibilities, and we respond with concrete public policies, innovative solutions, and we create measurable impacts.”

For more information: 8th Local and Regional Governments Forum on the 2030 Agenda