Briefing Note “Voluntary Local Reviews (VLR) – an innovative, inclusive way to connect the local to the national, regional, and global processes”

The themes of this year’s 6th APFSD – inclusion, equality, and empowerment (aligned with those reviewed at this year’s HLPF) – led to an increasing focus on how to localize the SDGs and enhance inclusivity at a local level, in an evidence-informed manner. Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) are local government-led initiatives to review their own progress to achieving the SDGs, and are seen as an innovative way to integrate local stakeholder progress into the wider Voluntary National Review (VNR) processes led by national governments.