Localizing the SDG’s For the Successful Implementation of the New Urban Agenda – Implementation, Monitoring, and The Role of Municipal Finance

A panel of experts from the United States, China, Europe, Latin America and Africa will discuss one of the biggest challenges of implementing the New Urban Agenda (NUA) - leveraging the financial and technical capacity of local subnational governments to advance the ambitious targets set out under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Local governments are the units within national governments that are on the front lines of service delivery to citizens and the day-to-day operations of municipal governance – playing an essential part in the success of the SDGs and the NUA. Experts will discuss the importance of adopting a subnational focus to enable SDG implementation at the local level, and the importance of municipal finance to fund implementation activities sustainably. Experts on the panel will discuss strategies for financing SDG implementation that reflects inclusive growth principles, underscoring the importance of the Forum's broader theme of 'Cities for All'. The panel discussion will identify ways that cities are leveraging municipal finance strategies (for example, land value capture mechanisms to finance affordable housing, strategies to finance climate change, among others) in ways that promote social and economic equity.