The long-term horizon of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) poses a challenge to any elected government since their achievement depends on sustained efforts across multiple election cycles. While municipal governments and mayors across the world voluntarily demonstrate significant leadership on sustainable development, they face special challenges in advancing progress, as their policy choices are often more constrained and their internal capacity more limited than national counterparts. As a result, for example, many U.S. cities have made limited progress on their climate change pledges. The expectations for a quick and sure economic recovery from COVID-19 add additional pressure to rebalance local priorities in favor of short-term growth at the expense of considering long-term consequences.

As cities seek to consolidate and institutionalize longer-term commitments to the SDGs, several common approaches are beginning to emerge.

  1.  Some cities are turning to resolutions and other political mandates to secure the SDG agenda across political cycles.
  2. New models of governance spurred by the SDGs can create “facts on the ground” that make it more likely to sustain efforts over time.
  3. Integrating the SDGs into regular city decision-making processes, such as the budgetary process, can also enable consistency.
  4.  Cities can promote citizen participation to secure long-term buy-in.

The aspirations and principles of the SDGs will become durable at the local level when expectations and behavior change across community norms, governance structures, and policymaking. Building an SDG-oriented culture, both within and beyond city government, can create a sense of shared momentum and similar priorities among all stakeholders. What is perhaps most powerful is that the SDGs are providing a common language and framework that forward-thinking localities are using to enable such shifts. Whether or not future elected administrations continue to use SDG branding, there are indications that commitments to equity and sustainability can be mainstreamed into city processes, and that the expectations of external stakeholders and citizens can shift to ensure continued political attention. This may be the lasting legacy of the “SDG effect.”

Read the full article about local commitments to the SDGs by Anthony F. Pipa and Max Bouchet at Brookings.