Culture in the Localization of the SDGs: An Analysis of Voluntary Local Reviews

In the continuity of the 2019 report on “Culture in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda” which analysed the place of culture in the Voluntary National Reviews submitted to the UN High-Level Political Forum – HLPF, the #Culture2030goal campaign elaborated a new report on ‘Culture in the Localization of the SDGs: An Analysis of the Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs)’.

The main findings of the analysis show that there is great diversity of how local and regional governments (LRGs) address culture in their sustainable development policies and reporting. A good majority of VLRs have included the cultural dimension in their implementation of the 2030 Agenda, through substantive narratives. Cultural topics can be found at any level, as part of high-level policy frameworks and as practical examples of implementation, as separate sectoral headings, where LRGs have dedicated ‘cultural plans’, or supporting aspects of other policy headings, diffused throughout different Goals and Targets.