With cities and regions facing escalating challenges such as inequality, housing shortages, and the impact of climate change, there is a critical need for innovative solutions to foster sustainable urban development.
Leveraging digital technology and artificial intelligence can offer one answer to tackle these pressing issues and accelerate progress on the SDGs, but related pitfalls need to be navigated. The persistent lack of financial resources for the SDGs also presents a significant hurdle, with the global SDG financing gap estimated at USD 3.9 trillion annually.
As highlighted by recent initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Solution Network's Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance, cities need to find new ways to secure additional public and private funding for the SDGs. Finally, decentralised development co-operation and city-to-city partnerships can offer additional avenues to drive the SDGs forward, facilitating peer-to-peer learning and mobilising investments.
The Roundtable is organised by the OECD and the Basque Country. It will bring together key stakeholders from cities, regions, national governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, philanthropy and international organisations to:
- Discuss the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalisation for the achievement of the SDGs, including specific applications of AI in different urban contexts, opportunities and future scenarios
- Identify solutions to mobilise public and private financing for the localisation of the SDGs
- Analyse the impact of decentralised development co-operation and city-to-city partnerships on the achievement of the SDGs, including in the framework of the EU Global Gateway
- Shape a roadmap and ways forward for the localisation of the SDGs, the next steps of the OECD Programme on A Territorial Approach to the SDGs and its contribution to the High-Level Political Forum, the Summit for the Future and other global agendas.
The CoR will participate in the roundtable and CIVEX Commission Chair and Vice President of Bourgogne Franche Comté, Patrick Molinoz, will be among the speakers.
For more information about the programme and registration, click here Agenda-Territorial-SDGs-7th-OECD-Roundtable.pdf