The Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA) continued its training series on “Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into Strategic Development Planning for Local Authorities,” with the participation of 55 representatives from 32 local authorities across the governorates of Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm, Qalqiliya, and Tubas. The training aimed to strengthen local authorities’ capacity to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their development planning, aligning their strategic plans with the priorities and needs of local communities.

The training focused on integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the various stages of strategic development planning, highlighting the importance of monitoring indicators for the 17 Global Goals to address local development challenges and identify relevant projects. It also explored how the updated 2024 Strategic Development Planning Guide can inform the preparation of local development plans, incorporating sustainability, climate change, resilience, and inclusion throughout the planning process. Consultant Dr. Samer Raddad also discussed the role of the SDGs in guiding local development planning, with particular emphasis on SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

In this context, participants were introduced to APLA’s plan for localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its efforts to embed them in local authorities’ work through awareness-raising, advocacy, technical support, capacity building, and progress monitoring. The session also highlighted APLA’s dedicated SDG website and the “Baladiya Meter” tool, which support local authorities in tracking progress and assessing the implementation of their strategic plans.

The workshop also provided an opportunity to discuss local authorities’ experiences in developing their strategic plans and identifying their development needs and priorities, while exploring ways to align these plans with the SDGs and their indicators. This supports more integrated development planning and helps direct resources toward issues most closely aligned with citizens’ needs.

With this final workshop, APLA concludes the training series, which was implemented as part of Urban October activities and under the project “Mobilizing the Capacities of Palestinian Local Government Units for Knowledge Exchange and Adaptation to the Sustainable Development Goals". The project is implemented under the Local Governance Reform Program (LGRP III), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and supported by (GIZ).