Local Experiences
Leading Global Transformation
The current context of overlapping crises has reinforced the interdependence and vast separation that exists within and between our societies, increasing inequalities, exacerbating the climate emergency and biodiversity loss — and stressing the urgent need for transformative action.
As the world is faced with this foundational moment, cities and regions have already demonstrated their engagement and results in bringing about meaningful change through concrete initiatives at the local level that promote justice, equality, sustainability, and well being.
Since 2020, UCLG has developed the Local4Action HUBS program to recognize and amplify these high-impact policies that, through local action, are driving global transformation. The program connects, showcase and further enable the role of local and regional governments (LGR) to accelerate the global development agendas, including the 2030 Agenda and the unfolding of the UCLG Pact for the Future of Humanity, the political mandate of the organization. To renew the social contract from the bottom-up through the power of collective action, shared ownership, and international cooperation: the very cornerstones of harmonious and sustainable societies.
The Local4Action HUBs program aims to ground the organization’s strategy of placing localization at the center of global sustainable development in in its members’ initiatives and experiences, enhancing the local-global connection in the achievement of the global agendas and showcasing how localization enables its acceleration.
About the UCLG Local4Action HUBs program
Local and regional governments around the world are undertaking impactful projects and initiatives which, with further amplification, could be powerfully scaled up, or become significantly more effective.
Building on a request by members to expand the impact of flagship localization policies and mandated by UCLG Executive Bureau, the Local4Action HUBs program is addressed to those innovative initiatives that LRGs are developing to bring about sustainable transformation.
Local
Global
The goal of the program is to amplify these policies so they can reach their full potential, taking them to the next level of impact. It provides visibility and a label powered by UCLG; a platform for showcasing these local policies and processes; and expanded accessibility to the global arena. It does so by fostering the local-global dimension of these initiatives, while fostering the synchronization between the different actions and parts of the network, and creating a community, exchange opportunities and shared ownership.
The Local4Action HUBs Program connects the different initiatives with other ongoing processes within UCLG and beyond, contributing to the realization of its work plan and political mandate: the Pact for the Future of Humanity. These flagship policies hence feed into (and are supported by) the whole of the organization, fostering collective knowledge, strengthening political advocacy at the global level, and ultimately bringing high-impact, concrete initiatives that act both as a benchmark and as a body of evidence for what localization translates to on the ground.
What is a Local4Action HUB initiative?
A strategic opportunity for members to bring their local contribution to sustainability, justice, equality, sustainability, and well-being to the forefront of the global conversation.
Based on a successful and impactful local practice with the potential to be scaled up within and beyond its own territory, cities, regional governments and their associations are called upon to initiate a process of amplification of their initiatives.
The process is developed through a multistakeholder approach, bringing together various actors around the initiative, to upscale it, or develop new aspects thus contributing to the acceleration of the implementation processes of the global agendas and of the Pact for the Future.
Through this process, the awarded Local4Action HUBs initiatives develop a far-reaching approach that can connect them with other realities and territories, hence inspiring LRGs around the world.
The Local4Action HUBs initiatives contribute to the triple impact of Localization:
Local-global
connection
Acceleration
Synchronization
Linking global policy to Local action and contributing to global policy processes to foster sustainability from the ground.
Accelerating the localization of the global agendas and the unfolding of the Pact for the Future a grounded reality through networked localization efforts.
Ensuring that actions are connected with UCLG, its members and partners within and beyond the LRG constituency to enhance impact.
The key features of the Local4Action HUB
Locally driven: Led by a specific local, regional government or local/ regional governments association.
Local4Action HUB label powered by UCLG: Recognized for inspiring innovative local change with global impact.
Fixed Time frame:
The life cycle of the Local4Action HUB is limited to a timeframe of 2 to 3 years.
Connected with the agendas: Actions oriented to localize the global development agendas and unfold the Pact for the Future.
Impactful and Scalable results: Fixed deliverables to allow a monitoring process in order to measure its acceleration and synchronization impact.
Multi Stakeholder approach: Potential to impact within and beyond its own city or region, connecting and bringing on board different territorial actors, other members of the network and partners.
Strong visibility and outreach: Dissemination and diffusion of the HUB and its activities and connection with key outreach processes.
Local4Action HUBs community: Share processes, innovations and knowledge with other Local4Action HUBs initiatives and build a platform of interaction, debate, collaboration and
common learning.
What is the process?
1
Call for proposals: A call is
launched to the members to
join the Program
2
Definition: Eligible initiatives
receive technical support from
the World Secretariat team to
define and consolidate the new
Local4Action HUBs.
3
Launch and implementation:
the teams of each initiative
develop and follow up the
Local4Action HUB based on a
previous proposal of activities
and results.
4
Connecting to global and
UCLG processes: The
Local4Action HUBs can
participate in different initiatives
and opportunities facilitated
by the network including
advocacy events, campaigns
and research and knowledge
processes and products.
5
Monitoring, closure and
new stages: at the end of
the Local4Action HUB cycle,
the process, outcomes and
impact of the initiatives will
be evaluated and if it is of
interest for the initiative,
different possibilities for further
upscaling, or connecting to
new processes will be explored
jointly.