As of 2019, the United States was not on track to achieve a single Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) by 2030. Trends across multiple indicators linked to SDG targets, such as maternal mortality, overdose and suicide rates, and proficiency in reading and math, suggest that the future health and well-being of American youth, women, and minority racial and ethnic groups are particularly at risk. Yet the United States has mostly ignored any relevance of the SDGs to its domestic priorities. It is one of only five countries not to have submitted a review of its progress at the United Nations (UN).

By contrast, several US cities have been at the forefront of adapting the SDGs to accelerate solutions to local problems while contributing to global progress. For example, New York City created the innovative concept of a Voluntary Local Review (VLR), based on the Voluntary National Reviews that nations submit to the UN, in which local and regional governments adopt and track their progress toward the SDGs. Their innovation has in turn launched a global movement, with more than 200 local governments worldwide submitting VLRs.

Encouraging as well is US cities benefiting from the lessons and innovations shared by a diverse set of global peers—from Global North and Global South, cities large and small. While facilitating the Brookings Institution’s SDG Leadership Cities Network, which has brought together senior officials from 20 vanguard cities around the world to help accelerate their progress on sustainable development issues, we have seen firsthand how the regular exchange of experiences, challenges, and innovations has resulted in pragmatic action and new initiatives. Relying upon the universal nature and common language of the SDGs—and inspired by their interactions and relationships with their global counterparts —the participating US cities have become acknowledged leaders in taking on tough transnational issues through local action.

Their experiences show how the interdependencies of the SDGs come to life at the local level: Ending homelessness requires addressing issues of poverty, mental and physical health, quality employment, environmental justice, and climate change—in addition to safe and affordable housing. The activities of these cities demonstrate the relevance of the SDGs in the United States and their utility as a platform from which scalable multidisciplinary solutions on a wide range of issues might grow.

Read the full article about global progress on SDGs by Anthony F. Pipa and Kait Pendrak at Stanford Social Innovation Review.