Local2030 Coalition High Impact Initiative Special Event at the 2025 High-level Political Forum (HLPF) “Scaling up Local Innovation for Systemic SDG Impact”

Local2030 Coalition High Impact Initiative Special Event at the 2025 High-level Political Forum (HLPF) "Scaling up Local Innovation for Systemic SDG Impact"

Angélica Jácome, Director, FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York

16/07/2025

Your Excellencies, Esteemed Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the Special Event of the Local2030 Coalition at the 2025 High-Level Political Forum, dedicated to "Scaling up Local Innovation for Systemic SDG Impact".

It has now become a valued tradition to hold this Special Event during the HLPF. More than just a tradition, however, this moment serves as a meaningful platform for dialogue and collaboration where local governments, civil society, youth, and UN agencies come together to assess progress, share insights, and strengthen partnerships. Such collective commitment is essential as we continue to navigate a complex and rapidly evolving path toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

As Co-Chair of the Local2030 Coalition, FAO remains fully committed to the mission of SDG localization. We are proud to advance this agenda together with UN-Habitat and other UN entities and coalition partners.

This year's HLPF comes at a critical time. As we enter the final years of the 2030 Agenda, the world continues to face interconnected global challenges-from food security, and more intense and frequent climate shocks to inequalities and conflicts. In this context, the importance of local action has never been clearer.

Today's event places a spotlight on local innovation as a key lever for SDG localization and a driver of systemic transformation. Localization is not simply about bringing global goals closer to communities, it is about redesigning development to ensure all stakeholders can participate and that everyone can reap the benefits.

Over the past year, the Local2030 Coalition has continued to evolve. It is becoming an increasingly action-oriented, member-driven platform, delivering meaningful results through collective work.

Our Working Groups are functioning effectively - Working Group 1 is turning global ambition into actionable local strengths, while Working Group 2 is ensuring resources are mobilized to support implementation on the ground.

We've also seen growing uptake of the Localization Marker, which is now being used more systematically to track progress, align financing, and inform decision-making-particularly within the Joint SDG Fund.

Over the past two years, FAO has demonstrated leadership and technical support as an active co-chair, organizing key side events and high-level meetings, including during HLPF 2023 and 2024, the Food Systems Summit+2 Stocktaking Moment, the 2023 SDG Summit, the Summit of the Future 2024 and COP28 and 29.

FAO is also actively contributing to this collective effort by promoting localized, inclusive approaches to sustainable development.

In May 2025, FAO contributed to the Bilbao Local Finance Design Sprint, helping co-develop six territorial finance solutions for agrifood systems and green economy transitions. Through this process, we brought both Headquarters expertise and country-level experience, and we continue to support the implementation of these solutions through our geospatial and investment-planning tools.

We are also advancing participatory planning approaches in countries like Colombia, where the Sustainable Agrifood Systems Intelligence (SASI) initiative has engaged diverse actors to co-design localized financing frameworks for sustainable agrifood systems. Similarly, in Bolivia over 4,600 community leaders have been trained in climate-sensitive development, while in Ethiopia, inclusive diagnostics have informed investment decisions under the Hand-in-Hand Initiative.

Today, you will hear from a wide range of stakeholders who are demonstrating that local ownership, innovation, and collaboration are delivering real and measurable results.

From the Bilbao Blueprint to the operationalization of the High Impact Initiative on Localization, this Coalition is demonstrating that localization is a key accelerator for achieving the SDGs.

Looking ahead, contributions from today's Special Event will be featured in the upcoming report of the High-Impact Initiative on Localization by the Local2030 Coalition. This report will demonstrate how SDG localization drives systemic transformation and overcomes persistent barriers through bold, locally led solutions. It will highlight innovative policies, financing mechanisms, and partnerships aligned with the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs under review at this year's HLPF. The report will also provide actionable policy recommendations and scalable strategies with catalytic impacts across the SDG framework.

Its insights will contribute to global processes in 2025 and 2026, strengthening local capacities ahead of the 2027 SDG Summit and reinforcing localization as a key driver in the final stretch toward 2030.

In closing, let us recommit ourselves to the cause of SDG localization. Let us leverage the momentum generated by the Local2030 Coalition to amplify our impact, foster partnerships, and mobilize resources at all levels of governance. The challenges we face are multiple and diverse, but so too are the opportunities if we work together with determination and innovation.

Thank you for your dedication and unwavering commitment to building a more sustainable future for all. Together, let us unlock transformative change through the localization of the SDGs.

Thank you very much.