APLA is committed to promoting sustainable development as a national strategic choice through the Sustainable Local Development Program, enabling Palestinian LGUs to take a leading role in implementing the 2030 Agenda at the local level.
The program is based on a comprehensive vision that recognizes LGUs as the actors best positioned to connect global goals with citizens’ real needs, promote social justice, and achieve economic and environmental sustainability, despite Palestine’s complex political and financial context.
Program Vision
Strengthening the role of LGUs as a core pillar of comprehensive development by integrating the SDGs into local policies and plans, enhancing community resilience, and achieving balance between economic progress, social justice, and environmental protection.
Program Foundations
The program is grounded in the belief that development cannot be achieved without effective engagement of LGUs, and that localizing the 2030 Agenda requires adapting it to the Palestinian context through a participatory and integrated approach based on:
- People: prioritizing human dignity and rights
- Planet: protecting natural and environmental resources
- Prosperity: advancing fair and inclusive local economic growth
- Peace: empowering communities to resist injustice and pursue justice
- Partnership: collective action from the local to the global level
SDG Localization Plan: From Vision to Implementation
APLA developed a national SDG Localization Plan for LGUs, serving as a roadmap built around four interconnected strategic objectives:
- Raising awareness of the SDGs among LGU staff and communities
- Mobilizing resources and advocacy to strengthen the enabling legal and financial environment
- Integrating SDGs into local development plans
- Monitoring and evaluation through local indicators aligned with national and global frameworks
The plan is guided by three core questions:
- How can SDGs be localized within the local governance system?
- What challenges hinder localization?
- What tools are required to ensure sustainability?
Capacity Building and Empowerment
Within the program, APLA developed a specialized training guide covering:
- Multi-level governance
- Decentralized cooperation
- Integrated local planning
- Sustainable financing
- Monitoring tools and Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs)
Taskforces and Local Representation
APLA launched the SDG Taskforce, alongside a Gender Taskforce, to support local SDG implementation and mainstream principles of justice, participation, and diversity, particularly during times of crisis.
