Summary

Aware of the importance of information and awareness-raising regarding the 2030 Agenda, the Barcelona Provincial Council has carried out a series of communication and dissemination actions to promote the SDGs among the corporation’s own staff and local entities. The main actions include:

Preparation of audiovisual material for internal and external communication: “Ens hi impliquem?” (Shall we get involved?) campaign; creation and maintenance of content on the Council’s SDG website; creation of a space containing an infographic on the effects of COVID-19 on the 2030 Agenda; edition of specific publications (The Sustainable Development Goals in the local world and the Practical guide for preparing the Local 2030 Agenda); creation of the hashtag #ODSDiba to tag SDG information on corporate social networks (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) and creation of specific hashtags for each SDG (#ODS5 and #ODS8, for example).

Due to its dynamic nature, this project will continue to develop and grow as new content, information, and/or tools are generated for the localization and implementation of the 2030 Agenda within the Provincial Council itself and in the local entities of the province.

Project Classification

Dissemination/awareness-raising actions for the 2030 Agenda among citizens.

SDG 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Timeline

2020-2023

Self-assessment block

PLANNING: What were the objectives set for the project?

To provide information to Provincial Council staff, local entities, and citizens regarding the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

To promote the ownership of the 2030 Agenda goals by citizens and local entities.

To encourage the involvement of the local world and citizens in achieving the SDGs.

To offer communicative and technical tools to empower local entities in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

IMPACT: What are the positive impacts of the project?

Increased knowledge of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

Increased level of involvement in the Agenda by local entities and territorial agents.

INNOVATION: What are the most innovative aspects? What challenge/problem is being addressed?

It could be stated that the project itself is innovative. As a second-level local administration, the Barcelona Provincial Council aims to offer information and communication tools to local entities to empower them regarding the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, with the goal of increasing their level of achievement.

The challenge, therefore, is to succeed in providing sufficient, high-quality, and useful information to citizens and local entities about the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

METHODOLOGY: What was the methodology followed for its implementation?

As in any communication project, the methodology consisted, first of all, of detecting specific information needs regarding the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs for the corporation itself, as well as for local entities and citizens. Once detected, the different messages to be transmitted were designed, along with the most appropriate channels for doing so, in order to ensure maximum understanding and identification by the recipients.

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

It is important that there is involvement in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda by the entity’s government team. Consequently, the drive of political decision and involvement will make it possible to have the resources to develop an appropriate communication strategy.

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

The necessary resources are primarily human, in the sense that at least one person is required to develop the specific content linked to the 2030 Agenda and another with technical knowledge of editing and layout for digital publications. It is also necessary for the team to have knowledge of website and social media management. The necessary technical resources are those related to website editing, digital editing, and layout. Regarding economic resources, this will depend on whether, in some cases, it is necessary to develop content or edit documents or publications with external support from specialized companies or professionals.

INVOLVEMENT OF ACTORS: Which local actors have been involved in the project (citizens, third-sector organizations, private sector, academic field, etc.)? How was this involvement achieved?

As this is a specific communication project promoted by the Provincial Council itself, local agents have not been involved. However, for the preparation of the content of some of the tools and publications, specialized companies participated, and the content was reviewed and discussed with some local entities in the province.

INTERNAL COORDINATION: How has the project been coordinated internally within the Local Entity?

The project is developed and coordinated between the team from the 2030 Agenda and SDG Unit of the 2030 Agenda and Participation Service and the Press and Communication Office of the Barcelona Provincial Council. The Unit team proposes, drafts, and prepares the content to be disseminated, while the Press and Communication Office team develops the formats for the various communication instruments (design, layout, editing, etc.) and provides the necessary technical and technological tools.

ALLIANCES: Have other institutions been involved in achieving the set objectives?

At the moment, no specific actions have been carried out to involve other institutions. However, the Barcelona Provincial Council makes the various communication contents available to local entities in the territory so that they can use them in their own awareness campaigns regarding the 2030 Agenda. Therefore, the achievement of the project’s objectives will also be conditioned by the degree to which local entities use said content.

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

Data on the project results based on local indicators are not yet available.

However, indicators for website use and consultation during 2020 are available, which show that interest in the SDGs is increasing: there have been more than 40,000 sessions by 27,608 users. The most viewed pages were: “What are the SDGs?” with more than 40,000 views, the website’s homepage with more than 5,000 views, followed by SDG 1 No Poverty, SDG 5 Gender Equality, SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being, SDG 4 Quality Education, and SDG 2 Zero Hunger as the most visited.

RELEVANCE: How appropriate are the objectives and results? Is there coherence between the set objectives and the results obtained?

While waiting for more specific indicators, for example, regarding the use of communication tools made available to local entities, among other possibilities, we consider that the objectives and the results obtained show appropriate coherence.

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

We consider the project to be fully sustainable. From an environmental point of view, sustainability is high, considering that approximately 90% of the materials edited and made available are in digital format. Economic sustainability is also high, as editing content in digital format generates much lower costs than paper formats, for example. From a social point of view, the content of the communication tools and resources themselves encourages reflection and sensitivity toward social issues, as well as the involvement of all social agents in the territory.

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

The main obstacles are concentrated in the identification of indicators at a local level that allow for measuring the real utility of the edited materials and the information published in relation to the proposed objectives.

CONCLUSION: Project impact and utility.

The 2030 Agenda, through its Goals and Targets adapted to the reality and context of the local entities in the Barcelona province, represents a strategic and effective governance tool for the coming years.

Among all the agents capable of adopting the Sustainable Development Goals, local entities play a fundamental role. They are the public entities closest to the citizens, and therefore, it is necessary to bring and adapt the 2030 Agenda, the SDGs, and their 169 targets to the local reality and its needs and possibilities.

In this sense, the guide aims to contribute to integrating the 2030 Agenda into the strategy of local organizations, to ensure that the SDGs serve as the guide for action in the governance of the towns and cities of the province of Barcelona.

Information block

FURTHER INFORMATION

The guide is published and available on the Barcelona Provincial Council website:

https://www.diba.cat/es/web/ods/

 

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