2.3 Four obstacles to the implementation of Agenda 2030 at local level

As briefly described above, the Italian Regions and Autonomous Provinces have been called upon to implement, also at institutional level, the SNSvS and to equip themselves with a regional strategy to achieve the objectives and targets defined by Agenda 2030. Through a transfer of resources from the State to the Regions, in view of the sending of an expression of interest and a project proposal, the latter have received planning and spending capacity for activities concerning the implementation of Agenda 2030. This path represented a first step for the localization of the SDGs.

Although there is still a wide gap between the Regions of Northern and Southern Italy, the territorialisation of the SDGs can be considered as having started at the regional level. However, it should be underlined that it is at local level, in the daily dialogues with the citizens and in the cascading of the strategy on the basis of the priorities and needs of each territory, that the SDGs express their potential. Localizing the agenda means, in fact, shaping it according to the peculiarities of the different contexts and structuring a path of sustainable development not standardized but representative of the territories. To facilitate this process, it is necessary to set up an institutional framework that guarantees coordination, facilitates the involvement of the main stakeholders and makes integration between different territorial levels (from national to local) effective in order to standardize policies and manage resources effectively23 . The road is still long and this is probably the main challenge for the players involved in the Agenda 2030 implementation process and the missing piece.

The main elements that hinder the participation of local authorities (in particular cities, municipalities and provinces) in the implementation of the Agenda concern, first of all, the capacity of

the policy to create awareness and empower

local administrators in the effort to guide their communities towards a sustainable development path, compatible with the commitments made at national and international level. Municipalities, cities and provinces can be real agents of change, since SDGs are linked to government programmes, including local ones. Additionally, the recognition and proximity of leaders to their territories represents a further element of strengthening and legitimization of Agenda 2030.

Secondly, it is advisable to avoid selecting the SDGs most favourable to a given territory by focusing, for example, on a specific project, but consider the agenda in its entirety, so that it can be fully integrated with government programmes, priorities and needs expressed by citizens.

The absence of data providing a snapshot of the situation of the implementation of Agenda 2030 at provincial and municipal level represents the third critical element of the SDGs location path. As seen above, ISTAT has examined the positioning of the Italian Regions and Autonomous Provinces with respect to the Sustainable Development Objectives and it can be assumed that the Regions with greater planning capacity on Agenda 2030 issues have transferred adequate economic resources and tools to local authorities. Apart from some good practices presented in the framework of Venice City Solutions 2019, and a collection of the good practices of AICCRE, we do not know exactly

what the progress of the implementation of SNSvS in the Italian municipalities and provinces is.

The fourth challenge that characterizes the path of localization of SDGs, concerns, as anticipated, the financial resources. It is the Regions that promote the activities of local administrations, which do not have their own spending capacity but contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the regional strategy24. A greater responsibility and empowerment of local authorities, also from the economic point of view, could accelerate the implementation of the national and regional strategy also at local level.

“Agenda 2030 must become popular, otherwise we won’t win the bet” - Gianni Bottalico, Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS)

As ASviS we firmly believe that the challenges and goals of Agenda 2030 can be fully achieved in territories and communities. Regions, cities and municipalities are moving towards cultural and organizational change, and the Sustainable Alliance is working alongside national and local institutions to support them in this great development project. Agenda 2030 must become “popular”, otherwise we will not win the bet we have set ourselves for the future.