The Council of Europe’s very structure, consisting of the Committee of Ministers and other intergovernmental bodies, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Conference of International NGOs, as well as the European Court of Human Rights, facilitates partnerships with and between national, regional and local authorities and civil society in member States and beyond to promote sustainable development.

The approach of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is based on three key principles: achieving SDGs is the shared responsibility of all levels of government; local and regional authorities must have the necessary competences and financial autonomy to achieve the goals in their respective areas; citizens must always remain at the heart of the action.

The Congress plays an active role in the field by promoting cooperation at all levels. In this context, the Congress is working towards the implementation of Objective 17, as demonstrated by its willingness to intercede among different NGOs and elected officials in different discussion forums. The Congress also cooperates closely with national associations of local and regional authorities. This partnership allows to establish a truly inclusive dialogue. That is why the Congress is redoubling its efforts to strengthen these associations and develop their efficiency and autonomy.

In order to implement successfully the SDGs, the Congress cooperates a wide range of actors:

• its institutional partners within the Council of Europe, in particular, the Parliamentary Assembly which adopted, in 2019, a resolution calling for greater synergies between the two institutions in the implementation of the SDGs and the Office of the Directorate General of Programmes.

• international organisations representing local and regional authorities, such as United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG),

• European institutions, as the Committee of the Regions, the CALRE and the AER.

The Congress adopted the following texts in relation to SDG 17:

• REC 511 (2024) - The UN Pact for the Future: The essential role of local and regional authorities in global sustainable development

• RES 500 (2024) and REC 510 (2024) - Local and regional responses to natural disasters and climate hazards: from risk preparedness to resilience

• RES 495 (2023) - European Urban Charter III (2023): Urban living in the era of transformations

• REC 472 and RES 480 - Beyond elections - the use of deliberative methods in European municipalities and regions

• RES452 (2019) - Revised Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in the Decision-making Process

• RES 332 (2011) - Education for democratic citizenship: tools for cities

• European Urban Charter I - Manifesto for a new urbanity (1992)

• European Urban Charter II - Manifesto for a new urbanity (2008)