This Workshop on the SDG Localisation and Voluntary Local Reviews was held on 28^th – 29^th June, 2023 at Ridar Hotel Seeta convened by the National SDG Secretariat Office of the Prime Minister. The Training was facilitated by the technical team from the National SDG Secretariat. The training was attended by Planners and District Community Development Officers from the selected Local Governments i.e districts and cities.

The workshop sought to build capacity of local Governments in the use of different methods, tools and frameworks in rolling our SDG localisation and conducting Voluntary Local Reviews and guided in the VLR regional guidelines; and to mobilize subnational level stakeholders to accelerate SDG monitoring and reporting in local authorities.

The discussions included: The objectives and rationale for the workshop; Presentation of the VLR Guidelines; Presentation of the Methods, Tools and Frameworks for VLR, and interactive exercise; Linkage between the SDG localization guidelines and VLR guidelines; Sharing the VLR experience in Local Governments: case Study for Ngora DLG; Presentation of the VLR template and integration of VLRs into VNRs; Presentation and discussion of the SDG Localisation Guidelines.

The Secretariat has also developed SDG Localization Guidelines which will support the localization of the SDGs so that Local Governments and other actors at the local level can deliver the SDGs agenda in their respective jurisdictions. They aim to support Local Governments, Local Government Associations (LGAs) and other actors to implement and monitor the SDGs and to influence national policy-making with a view to creating an enabling environment for action at local level. They provide the key steps to securing the commitment of local leaders and actors for the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda which include; agreeing on establishment of structural arrangements at district level; raising the consciousness about the SDGs, lobbying and advocacy for an enabling environment, effective service delivery and; voluntary local reviews, monitoring, documentation, and reporting through a collaborative and multi-stakeholder framework at Local Government level.

Therefore, the workshop was to orient the participants on how to scale up the localization of the SDGs and carryout Voluntary Local Reviews.