Summary

Through the resources for the alignment of local policies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Practical Guide for Developing the Local 2030 Agenda, advisory services and technical support are offered for the alignment and localization of local policies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. A meeting and participation space for Local Entities is also created, allowing for the exchange of experiences and good practices for SDG localization and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The Provincial Council of Barcelona will publish the contributed experiences on a Map available on the website www.diba.cat/ods.

The recipients of the resources vary according to the type of resource, as they have been defined precisely to address diverse needs. In all cases, they are aimed at Comarcal Councils. Municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants within the Barcelona demarcation are the recipients of the Practical Guide for Developing the Local 2030 Agenda, as it offers a methodological guideline and the necessary support for these municipalities to develop their own 2030 Agenda. In the case of the technical resource for SDG alignment, it is aimed at municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants. Finally, the relational technical resource of the experience exchange platform makes no distinction based on the number of inhabitants; working groups will only be formed with entities of similar characteristics to optimize results.

Access to the resource is established through a competitive bidding process, and access requirements will be stipulated upon its publication. In all cases, monitoring and evaluation of the projects developed by the service provider unit of the Provincial Council of Barcelona, the 2030 Agenda and Participation Service, and more specifically, the 2030 Agenda and SDGs Unit, will be carried out.

Project Classification

Localization and implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the Local Entity.

SDG 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

SDG 2. Zero Hunger.

SDG 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

SDG 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

SDG 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

SDG 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

SDG 7. Affordable and Clean Energy.

SDG 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

SDG 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

SDG 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries.

SDG 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

SDG 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

SDG 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

SDG 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

SDG 15. Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

SDG 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

SDG 17. Partnerships for the Goals.

 

Timing

The project is part of the 2021-2023 Service Catalogue: Xarxa de Governs Locals 2021 of the Provincial Council of Barcelona. In accordance with the corresponding calls, the resource is expected to also be available for the years 2022 and 2023. For 2021, the request period for Local Entities with more than 20,000 inhabitants and Comarcal Councils was from February 1, 2021, to March 4, 2021. For Local Entities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants and Comarcal Councils, this period extends from February 1, 2021, to April 30, 2021. Access to the knowledge exchange platform on SDG localization among Local Entities is from 07/01/2021 to 09/30/2021. The general deadline for execution and justification is 12/31/2021.

Self-assessment block

PLANNING What were the objectives set for the project?

The main strategic objective is to promote effective local policies and institutions that co-create public value, integrating the principles and objectives of the 2030 Agenda. Local Entities play a fundamental role in achieving this and it is linked to SDG 16 of the Global Agenda (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

The operational objectives of the project have been to provide, through different types of resources, advisory services and technical support for the alignment and localization of local policies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, as well as to create a meeting and participation space for Local Entities, allowing for the exchange of experiences and good practices in this area and promoting them through the creation of a Map and search engine for local experiences.

Access to resources and the evaluation of projects developed by Local Entities will be monitored and assessed by the service provider unit of the Provincial Council of Barcelona, in order to foster transparency and efficiency in public management, as indicated in SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

IMPACT What are the positive impacts of the project?

Local Entities, through access to the project’s resources, adopt the United Nations 2030 Agenda, as well as its sustainable development goals and targets. Therefore, they contribute to achieving the global agenda, and Local Entities are key to its success. This materializes in:

1. Improving the efficiency, viability, and adequacy of local policies and services.
2. Complying with transparency regulations and fostering local cooperation through partnerships.
3. Establishing actions based on the institution’s strategic objectives aligned with the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
4. Creation and evaluation of public policies with transformative and innovative capacity linked to the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
5. Providing spaces for communication and specialized training for local public employees and their relationship with key stakeholders in the 2030 Agenda.
6. Analysis of the results of the project presented by the Local Entity.
7. Dissemination of local experiences regarding the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.
8. Establishing that access to public resources and funding is based on objective criteria, with transparency and equal opportunities.

Impact measurements will be established once the projects have been developed, based on indicators from the Local Entities. Currently, the Provincial Council of Barcelona is working on a set of indicators, which can be consulted on the Provincial Council of Barcelona/SDGs website, so that Local Entities can measure the achievement of the objectives set in the different projects linked to the SDGs.

INNOVATION What are the most novel aspects? What challenge/problem is addressed?

The most innovative aspect of the project lies in its adaptability to the different characteristics and realities of Local Entities. This is reflected in the design of the resources, advisory services, and technical support for the alignment and localization of local policies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, offered by the Provincial Council of Barcelona.

On the one hand, it innovatively allows smaller municipalities (fewer than 20,000 inhabitants) to primarily facilitate the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Local Entities through the practical resource of the Practical Guide for Developing a Local 2030 Agenda. Advisory services are also offered in different sessions to support this process. Therefore, the methodology to be followed already has a novel character regarding facilitating the autonomy of Local Entities while providing them with the necessary support.

The creation of a space for participation by Local Entities is also innovative, as it facilitates innovation and co-creation. Technological resources will also be used to make local experiences and good practices in SDG localization and 2030 Agenda implementation available to citizens and other Local Entities.

In any case, one of the main challenges is that Local Entities must find a balance and respond to the spheres articulated by the 2030 Agenda: people, planet, prosperity, and partnerships, through their municipal actions to enjoy socially sustainable municipalities and cities with economic progress.

METHODOLOGY What methodology was followed for its implementation?

The process of defining the resources, the subject of this project, is established from the creation of the Service Catalogue of the Provincial Council of Barcelona, which this year offers as a novelty a stable offer for the 2021-2023 period, more simplified and aligned with the corporate strategy of the Mandate Action Plan and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Therefore, the definition of the resources that comprise it, and specifically the resources we are concerned with, is oriented from the outset towards achieving the objectives set by the 2030 Agenda.

The specific purpose of this offer is to facilitate planning for Local Entities to meet demands, especially those of a social and economic nature, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, through resources that allow, in the face of these challenges, progress in all spheres that make up the 2030 Agenda.

Under the previous premise, this project is also developed based on an internal evaluation report, the previous year’s Cataloging Report, and together with the responses from quality surveys conducted with Local Entities that have requested resources, they give us a pulse of the current needs of Local Entities and allow us to see what changes we need to make to adjust to these needs.

The team of the Directorate of Local Cooperation Services and the specialized technicians in the Planning and evaluation of service quality, offered by the corporation, play a fundamental role in the planning and design of resources, providing tools to the 2030 Agenda and Planning Service, as the final service provider unit.

CONDITIONING FACTORS What conditions must be met for the project to be successfully replicated (in a similar context)?

This project, which brings together different technical resources to advise and support the localization of local SDG policies, ensures that it can be successfully extrapolated to a similar context because it adapts to different realities and needs: enabling the Local Entity to carry it out autonomously (with a practical guide and explanatory sessions) or, otherwise, for the localization and alignment to be done by the Provincial Council of Barcelona.

Regarding the platform for exchanging experiences of Local Entities on the 2030 Agenda, the information will be public for the Barcelona demarcation and could be extrapolated to other similar realities.

The viability of the project also relies on the technical advice of the Provincial Council of Barcelona, as it offers expertise in supporting, aligning, localizing, and monitoring the results of the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals. This condition is key for its export to other institutions to have a positive outcome.

A similar context would refer to Municipalities and Comarcal Councils in other territories outside the Barcelona demarcation.

REPLICATE/SCALE/TRANSFER What elements should be considered for the project to be replicated in another Local Entity? What resources are needed?

The methodology is replicated in Municipalities and Comarcal Councils within the territorial demarcation of the province of Barcelona, provided they meet the conditions stipulated for access to the resource, as per the Service Catalogue of the Provincial Council of Barcelona. Specifically, all municipalities and Comarcal Councils can access the project’s service, depending on the characteristics of each technical resource.

To carry out the project, personal and material resources are needed to offer the high degree of quality requirements associated with the resources of the Service Catalogue of the Provincial Council of Barcelona.

The criteria for evaluating and prioritizing the different applications submitted are objective. A minimum score is established for access, and the evaluation of projects will be determined based on the Degree of technical quality; Degree of transversality, Degree of political leadership and execution of the action, and previous actions related to the SDGs.

More specifically, it is determined whether it can be applied to the applicant Local Entities based on:

1. The degree of technical quality of the project regarding planning, execution, and expository clarity.
2. The adequacy of the Local Entity’s needs to the type of resource requested.
3. Whether the work can be completed within the specified timeframe.
4. Whether it has a transversal nature internally (involves all areas).
5. The degree of dissemination and/or communication that will be carried out to ensure the project’s success.
6. The impetus or involvement of the highest officials of the council.
7. The existence of a technical team with structure and coordination.
8. The possibility of continuity and stability of the action.

In the case of access to the exchange platform on local experiences in the 2030 Agenda and SDGs, demonstrable prior experience in the application of the 2030 Agenda by the Local Entity will be required.

The objective is for the project to be replicable until 2023, and to be offered annually, in accordance with the corresponding calls.

STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT Which local stakeholders have been involved in the project (citizens, third sector organizations, private sector, academic sector, etc.)? How was this involvement achieved?

The definition and approval of the project have been developed internally within the Corporation, with cross-functional teams from different specialized work areas that have supported the service provider unit: The 2030 Agenda and Participation Service, and more specifically, the 2030 Agenda and SDGs Unit.

Internal support has primarily come from other areas of the Corporate Strategy and Local Concertation Coordination, to which the provider Unit also belongs. The Planning and Evaluation Unit works jointly with the technicians providing services and projects aimed at local entities, to adapt them to the needs expressed and achieve maximum effectiveness and efficiency.

In the case of the Practical Guide for Developing the Local 2030 Agenda resource, contact was also made, regarding the preparation of the practical resource document, which is essential for its development, with the collaboration of representatives from 6 local entities in the province (4 Municipalities and 2 Comarcal Councils) with previous experience in localizing the SDGs and implementing the 2030 Agenda in their territory.

At an operational level, work has been carried out with all involved stakeholders from Local Entities eligible to request financial resources: political and technical teams.

INTERNAL COORDINATION How was the project coordinated internally within the Local Entity?

Project coordination has been developed internally within the corporation. The Corporate Strategy and Local Concertation Coordination, to which the provider Unit also belongs (The 2030 Agenda and Participation Service, and more specifically, the 2030 Agenda and SDGs Unit), has evaluated the project’s viability and characteristics. The Planning and Evaluation Service, which works jointly with the technicians providing these services, provides information to adapt them to the needs expressed by Local Entities and achieve maximum effectiveness and efficiency.

Finally, the project, which is included in the Service Catalogue of the Provincial Council of Barcelona, is approved by the Governing Board, by delegation of the Presidency, and officially published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona for public dissemination.

PARTNERSHIPS Have other institutions been involved in achieving the set objectives?

Provincial Council of Barcelona and the Local Entities requesting advisory resources: Municipalities of different population sizes depending on the type of technical resource, and Comarcal Councils.

In the case of the Practical Guide for Developing the Local 2030 Agenda resource, contact was also made, regarding the preparation of the practical resource document, which is essential for its development, with the collaboration of representatives from 6 local entities in the province (4 Municipalities and 2 Comarcal Councils) with previous experience in localizing the SDGs and implementing the 2030 Agenda in their territory.

RESULTS/MEASUREMENT Have the project results been measured based on local indicators?

Project-related results measurements are carried out using the Provincial Council’s own methodology, associated with measuring the results and impacts of the service provided to local entities that have requested resources (Planning and Evaluation Service). The criteria considered have been, according to the type of technical resource:

-Technical resources: “Alignment of local policies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” and “Practical Guide for Developing the Local 2030 Agenda”:

1. Ensure that 100% of the evaluations made by local entities regarding the adjustment of the provided resource to their needs are equal to or greater than 5 out of 10 points.
2. 50% of resource approvals or denials must be communicated within a maximum of 90 working days from the receipt of the application, but never more than 5 months.
3. 70% of the evaluations made by local entities regarding the usefulness of the delivered product are equal to or greater than 8 out of 10 points.

-Relational technical resource: “Knowledge exchange platform on SDG localization among local entities”:

1. Ensure that 100% of the evaluations made by local entities regarding the adjustment of the provided resource to their needs are equal to or greater than 5 out of 10 points.
2. 50% of resource approvals or denials must be communicated within a maximum of 55 working days from the receipt of the application, but never more than 5 months.
3. 70% of the evaluations made by local entities regarding the quality of the service provided are equal to or greater than 8 out of 10 points.

If the commitments set have not been met, the causes must be analyzed, and relevant specific improvements proposed.

RELEVANCE What is the adequacy of the objectives and results? Is there coherence between the objectives set and the results obtained?

The project objectives, as well as their associated evaluation, are carried out based on the monitoring and annual balance reports prepared with the aim of understanding the results of the specific service offered in the resource. Monitoring of the achievement of the same projects with financial support is also carried out.

Currently, a set of indicators is being developed, accessible from the Provincial Council of Barcelona/SDGs website, so that local entities can measure the achievement of the objectives set in these projects.

TRIPLE IMPACT: Is the project sustainable from an environmental, economic, and social point of view?

These three dimensions of sustainability have been taken into account to be reflected in the characteristics of the project itself, meaning that the technical resources offered aim to achieve the 2030 Agenda. We know that all SDGs are related and contribute directly or indirectly to sustainable development.

In turn, the above objectives are linked to the very raison d’être of the Provincial Council, which is to cooperate with local entities in the province of Barcelona to promote local institutions and policies that create public value (related to SDG 16 on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) and to structure a network of inclusive, safe, and resilient local governments (related to SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities). It seeks a broad and rebalancing territorial vision, ensuring equitable access for citizens to local services regardless of where they live.

Finally, by facilitating a platform for exchanging experiences on the 2030 Agenda at the local level, innovation in projects of an environmental, economic, and social nature is also fostered.

OBSTACLES: What were the main obstacles encountered in all phases of the project?

During the development process of the advisory project, no obstacles were found for its promotion and approval.

A significant obstacle to the execution of 2030 Agenda projects by local corporations has been motivated by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the need to dedicate a significant amount of corporate resources of all kinds (economic, human, organizational, and technological) to ensuring public health, strengthening social cohesion in the face of the resulting economic crisis, and contributing to mitigating its effects on the productive system. Nevertheless, these actions directly contribute to the achievement of the Agenda, as they enable a more resilient environment in the face of situations like the current ones.

CONCLUSION. Project impact and usefulness.

Essentially, this project includes different types of technical resources and a relational technical resource to enable local entities to carry out localization and alignment with the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

This project allows for rethinking and evaluating the policies and services carried out to achieve sustainable development and the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda, always with a transformative capacity in improving the living conditions of the inhabitants of the cities and towns in the demarcation of the province of Barcelona. Sustainable development has a global impact, and Local Entities are a key actor in its achievement.

Information block

FURTHER INFORMATION

All project information, including technical resources, can be consulted in the 2020 Service Catalogue of the Provincial Council of Barcelona:

https://catalegdeserveis-cercador.diba.cat/fitxa?id=21021

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