TOWARDS THE LOCALIZATION OF THE SDGs
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Conclusions
Over the past year and a half, the COVID-19 sanitary and socio-economic crisis has put our societies and institutions under unprecedented strain. The pandemic and its multifaceted consequences have had a dramatic impact on all dimensions of human life around the world. The virus has taken well over 3.5 million lives worldwide and undermined decades of development efforts. As stated by the UN SecretaryGeneral in his 2021 SDG Progress Report, the pandemic has stalled and has even reverted advances achieved in what are critical areas for humanity, such as reducing poverty and making improvements in the fields of maternal and child health care, education, and gender equality. It has been estimated that approximately an additional 120 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty, 255 million full-time jobs have been lost, and an additional 101 million children have fallen below minimum reading proficiency levels. These alarming figures underscore a drastic increase in global inequality, the extent of which we will only be able to determine in the medium to long term.
Against this grim backdrop, it is more important than ever to intensify the efforts made to fulfil the commitments of the global sustainability agendas. The 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreement, New Urban Agenda, Sendai Framework and Addis Ababa Action Agenda, together with numerous regional commitments, must guide our actions and the response and recovery from the pandemic in a safe, just, green and sustainable way. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, LRGs have consistently stepped up as the front line of defence for their populations. LRGs have redoubled efforts to ensure the continuity of public services and reorganised their priorities to put care at the centre of the crisis response. In these trying times for humanity, LRGs have reaffirmed their commitment to promoting sustainable development without leaving anyone behind. Nevertheless, the pandemic has drastically affected the means of implementation available to LRGs and the allocation of powers and responsibilities between different levels of government. Indeed, the crisis has shaken public budgets and multi-level governance systems, having a direct impact on how
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