Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) The future FEAD: Exploring innovative tools to support Europe’s

THE FUTURE IS LOCAL AND SOCIAL!

Cities social services role in the implementation of SDG11

Representatives from social services in several European cities met to discuss their role in the development and implementation of local inclusion and sustainability strategies to advance SDG 11- Make

cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and

sustainable.

The discussion took place in the form of a webinar on 2 and 3 April in cooperation with ESN member, the Department of Social Protection of the City of Zagreb, and the support of the Croatian Presidency of the European Union. Participants addressed cities social planning and strategies to improve housing and fight homelessness. Delegates learnt about best practices from Tel Aviv, Zagreb, Barcelona, Riga, and cities in the Gothenburg region. They also discussed challenges and recommendations in the development and implementation of city strategies advancing SDG11.

Central role of social services in local inclusion strategies

Cities social services are central in the development and implementation of local inclusion and sustainability strategies advancing SDG11, as they plan, finance, manage, deliver services and work directly with the vulnerable populations that the SDGs intend to serve.

Cities social strategies should be: • Inclusive of all relevant stakeholders in the community; • Coordinated between different levels of government, sectors and agencies; ncies; • Carefully drafted, evidencebased, long-term and built on continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure their sustainability.

This policy briefing discusses the role of cities’ social services in the development and implementation of local inclusion and sustainability strategies advancing SDG11. It includes challenges and recommendations in cities social planning and housing and homelessness, as well as several practice examples from cities’ social services advancing the Sustainable Development Agenda across Europe.