The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020 brings together the latest data to show us that, before the COVID-19 pandemic, progress remained uneven and we were not on track to meet the Goals by 2030. Some gains were visible: the share of children and youth out of school had fallen; the incidence of many communicable diseases was in decline; access to safely managed drinking water had improved; and women’s representation in leadership roles was increasing. At the same time, the number of people suffering from food insecurity was on the rise, the natural environment continued to deteriorate at an alarming rate, and dramatic levels of inequality persisted in all regions. Change was still not happening at the speed or scale required.

Now, due to COVID-19, an unprecedented health, economic and social crisis is threatening lives and livelihoods, making the achievement of Goals even more challenging. As of the beginning of June, the death toll had surpassed 400,000 and was continuing to climb, with almost no country spared. Health systems in many countries have been driven to the brink of collapse. The livelihood of half the global workforce has been severely affected. More than 1.6 billion students are out of school, and tens of millions of people are being pushed back into extreme poverty and hunger, erasing the modest progress made in recent years.

The SDG Project Assessment Tool (referred to as SDG Tool) is developed by UN-Habitat as an offline, digital and user-friendly instrument to guide City Authorities and Delivery Partners in the development of more inclusive, sustainable and effective urban projects. The General Framework of the SDG Project Assessment Tool (SDG Tool) comprises the complete list of Sustainability Principles, aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the related Performance Criteria. The General Framework represents the substantial component of the SDG Tool. It covers the three thematic pillars of the Global Future Cities Programme: Urban Planning, Transport and Resilience. Starting from this comprehensive set of principles and performance criteria a tailor-made SDG Project Assessment Worksheet will be derived for each project of the Programme.

The SDG Project Assessment Tool - Volume 1: General Framework is complemented by the SDG Project Assessment Tool - Volume 2: User Guide. The User Guide provides an introduction to the SDG Tool, focusing on its rationale, scope, and target groups and beneficiaries. Moreover, the User Guide explains the step-by-step application of the SDG Tool, guiding the users towards an inclusive and effective project assessment process. Content Structure The Sustainability Principles are organized into technical and effectiveness key drivers. While the technical key drivers need to be followed for sustainable and inclusive urbanization, the effectiveness key drivers relate to the implementation, viability and sustainability of the urban projects beyond the Programme period.

Cross-cutting issues, such as climate change, gender, human rights, disability, children, youth and elderly persons are considered integral to the entire framework and incorporated across all Sustainability Principles.

The technical key drivers are as follows:

1. Social Inclusion
2. Spatial Planning
3. Environmental Resilience
4. Economic Development

The effectiveness key drivers are as follows:

1. Data-driven Processes and Management
2. Capacity-building and Market Maturity
3. Urban Governance and Legal Frameworks
4. Financial Strategies

Learn about the SDG Project Assessment Tool.

While we know that cities can be drivers for the achievement of Agenda 2030, lack of sufficient finance for investment in infrastructure and sustainable development prevents urban populations from reaching their full potential and increases the overall costs of municipalities. One obstacle for unleashing adequate finance is that there is a lack of understanding on the basic costs of a city. This necessitates a comprehensive costing estimation for SDG 11 on sustainable urbanization.

There is also a lack of capacity to cover such costs, partly stemming from inadequate awareness of the total financing capacity currently available and how to access it. This report presents an innovative pilot on how to count the costs for achieving SDG 11 developed by UN-Habitat and AidData. It furthermore presents UN-Habitat estimations on the total SDG and infrastructure investment gap as well as the total private and public financing capacity available. Finally, the report discusses possibilities for bridging the investment gap for SDG 11 and urban infrastructure, with a special emphasis on how local governments can access the currently underutilized institutional investor capacity.

The Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Goal11, one of the 17 SDGs, is about all of these dimensions, with a specific focus on urban areas and settings. This synthesis report is the first publication showing the progress, challenges and opportunities of global monitoring of this Sustainable Development Goal.

This report complements the 2018 Secretary-General’s Progress Report on SDGs which shows progress in the form of story lines, and the 2018 Secretary-General’s first quadrennial report on progress made in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.

Documents:

• Progress on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda Report of the Secretary-General.
• HLPF background notes on SDG 11.
• Highlights from the report.
• Executive summary of the report.

Press Releases:

• Press Releases on the SDG 11 Synthesis Report.
• Joint Press Release: Cities are engines for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
• UN-Habitat / UNDP joint editorial.

The World Urban Forum is the world’s premier conference on urban issues. It was established by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies. The Forum is held in a different host city and country biennially, drawing a wide range of experts from every walk of life.

Developed by leaders from 193 countries around the world that were concerned about the future, the SDGs are crucial for the development of a sustainable, brighter future. The United Nations Human Settlement Program (UN-Habitat) is one of the leading organisations working to achieve the SDG targets by 2030. UN-Habitat plays a particularly crucial role in ensuring that Goal 11, one of the 17 SDGs, is addressed globally through all the Goals. Goal 11 is related to all of dimensions outlined by the SDGs, with a specific focus on urban areas and settings. The embedding of a stand-alone goal on cities and human settlements (Goal 11) in the SDGs is a recognition of the complimentary and re-enforcing nexus that exists between Goal 11 and the other SDGs. This publication briefly outlines the Sustainable Development Goals with a particular focus on their relation to SDG 11

The Local Area Development Programme (LADP), funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by UNDP in partnership with UN-Habitat, in close coordination with the Ministries of Planning (MOP) of the Federal and Kurdistan Region governments and Governorate-level authorities, was designed to address the main issues that hinder planning at the local level, the implementation of plans and related delivery of service to citizens of Iraq.

The overall objective has been to contribute to the stability and socio-economic development of the country by strengthening its government systems and enhancing the capacity to plan and execute budgets at the local level. Over the course of the past three years, LADP-EU has supported the development of coherent strategic frameworks for local planning that aimed to link investment expenditures to the achievements of the larger strategic investment priorities at both local or national levels embodied by the National Development Plan 2018-2022 and Iraq’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UN-Habitat and GIZ have developed the Metropolitan Capacity Assessment Methodology (MetroCAM) as a joint contribution to implement urban sustainable development agendas and bring them to the metropolitan scale. It complements the Unpacking Metropolitan Governance series. With this modular toolbox, urban stakeholders are able to assess existing capacity in a metropolitan setting, future needs, and potential trigger points and finally identify options for change. By tackling a particular metropolitan challenge, the MetroCAM provides instruments and incentives for municipalities to cooperate beyond administrative boundaries.

The MetroCAM is also a process to foster dialogue and build consensus. The first part of the methodology illustrates the required initial steps for a successful assessment, covering aspects like the composition of the assessment team, finding consensus on the most pressing metropolitan challenge and sequencing activities based on resource and time constraints. The heart of the methodology comprises of 12 tools – a bouquet of options which can be selected regarding the specific needs and challenges. The methodology is primarily directed to local and regional governments’ representatives willing to drive the change and engages urban practitioners, metropolitan actors, researchers and development organisations.