Regional governments are key to deliver impact on the ground and create high-impact partnerships for the Goals 

New York, January 30^th, 2024 

On January 30, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) convened its annual Partnership Forum under the theme of “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions”. The focus has been drawn on the SDGs under review at the 2024 HLPF: Goal 1 (no poverty); Goal 2 (zero hunger); Goal 13 (climate action); Goal 16 (peace and justice); and Goal 17 (partnership for the Goals). 

The meeting set the lines of work towards HLPF by circulating ideas and discussing priorities. It showcased forward-looking actions by countries and all relevant stakeholders that, through innovative partnerships, can mobilize commitments and actions to advance Agenda 2030. 

Regions4 participated with delegates from the Basque Country and Catalonia, who brought the voice of Regional and State governments as key actors in delivering impact on the ground and in creating high-impact partnerships for the Goals. As pointed out by Isidre Sala, Head of the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the United States of America and Canada, during the Global Task Force (GTF) Side-event “Partnerships for Localization: rescuing the SDGs through coalitions in times of crises”, many regional governments developed practices to involve local actors in SDG-oriented policymaking and in sharing commitments and responsibilities towards the Goals. At the same time, through networks like Regions4, subnational authorities are learning from each other, thus accelerating the learning process to create institutional capacity for the localization of Agenda 2030. 

“We are navigating a particularly harsh cycle of global crises over the last 15 years, marked by a pandemic, wars, and humanitarian challenges” said Unai Telleria, Delegate of the Basque Country to the United States, “In the face of these adversities, the Basque Government recognizes the vital role of local and regional governments and the power of partnerships in advancing the 2030 Agenda. Our approach combines global and local actions: internationally, we advocate for promoting societies that are just, peaceful, and inclusive, in line with SDG 16, and we actively participate in the global call against war, terrorism, and violence. Locally, our focus is on improving our reality, engaging all institutions and society in embracing the Sustainable Development Goals”.