Localizing Global Agendas in Multilevel Governance Systems: The Benefits of Functional Assignment as Core Element of Decentralization Reforms

Abstract

In September 2015, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a new reference for the global development efforts, the Agenda 2030 with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets. Unlike the previous Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the new SDGs guide sustainable development efforts of developing, emerging, and industrialized countries, capturing environmental, economic, political, and social dimensions of development in a holistic manner. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, adopted under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) in December 2015, has formulated a global consensus on how to tackle climate change and finance the required mitigation and adaptation measures. Furthermore, in October 2016, the Habitat III Conference endorsed a “New Urban Agenda” emphasizing challenges of urbanization, local governance, and urban planning in a sustainable and development-oriented way. These three global agendas are interlinked and interrelated; for instance, SDG 11 (“Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable”) is clearly connected with the New Urban Agenda, while SDG 13 (“Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”) is interrelated with the COP 21 agreement.