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Global Vision | Urban Action

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Global Vision | Urban Action

circular logo with colorful shapes of NYC skyline. NYC Global Vision Urban Action is written at the center of the circle

The NYC Mayor's Office for International Affairs through Global Vision | Urban Action fosters a platform through which local governments engage to share information and forge innovative solutions to challenges using the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Office also works to highlight the synergies between the Sustainable Development Goals and New York City's local sustainability and development initiatives contained within OneNYC. The Office provides opportunities for engagements between experts from NYC and the international community.

Site Visits

The office brings experts into our communities. The Office has organized site visits for diplomats and UN staff to learn more about critical issues addressed in the SDGs such as wastewater management, food security, and recycling. By boarding a sludge vessel, visiting a recycling facility, or touring a wastewater treatment plant and speaking with NYC colleagues responsible for implementing NYC's sustainable development strategy.

UN Events

As host to the United Nations headquarters, NYC is uniquely positioned to bring the voice of local experts into issues of global importance. The Office has worked with UN partners and member states to organize events on topics of critical importance, including mental health, economic inequality, and creating the conditions for decent work for all.

Panel Discussions

In addition to site visits throughout New York City and events inside the UN, the Office organizes expert panels focused on thematic issues addressed by the SDGs.  Since 2015, the program has organized events exploring equity in and through tech and identify the links between climate change and urban infrastructure.

The NYC Mayor's Office for International has also published booklets and reports focused on NYC and the Sustainable Development Goals.

A City with Global Goals

Colorful rows of boxes that symbolize the sustainable development goals. Text reads Global Vision Urban Action, A city with Global Goals Part 1
Colorful rows of boxes that symbolize the sustainable development goals. Text reads Global Vision Urban Action, A city with Global Goals Part 2

In September 2015, world leaders gathered at the United Nations to commit to 17 goals to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and prevent the harmful effects of climate change by 2030. Called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or Global Goals, they apply to all countries, including the United States.

These same goals were reflected in OneNYC, a groundbreaking sustainable development plan that charts a path forward to lifting 800,000 New Yorkers out of poverty, expanding access to nutritious and affordable food, and ensuring that those on the front lines of climate change - often the most vulnerable New Yorkers - are protected.

In 2015, the Office developed a booklet to map the connection between NYC's sustainable development plan, OneNYC, and the Global Goals through A City with Global Goals.

In 2016, the Office released Part II of the A City with Global Goals booklet which looked at the link between the Global Goals and .

The Voluntary Local Review & Voluntary Local Review Declaration

In July 2018, the City of New York became the first city in the world to report to the UN on local progress toward the global Sustainable Development Goals. The Mayor's Office for International Affairs coined this process the "Voluntary Local Review". Learn more about the Voluntary Local Review.

In September 2019, during the United Nations General Assembly, New York City launched the Voluntary Local Review (VLR) Declaration for local and regional governments worldwide to formally commit to report their local progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more about the Voluntary Local Review Declaration.

Cover of Leading Locally: The Origins and Impact of the Voluntary Local Review

Leading Locally: The Origins and Impact of the Voluntary Local Review

In December 2021, the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs released a report created in collaboration with UN-Habitat about the origins and impact of the Voluntary Local Review. The report also includes forewords by senior NYC and UN leaders, as well as reflections from local governments worldwide. Learn more

Questions

Please contact the Mayor's Office for International Affairs at 212-319-9300 or e-mail the Office with any questions about Global Vision | Urban Action.