Development of the Local SDGs Platform for information sharing to contribute to achieving the SDGs

Think Globally, Act Locally: Working toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the local level while taking global trends into accounts is key to transforming our world. Many cities and communities are now incorporating the SDGs into their visions, strategies, policies and measures. The current situation surrounding the SDGs is shifting from the understanding phase to the practice and follow-up phase. Cities and communities working toward the SDGs are expected to conduct Voluntary Local Reviews and to share their experiences worldwide. The paper introduces an outline and the development methodology of an online "Local SDGs Platform" that enables stakeholders to register, search and share their efforts and best practices toward achieving the SDGs. Platform users can understand the actual situation of cities and communities using local SDG indicators, which were specifically developed to reflect the local context in Japan. Although the platform and local SDG indicators were initially developed for Japan, the framework and its development methodology are universally applicable and relevant in any region or country. Effective utilization of the platform together with local SDG indicators is expected to support connecting stakeholders, understanding their actual local situations and sharing information, which will lead to achievement of the SDGs.