Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former head of UNDP, visited The Netherlands last week to discuss with different audiences the leadership role of governments in realising the Sustainable Development Goals. Reason is the SDG-summit in September, when heads of states will discuss the SDGs for the first time since the adoption of the “2030 Agenda” in 2015.
Considering the huge challenges ahead, Helen Clark believes government leaders need to show more ambition and step up their efforts to translate the Global Goals in national and local development plans. The director of The Hague Academy, Cecile Meijs, joined a lunch meeting with representatives from politics, government and businesses, to discuss drivers of change, obstacles, inspiring examples, opportunities and strategies to increase awareness and involve leaders more.
In The Netherlands, already 60 Dutch municipalities are active as “Global Goal-municipality”, an initiative by VNG International. The Hague Academy for Local Governance contributes a.o. by organising the international training “Localising the SDGs” in July. The training is designed for professionals at donor and development agencies who support governments in implementing the SDGs.
Summercourse: Localising the SDGs
Decentralisation is an instrument to achieve development. In this course, participants will learn how decentralisation contributes to inclusive economic growth. The course will take into account the different challenges that governments face in a development context and focus on how donor involvement can encourage this process. How can the SDGs be translated into local policies? During this Summercourse from 29 June to 3 July 2020, participants will discuss how donor and development agencies can support a multilevel governance approach to deal with future development challenges.