The success of the SDG agenda depends on local action. Mobilizing and training local officials to rally behind the SDGs is thus a perquisite of achieving this shared agenda. In line with this, FLACMA, UCLG, UNDP and the Association of Bolivian Municipalities (ABM) co-organized a one-day workshop on the SDGs in Bolivia, for employees working within local government organizations and in the presence of other key stakeholders.
The main aim of the workshop was to ‘train the trainers’. The workshop covered topics such as the importance of localizing the SDGS, challenges and opportunities, the role of local and regional authorities to increase the citizens’ understanding on the importance of the goals and the importance given to the local and regional authorities on this agenda. At the end of the training, participants, primarily technical staff members, were encouraged to take the lessons to their peers at the local level, thereby building a network of SDG ambassadors. Ultimately, this approach should strengthen the local capacity to realize sustainable change.
The unique position of LGAs
Given the nature and network of Local Government Associations (LGAs), they are in a unique position to contribute to the dissemination of the SDG agenda. In fact, one may see it as their responsibility to both enthuse and train local governments on the SDGs. This workshop, that took place during the during the 2nd Regional Forum for Local Economic Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, wholeheartedly embraced that responsibility.