ECOSOC High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Session on Transformation from the ground up: Acting at local level

Accelerating the 2030 Agenda requires empowering local and regional governments to deliver integrated solutions that respond to communities' realities. Experience from Voluntary Local Reviews demonstrates that local action is most effective when agrifood systems act as an integrator connecting health, climate, social inclusion, economic development and spatial planning and policies within a common vision for sustainable development.

Cities are increasingly recognizing agrifood systems as a strategic entry point for achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals simultaneously.

To scale these efforts, national and subnational authorities should strengthen multilevel governance, ensuring that local priorities are reflected in national planning while enabling local innovation and implementation.

Territorial approaches such as FAO's flagship Hand in Hand Initiative that strengthen the urban-rural continuum to improve food security and access to healthy diets, create decent employment, increase resilience to shocks, reduce food loss and waste, and support more sustainable management of natural resources.

Evidence from local Sustainable Development Goals implementation also highlights the importance of data, inclusive governance and predictable financing.

Stronger context-specific evidence allows governments to identify priorities, manage trade-offs and measure progress, while sustained investment enables successful local solutions to move beyond pilot initiatives and achieve lasting impact.

Acting from the ground up means recognizing local governments as essential partners in delivering integrated agrifood systems transformation and accelerating progress across the entire 2030 Agenda.