ESCAP launches the first region-specific guidelines for preparing Voluntary Local Reviews for Asia-Pacific.

1. January 18th , 2021
Asia-Pacific Regional Guidelines on Voluntary Local
Reviews

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5. Asia-Pacific Regional Guidelines on Voluntary Local
Reviews
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Since 2015, when United Nations member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, cities and regions have been working closely to implement
it. Governments are increasingly involved in localizing the 2030 Agenda, and
“conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and subnational
levels, which are country-led and country-driven” in the form of Voluntary Local
Reviews (VLRs).
Ahead of World Cities Day 2020, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (UNESCAP) launched the first region-specific guidelines for preparing
Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs). The “Asia-Pacific Regional Guidelines on Voluntary
Local Reviews” guidelines were launched during a virtual UNESCAP discussion
session that brought together speakers from various UN entities, research
organizations, and representatives from Asian and Pacific cities and other
stakeholders. The session aimed to increase awareness of the guidelines, discuss how
the report aligns with other global guidelines on VLRs and generate interest among
stakeholders for local and sub-national reviews of Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) progress.
The report aims to support Asian and Pacific cities willing to conduct a VLR report or
produce an initial stakeholder report on how cities work towards achieving the SDGs.
The guidelines draw on existing resources and help cities use the SDGs as a common
language and localize them through a co-production process with national and local
authorities.
© 2021 Sustainability Knowledge Group
Asia-Pacific Regional Guidelines on Voluntary Local Reviews

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It allows cities to rethink their planning process and involve local communities in
understanding their needs and involve them in recovery strategies and long-term
development efforts.
The guidelines are organized according to four chapters as follows:
•Chapter 1: A universal framework for sustainable development
The chapter provides an overview of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and other major
global agendas relevant to the urban context. It discusses the need to localize the
global goals.
•Chapter 2: Conducting a Voluntary Local Review
It guides readers through the process of setting up and undertaking the VLR, delving
deeper into institutional ownership, stakeholder engagement, and how to link
priorities and measure progress.
•Chapter 3: Integrating local and national reviews of the SDGs
This chapter focuses on VLR-VNR integration – why it matters and what local and
national governments can do to deepen it.
•Chapter 4: Report writing and follow-up
The fourth chapter introduces the building blocks for producing a VLR report and
how it is written and prepared and how it can be followed up.
© 2021 Sustainability Knowledge Group
Asia-Pacific Regional Guidelines on Voluntary Local Reviews

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Localizing the 2030 Agenda
Since there are no officially established SDG targets for local purposes, Subnational
Governments (SNGs) often have to “localize” the agenda according to its contexts.
“Localization is the process of taking into subnational contexts in the achievement of
the 2030 Agenda – from the setting of goals and targets, to determining the means
of implementation and using indicators to measure and monitor progress.” SNGs in
Asia and the Pacific have made significant progress in raising awareness and aligning
local plans with the SDGs.
Connecting local action to a global agenda
VLR is a voluntary process guided by the same principles as those of the SDGs:
•Lave no-one behind
•The right to the city and multi-stakeholder engagement
•Universality across developed and developing countries
•Adoption of an all-encompassing strategy to envision the desired future by 2030
•The need for a robust evidence base for action
•Embracing and integration of environmental, economic, spatial and social systems
VLR can bridge the gap between local action and national and global conversation on
sustainable development and unleash the constraining force of SNGs in creating
innovative pathways to achieve the 2030 Agenda. To accelerate progress in achieving
the SDGs, and to maximize the benefits of VLR, forms of local governance should be
devised by providing four meaningful opportunities for action:
© 2021 Sustainability Knowledge Group
Asia-Pacific Regional Guidelines on Voluntary Local Reviews

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•A VLR allows the local government to listen to the needs of its people and reflect
them into local policymaking
•A VLR invites self-refection, by diagnosing the state and pointing to pathways for a
better localization of the SDGs
•A VLR provides for a process that is data-driven and can be used to plan for action to
achieve the future we want
•A VLR gives a local take on the global conversation on sustainable development
Build better
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the capacity and potential of
transformative cities to solve problems. Through sustainable urbanization, cities can
solve persistent problems in the Asia-Pacific region such as the climate crisis,
unsustainable use of resources, widespread inequality, discrimination and injustice.
“As home to most of the world’s urban population, Asia-Pacific cities can serve as the
drivers of sustainable development for the achievement of the SDGs and the Paris
Agreement,” said ESCAP’s Environment and Development Division Director Mr.
Stefanos Fotiou.
© 2021 Sustainability Knowledge Group
Asia-Pacific Regional Guidelines on Voluntary Local Reviews

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