The East African Local Governments Association (EALGA) together with the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has since February 2023 been implementing the SDG Local Action Project, which is part of the UN SDG Action Campaign. The partners aim to showcase how cities and local governments are actively contributing towards the implementation of Agenda 2030, accelerating transformative action to achieve the SDGs for all, and everywhere, with particular focus in Africa.
Under the project, EALGA is supporting local and regional governments in the East African Community as well as other African countries to exchange on SDG local implementation, knowledge generation, and replication of successful experiences in implementing Agenda 2030 at the local level.
In this context, EALGA as manager of the CLGF regional office for East and Southern Africa worked with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), to highlight the work municipalities and local governments are doing to fast-track SDG implementation in Southern Africa.
SALGA is actively collaborating with municipalities to effectively localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a coordinating body, SALGA is capacitating municipalities, ensuring that they are empowered with the necessary skills and knowledge to align their efforts with the SDGs.
According to Ms. Clarissa Augustine, International Projects Coordinator at SALGA, this dedication to coordinating and capacitating municipalities in localizing the SDGs is a testament to SALGA’s commitment to sustainable development.
As part of their ongoing efforts to promote awareness and understanding of the SDGs, they launched an awareness-raising campaign and conducted a series of online meetings to closely monitor and evaluate the progress made by various municipalities in localizing the SDGs.
“Several cities have shown a keen interest in actively contributing to this cause. These include Tswane, Baffolo City, Mandela Metro, and the City of Johannesburg, which have all taken proactive measures to ensure the successful localization of the SDGs”, Clarrisa adds.
