This project localises the most relevant SDGs for the City of Whitehorse.
Project implemented: September 2020
To evaluate existing City of Whitehorse Council policies and programmes against the SDGs to map the Council’s activity relevant to each SDG, and then to provide recommendations to the Council on methods to align their programs better with the SDGs.
This project demonstrates the grassroots level commitment vital for the achievement of the SDGs by Australia.
169 SDG targets relevant to Council activity were localised
Review of Council documents identified alignment of current plans and strategies with specific SDGs.
How to align Council plans and activity with SDGs
An 8-step framework to localise the SDG agenda by Council was developed
In 2020, Deakin Business School (DBS), Deakin University, conducted a desktop assessment to map how the City of Whitehorse’s (Whitehorse) strategies and plans currently deliver against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN recommends that the SDGs be localised to suit the individual requirements of each local government area (LGA). This allows the identification of locally relevant SDGs and existing LGA council activity in this space. LGAs can then build on their strengths and use this process for providing direction to increase future alignment of council programs with the SDGs. We propose a framework of reference against which LGAs can map their own trajectories towards SDG-guided sustainable development.
Whitehorse has taken this first step to localise the SDGs in partnership with DBS. Whitehorse is proud to present its first voluntary report on SDGs and recognises that the SDGs may have an increasing role in inclusive development in the post COVID pandemic world.