The Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA) organized a training workshop on integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into strategic development planning, attended by 38 participants, including strategic planning coordinators from 22 Palestinian local authorities across the governorates of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Jerusalem, Jericho, and Salfit. The training aimed to strengthen local authorities’ capacities to incorporate the SDGs into their development plans, programs, and projects, and to link local priorities with relevant indicators and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

Facilitated by consultant Dr. Samer Raddad, the training covered the concept of the SDGs and their importance in local development planning, introducing the 17 Goals and their associated targets and indicators, with a particular focus on SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. It also reviewed the 2024 Strategic Development Planning Guide and key updates related to sustainability, climate change, resilience, and inclusion, as well as approaches to integrating these issues throughout the strategic development planning process.

The training also highlighted APLA’s efforts to advance the localization of the SDGs and its action plan in this area, including awareness-raising, advocacy, technical support, progress measurement, and capacity development. Participants were introduced to the Local SDGs website and its role in monitoring indicators, tracking local authorities’ contributions, and measuring progress. The training also presented the “Municipality Meter” tool and its role in monitoring the implementation of strategic plans and linking municipal programs and projects to the SDGs.

Practical group exercises enabled participants to identify local development challenges and issues and link them to the relevant SDGs and targets, formulate development programs and projects, and define the monitoring and evaluation indicators needed to measure progress and impact. The workshop also featured discussions and contributions on ways to further integrate the SDGs into local development planning processes.

As part of APLA’s activities during Urban October, the workshop is one of a series of training sessions organized across Palestinian governorates to strengthen local authorities’ capacities to localize the SDGs and integrate them into their development plans. The sessions are implemented under the project “Mobilizing the Capacities of Palestinian Local Authorities for Knowledge Exchange and Adaptation to the Sustainable Development Goals,” funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and supported by (GIZ).