Description of the initiative

The report on the contribution of Santa Coloma de Gramenet to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is an accountability document on how the city council’s government action has impacted progress toward achieving the SDGs, thanks to the alignment of the Municipal Action Plan (PAM), the local pact for social, economic, and cultural reconstruction (Post-COVID), and the Service Charters with the SDG targets.

The measurement was carried out by analyzing the direct and indirect impact of the actions on the SDGs and the synergies produced to achieve the targets of the 17 goals. The analysis measures the interrelationships between each of the 6 action axes of the PAM and the SDGs.

The report analyzes the impacts in a way that reflects those actions that have contributed effectively, those that have done so progressively, and those that have done so at an initial stage.

Implementation period

The analysis period was limited to actions developed between 2020 and 2022, coinciding with the mid-term accountability forum for the PAM.

Methodology

The methodology for preparing the report was carried out through the training and participation of the management and technical staff of the Santa Coloma de Gramenet City Council. The localization of the SDGs was performed through the management instruments described in the same document: the Municipal Action Plan (PAM), the local pact for social, economic, and cultural development, and the Service Charters.

Regarding the public, the methodology used was developed through awareness-raising campaigns in a first phase and citizen participation in the selection and proposal of actions to draft the PAM.

Finally, for the accountability process, a conference was held with the participation of municipal staff, the economic sector, academia, and the general public.

Resources

The human and economic resources employed are those of the City Council and its various management areas, under the coordination of the Mayor’s office and the citizen participation directorate. Additionally, external advice was provided by ISGlobal, an institute specialized in global health.

Stakeholder involvement and alliance building

The involvement of the various actors was carried out by creating a map of local agents. Working sessions were developed through the different management instruments in order to generate alliances.

Coordination

INTERNAL: Internal coordination was carried out through the Mayor’s and Participation directorates, as well as the planning and organization service. Its purpose was to incorporate the measurement of goal alignment and the implementation and impact of actions on the SDGs and their targets into existing internal indicator systems.

EXTERNAL: The participation of the various local actors was carried out through participatory and awareness-raising processes, as well as through an accountability conference.

Innovation: What are the most innovative aspects of the initiative?

The most innovative aspects of the initiative have been achieving citizen participation, as well as that of management staff, in training processes on the 2030 Agenda and its achievement through the SDGs and their targets.

What elements should be considered for the replicability of the initiative in another local entity?

The conditions that must be met to replicate the project are top-level political leadership, management drive, and specialized support for the design of the alignment process, as well as a subsequent analysis of the impact of government actions on the SDGs.

Obstacles: What were the main obstacles encountered in the different phases of the project?

The main obstacles encountered were:

• Lack of knowledge regarding the 2030 Agenda.
• Scarcity of specialized resources for support.
• Difficulties in finding economic resources from supra-local public administrations to support the deployment of the SDGs and their targets.
• Technical resistance to incorporating new indicator systems to measure alignment.

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

Social, environmental, and economic impact was taken into account in all phases when carrying out the process of alignment and measuring the impact of actions on the SDGs. For the Santa Coloma de Gramenet City Council, the triple helix culture is common practice when designing action proposals.

The publication of the report represents a step forward in the municipality’s commitment to accountability, always ensuring the measurement and interpretation of the impact of actions from an environmental, economic, and social perspective.

Results, measurement, and impact

The process of preparing this report has allowed Santa Coloma de Gramenet to highlight the existence of good examples in the city council’s transversal approach to many aspects of the 2030 Agenda.

This culture is progressively extending to all areas of the City Council, beyond those with direct links to any of the 17 SDGs, contributing significantly to the generation of synergies that help contribute to the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

Further information:

Municipal Action Plan 2020-2023: www.gramenet.cat/es/ayuntamiento/accio-de-govern/pam-2020-2023

Service Charters:

www.gramenet.cat/es/ayuntamiento/accio-de-govern/cartas-de-servicios

Local pact for social, economic, and cultural reconstruction: www.gramenet.cat/es/sites/informacion-sobre-el-coronavirus/pacte-local-per-a-la-reconstruccio-social-economica-i-cultural