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Environmental sustainability is defined as a responsible interaction with the environment to avoid depletion or degradation of natural resources and allow for long-term environmental quality. It is inevitably associated with the perspectives on human needs and well-being. In this sense, environmental sustainability is mutually reinforcing economic and societal sustainability. In other words, it is essential to live within the earth’s planetary boundary so as not to jeopardize the ability for future generations to meet their needs.

As part of the global and local efforts to meet the human-ecosystem equilibrium, CIFAL Jeju/JITC organizes environmental workshops on a variety of relevant topics like climate change and green growth, carbon-free development, waste management, e-mobility, and environmentally sound technologies. Serving as a venue to share policy experiences and action plans, the Center joins the effort of the global community in moving towards a more sustainable future.

[2021 February 19 & 24] SDG Localization: Science, Technology, and Innovation(STI)-based ways forward 기사를 twitter로 보내기 기사를 facebook으로 보내기 2021.09.27

 

SDG Localization Poster.png

 

Background

 

“Localizing” refers to the process of taking local and sub-national contexts into consideration in achieving the 2030 Agenda. In the context of sustainable development, it means that the people’s needs and resources are placed at the center of development process, from setting goals and targets to determining the means of implementation[1]. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres recognized in this regards that, the solutions to sustainable development need to be holistic by putting local and regional governments at the centre, as “the local space is the perfect place to connect the dots[2].” Thus, a contextualized and clear localization strategy would be the only way to reach the 17 sustainable goals and 163 targets[3].

While local governments need to be a main actor for the domestic and global SDGs implementation,[4]there are large disparities between countries, especially in the Asia Pacific region, in terms of local governments’ capacities to deliver results and improve services to targeted populations[5]. A number of low-income countries in the region have continued to be faced with a lack of adequate technical and institutional capabilities to prepare and execute sustainable development projects.

For the SDGs to be achieved locally, a number of “enablers” should support local government; access to Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) and sufficient funding are good examples of enabling conditions. To build technical capacities, local governments can partner with an external organization to incorporate innovation into administrative process and allow for greater oversight and transparency in operations[6]. When it comes to finance, adequate municipal finances will be key to successful SDGs implementation. In this sense, the fiscal autonomy of local governments as well as their capacities for financial management need to be strengthened for SDG localization.

The 2030 agenda for sustainable development emphasizes the importance of international and regional cooperation in ensuring localization in all countries. Linking SDGs implementation with development priorities of a community can be a good starting point for international cooperation. Regional cooperation also has the potential to benefit smaller cities and help them to achieve sustainable development by mainstreaming SDGs, building the institutional capacity, ensuring sustainable financial resources, and promoting local ownership. It can also contribute to a more coordinated and coherent policy-making at the local level. In this regard, this online event will help participants to raise awareness on the critical importance of effective localization and innovative solutions to achieve sustainable development goals. The workshop will also provide a platform for participants to share and exchange their good practices and challenges regarding the localization and STI-based solutions.

 

 

Event Objectives

For the capacity building, this event will:

  • Offer a venue for knowledge sharing and motivate participants to discuss their current status and issues of the localization of innovative technologies and sustainable development goals;

  • Provide an opportunity for policy makers and sector experts in the Asia-Pacific region to share and exchange their good practices;

  • Promote a learning atmosphere and establish a strong network which can be utilized after the workshop.

 

 

Learning Objectives

After the event, participants will be able to:

  • Raise awareness on the value of localization of the sustainable development goals;

  • Understand the linkage between policy actions and the conditions for successful localization of sustainable development goals;

  • Expand networks and identify partners with expertise to assist governments to improve their practices.

 

 

Program

Week

Date

Topic

Pre-session

February 18

(Thursday)

Introduction

Warm-up discussion on pre-reading materials

Week 1

February 19

(Friday)

Institutional Framework and Financing Support for SDGs Localization

Week 1 ~ 2

Self-paced

Assignment : Developing action plans (e.g. Proposal on localization solution)

Week 2

February 24

(Wednesday)

Action plan group presentation & Experts’ Feedback

  • AllZoom meetings will begin at 15:00 KST

 

Target Audience

This online event is open to government officials and personnel from non-profit, civil, and private sectors in Asia and the Pacific region who work on policies and projects related to environment, technology, financing and development project.

 

Requirements

Selected applicants are required to:

  • Submit necessary documents on time, i.e., registration form etc. on time

  • Complete and submit pre-training readings and assignments, i.e. action plan etc.

  • Actively participate in the training program

  • Be fluent in written and spoken English

     

Application and deadline

Application: https://bit.ly/3sCgEbn

Late application will NOT be accepted.

Deadline: 14 February 2021 (Sunday)

 

Note

  • Participation is subject to approval of the application by UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC.

  • Only selected applicantswill be notified individually.



[1]United Nations (2016), p.12

[2] “Local, Regional Governments Key to Harnessing Urbanization’s Transformative Power, Secretary-General Tells World Council of United Cities” (2020), Press Release, United Nations

[3]UN forum reveals continued disconnect between SDGs and local work (2019), Amy Lieberman (accessed via devex.com)

[4]Source: Shin et al. (2018)

[5] Localizing the Implementation of the SDGs (2017), World Bank

[6]SDG Cities Guide, Chapter3 Enabling Conditions for Sustainable Development (2016), UNSDSN

 




   



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