The 9th Local and Regional Governments Forum (LRGF) convened on 14 July 2026 during the 2026 United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York.
The recording of the session is available here.
The Forum brought together mayors, governors and local leaders to showcase their contribution to the 2030 Agenda. The event was co-organised by UNDESA, UNDP, UN-Habitat–Local2030 and the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments.
The 2026 edition focused on the following five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)
- SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)
- SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)
- SDG 9 (Infrastructure, Industrialization and Innovation)
- SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)
Key messages
1. Localization is indispensable for SDG delivery
Speakers at the LRGF emphasised the importance of local and regional government as the implementors of global SDG commitment and the tangible impact of SDG localisation on people’s lives.
“The Sustainable Development Goals are negotiated globally and adopted nationally but ultimately delivered locally. Local and regional action is where global ambitions are translated into tangible results.” — Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of ECOSOC
2. Strengthen multilevel governance and institutional recognition of local and regional governments.
Participants called for to structured participation of local and regional governments in planning, financing, implementation, monitoring and decision-making processes within national and international governance systems.
3. Local finance is fundamental for public service delivery.
Predictable, accessible, and adequately scaled financing supports public service delivery, such as infrastructure, housing, energy, water, and resilient investment. Examples include direct access to development and climate finance, fiscal decentralization, and innovative financing mechanisms.
4. Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) and Voluntary Subnational Reviews (VSRs) are critical accountability tools.
VLRs and VSRs generate local evidence, strengthen transparency, improve policymaking, and support multilevel governance. They ultimately feed local perspective into Voluntary National Reviews and global reporting mechanisms.
5. Essential public services are the foundation of sustainable development and human dignity.
Access to housing, water, sanitation, energy, transport, waste management and resilient infrastructure was highlighted as central to addressing inequality, climate change and social inclusion. A people-centred approach was emphasised in the forum.
“At the centre of the 2030 Agenda, the SDGs will only be achieved if they are people-centred, locally delivered by municipalities and states working with communities and local actors.” — Amina Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General
6. A ground-up approach is essential for the future multilateralism.
Looking beyond 2030 and toward the 2027 SDG Summit, participants pressed for strengthening roles of local and regional governments in shaping future global agendas.
“The world needs more multilateralism, but it must be built from the ground up.” — Mr. Bheke Stofile, President of the South African Local Government Association, South Africa
Other highlights from the 2026 LRGF
The forum highlighted the tenth edition of the Global Report on SDG Localisation, reviewing a decade of local engagement in the 2030 Agenda alongside the rapid growth of VLRs. Discussions prioritized preparations for the 2027 SDG Summit and the implementation of key UN recommendations for local and regional governments.
For more information, please check out the website of the Forum.
Download the concept note here.
Local and Regional Governments Day
The 2026 Local and Regional Governments Day (LRG Day) took place on 15 July 2026.
This year, the LRG Day focused on the role of essential public services as the infrastructure of rights and sustainable development, showcasing how local and regional governments are expanding access to everyday essentials while reducing territorial inequality. It also featured the Cities Countdown to 2030 initiative and the launch of the 10th edition of the Towards the Localization of the SDGs report.
About the High-Level Political Forum 2026
The High-Level Political Forum 2026 was convened from Tuesday, 7 July, to Wednesday, 15 July 2026, under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This year, the theme of HLPF is “Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for a sustainable future for all”.
