Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Marking India’s first city-level Voluntary Local Review (VLR) of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the city of Bhopal has joined the growing global movement on the localization of the ambitious targets for the prosperity of the planet.
In this connection, an ‘Agenda for Action: Sustainable Urban Transformation in Bhopal’ was launched today by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and some other dignitaries here.
It was in 2015 that all 193 Member States of the United Nations adopted “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (known as Agenda 2030) comprising 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets as a plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity.
The member states report their progress towards the achievement of the Goals through a Voluntary National Review (VNR) to UN’s High Level Political Forum (HLPF).
Cities and region have a pivotal role to play in the achievement of Agenda 2030, as at least 60% of the 169 targets could not possibly be achieved.
A Voluntary Local Review thus enables cities and regions to localize the Sustainable Development Goals and report their progress.
VLRs have emerged as a powerful tool that forefronts local action.
New York City became the first city to present its Voluntary Local Review to the UN’s HLPF in 2018.
By 2021, some 33 countries had made publicly available 114 VLRs or similar review documents.
Bhopal’s VLR is the result of a collaboration between the Bhopal Municipal Corporation, UN-Habitat, and a collective of over 23 local stakeholders to measurably demonstrate the city’s aspirations for a sustainable and inclusive urban transformation.
It incorporated a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches to the review of SDGs with qualitative mapping of 56 developmental projects–across the three pillars of People (SDGs 1,3,4,5), Planet (SDGs 6,13,15) and Prosperity (SDGs 7,8,11) — and an in-depth quantitative review of SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities).
“Bhopal VLR is a result of over one year of combined efforts of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation and UN-Habitat,” said KVS Choudhary, Commissioner of Bhopal Municipal Corporation.
“This report reflects the commitment of Bhopal Municipal Corporation towards the localization of SDGs. And while efforts spanning several months have culminated with the publication of this report, the real work begins now,” the official added.
