State of the Voluntary Local Reviews 2020: Local Action for Global Impact in Achieving the SDGs

Who’s behind it? – Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)

How can it help? – This report reviews all the VLR Reports identified (as of February 2020) carried out by local governments in Japan, the USA, the UK, Argentina, Bolivia, Taiwan, Mexico, Germany and Brazil in their determination to localize the SDGs. It compiles their main messages and provides the current stage of this emerging movement.

Along with the description of the overall contents of each VLR, this report focuses on two key aspects of the VLR process: first, the stakeholder engagement process following the SDGs motto of leaving no one behind; and second, their relation to the national review process of the SDGs or Voluntary National Review (VNR). In doing this analysis, this report aims to become a reference guide for other cities seeking to carry out their own VLR process.