The 2nd OECD Roundtable on Cities and Regions for the SDGs was held at the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany, on 9 December 2019, within the scope of the OECD programme on A Territorial Approach to the SDGs. The Roundtable brought together cities, regions, national governments, international organisations, private sector and other key stakeholders to identify trends and challenges in the localisation of the SDGs, including the experiences and key findings from the pilots of the programme.

1. 2nd OECD Roundtable on Cities and Regions for the SDGs
Focus on the Checklist for
public action and pilots’
Action Plans

2. Roundtable provided valuable feedback for the checklist
 Yesterday’s session provided valuable feedback for the checklist for public action
 More than 500 reactions to the checklist
 19 out of the 26 sub-items were agreed on by a majority of the votes

3. Planning, Policies and Strategies
Key take-aways
 Planning should start with local priorities
which are to be (subsequently) linked to the
SDGs
 Local priorities should be developed both
locally and nationally instead of simply
getting imposed by the national government
 The SDGs should be used as a holistic
approach to address local challenges
Results of the Feedback
Define local and regional development visions
95% 5% 0%
Use SDGs to promote synergies
95% 5% 0%
Design international cooperation and activities
94% 6% 0%
Use SDGs to address concrete local challenges
83% 14% 3%
Combine stakeholder consultation & scientific evidence
42% 58% 0%
Identify place-based priorities
26% 68% 5%
Carry out network analyses
15% 38% 46%
Note: Total values above or below 100% possible due to rounding
Agree with the checklist sub-item
Agree, but to be reworded
Not relevant, to be rephrased

4. Multi-level governance
Results of the Feedback
Use SDGs to promote vertical coordination
96% 4% 0%
Develop capacity building programmes across
government levels
83% 17% 0%
Identify and test new governance models
83% 11% 6%
Engage regions and cities in Voluntary National
Reviews
76% 24% 0%
Use SDGs to implement national territorial reforms
57% 19% 24%
Note: Total values above or below 100% possible due to rounding
Key take-aways
Agree with the checklist sub-item
Agree, but to be reworded
Not relevant, to be rephrased
 Existing models of governance should be
improved to advance the implementation
 The purpose of reforms should be defined
 Capacity building should also target internal
staff of the administration

5. Financing and Budgeting
 There is the need to look at procurement
legislation and formulate clear criteria for
sustainability
 The term “Better decisions related to
budgeting” needs to be clarified – better in
terms of environment conservation or
financial savings?
 Public procurement offices on the subnational
level need support structures to implement
sustainability in procurement
Results of the Feedback
Integrate SDGs in budgeting
100% 0% 0%
Attract new investors using the SDGs
81% 19% 0%
Use sustainable public procurement
58% 39% 3%
Drive better budget decisions through goal
prioritisation
31% 46% 23%
Note: Total values above or below 100% possible due to rounding
Key take-aways
Agree with the checklist sub-item
Agree, but to be reworded
Not relevant, to be rephrased

6. Data and Information
 Common indicators are central to SDG
reporting across different levels
 Benchmarking between different cities is
perceived to be difficult because of the
different local contexts
 The SDGs should be used to track progress
rather than one-stop-shop picture
Results of the Feedback
Use indicators to tell a story
88% 12% 0%
Combine administrative and functional data
76% 24% 0%
Strengthen indicators to monitor progress
76% 20% 4%
Document better local and regional performance
45% 45% 10%
Note: Total values above or below 100% possible due to rounding
Key take-aways
Agree with the checklist sub-item
Agree, but to be reworded
Not relevant, to be rephrased

7. Engagement
 Knowledge sharing regarded as one of the best
practices for achieving the SDGs
 Education and the engagement of the youth
and civil society are seen as key elements to
achieve the SDGs – but needs of older
generations are to be considered as well
 Private sector seen as another key actor,
engagement of the private sector should go
beyond public private partnerships
Results of the Feedback
Support private sector contribution to the SDGs
78% 22% 0%
Engage civil society and citizens
67% 30% 3%
Use SDGs as tool for "public service motivation"
56% 44% 0%
Use a combination of various tools
55% 45% 3%
Put in place frameworks to support initiatives
38% 54% 13%
Note: Total values above or below 100% possible due to rounding
Key take-aways
Agree with the checklist sub-item
Agree, but to be reworded
Not relevant, to be rephrased

8. TOWARDS AN
SDGS ACTION PLAN FOR PILOTS

9. Instructions for the breakout discussion on the OECD
Checklist for Public Action
The Action Plan presents a
number of objectives for each
of the recommendations, in
terms of expected outcomes.

10. Instructions for the breakout discussion on the OECD
Checklist for Public Action
Set of actions that can be useful
in advancing towards the
achievement of the objectives.

11. Instructions for the breakout discussion on the OECD
Checklist for Public Action
Relevant practices carried out in the
field of the localising the SDGs by
cities, regions and national
governments as well as international
organisations that can serve as
inspiration.

12. Instructions for the breakout discussion on the OECD
Checklist for Public Action
Stakeholders, institutions
or organisations that can
play a (leading) role in the
execution of the actions.

13. Instructions for the breakout discussion on the OECD
Checklist for Public Action
Necessary to prioritise the
recommendations within the short,
medium and long term. These time scales
are indicative and should be updated as
actions are being implemented.