TOWARDS THE LOCALIZATION OF THE SDGs
4.1
Introduction and methodology This Section analyses local and regional government contributions towards the recovery from COVID-19. It adopts an approach based on the concept of “Health in All Policies” (HiAP). This provides a powerful and operational lens through which to conduct public policy across different sectors and to systematically consider the health implications of different decisions, detect synergies, and avoid harmful impacts on heath (see Box 4.1). This Section therefore particularly focuses on health (SDG 3), looking for interlinkages with poverty (SDG 1), hunger (SDG 2), employment and decent jobs (SDG 8), inequalities (SDG 10), addressing climate change and building up resilience (SDG 13), sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12), effective institutions (SDG 16) and partnerships for the SDGs (SDG 17).1 The analysis of the initiatives implemented by LRGs is structured around 4 “pillars”, which have been inspired by the “5 Ps” of the 2030 Agenda: People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace and Partnerships. All the pillars follow the same structure. Firstly, they introduce a brief explanation of the pillar and the main impacts that COVID-19 has had on the SDGs concerned. Secondly, COVID-19 responses are presented by type and are related to concrete experiences
from LRGs around the world. The analysis takes into account the wide variety in the distribution of responsibilities across different LRG levels (also called “subnational government levels” or “SNG levels”; see Table 4.1) and the fact that responses may not necessarily apply to all the different levels of subnational government. The majority of countries have either one level or two levels of subnational government (approximately 30% and 48% of countries, respectively), whereas a minority of countries (28%) also have a third level (departments, districts, counties, etc.).2 Furthermore, complexity in the distribution of responsibilities can also lead to competing and overlapping competences. For instance, in most federal countries, state governments (provinces, regions, Länder) have wider responsibilities than lower tiers of government. In general, state constitutions or laws, decide on the responsibilities devolved to, or shared with, municipal levels. In contrast, in unitary countries, the assignment of responsibilities is decided by national laws. Some of the responsibilities devolved to subnational governments may be mandatory, while others are optional. All these considerations are key factors to bear in mind, as they have a direct impact on how LRGs are responding to the pandemic and promoting sustainable responses and just recovery.
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