Voluntary Local Review Handbook for Pacific Island Local Authorities

Building on MSDI’s Pacific region SDG engagement

As part of MSDI’s project to engage with Pacific stakeholders on the opportunities and challenges of implementing the 2030 Agenda, we identified that localising the SDGs is a critical component for driving sustainable development progress. The Voluntary Local Review – or VLR – is a key tool in the localisation process.

The VLR opportunity

The VLR process guided subnational urban communities in assessing, reporting and monitoring the ways in which sustainable development – and the 2030 Agenda – is being fulfilled within their local context. The VLR was an excellent opportunity for civil engagement, for identifying critical issues of high importance for the community, and for designing and implementing locally-driven solutions for both short and long-term sustainability, using the SDGs as the guiding framework.

The challenge

Twelve Pacific Island nations conducted a Voluntary National Review (VNR) to assess their national progress on the SDGs, with a 13th underway. However, at the time of writing, only one Pacific Island country or territory has embarked upon a subnational level VLR process. There was no shortage of enthusiasm or commitment by Pacific Island urban communities to undertake the VLR process, however there was a lack of traction in moving from enthusiasm to action.

The vision

To support a greater participation in the VLR process at the subnational level in Pacific Island countries and territories, MSDI developed a context-specific VLR Handbook, with specific relevance at the local level. The Handbook aims to:

• Provide a high-level overview of the VLR process. This includes:
  • Outlining what is involved in conducting a VLR, and the different approaches that can be employed.
  • Outlining what capabilities and resources are needed for conducting a VLR.
• Highlight the community benefits of undertaking a VLR. For example, facilitating civic engagement, and providing an opportunity to streamline local-national policy action.
• Provide practical examples and resources. For example, how to scope targets, and where and how to locate region-specific data.
• Outline the next steps for undertaking a VLR.
• Act as an advocacy and engagement tool to garner broader political and non-political actor support for undertaking a VLR.

As part of the development of the Handbook, MSDI was fortunate to have the opportunity to share and discuss the Handbook drafts with key Pacific local authority stakeholders and experts as part of the 10th Asia Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development in March 2023 and the Suva City Council VLR Inception Workshop in May 2023.

You can read more about these discussions on the GSDR Blog:

• Exploring the importance of VLRs in the Pacific (Blog Post #13)
• A fantastic week for MSDI at the 10th Asia Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development
  (Blog Post #12)
• A strong focus was on accelerating and localising the SDGs
  (Blog Post #11)