

Past Event
2:00 am - 7:00 pm CEST
Rockefeller Foundation
Bellagio, DC
For the latest on city and community leadership on the Sustainable Development Goals, see the SDG Leadership Cities Network and Toolkit.
On April 3-6, 2019, Brookings hosted an international meeting of city leaders in Bellagio, Italy. The convening focused on local application of the 2030 Agenda among a select group of cities at the vanguard of local implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The targets and outcomes of the SDGs are set at the national level to drive environmental, economic, and social sustainability. However, these leadership cities, among many others around the world, are harnessing the power of SDGs as a blueprint for their local progress.
The goal of the meeting was to foster a collaborative and informative atmosphere where city leaders could share pressing challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned from their journey implementing the SDGs locally. The different agenda topics each took advantage of the diverse group of cities involved:
Download the full agenda and more information on the convening
After the meeting adjourned, Brookings consolidated the outcomes and recommendations into a policy brief, “Shaping the Global Agenda to Maximize City Leadership on the SDGs,” providing key takeaways for those undertaking or supporting local implementation of the SDGs. Brookings also gathered a list of innovations from city officials to spark the creativity of other cities localizing the SDGs.
This SDG leadership cities convening was unique in that it brought together the city leaders themselves for meaningful sharing and transparent discussion on the SDGs, with additional similar engagements planned for 2019 and 2020.
Thanks to the Rockefeller Foundation for use of the Rockefeller Bellagio Center for this gathering.
Chinasa T. Okolo
February 12, 2025
Paul Prettitore
February 7, 2025
Yun Sun
February 6, 2025