Women as Changemakers: UN Women's Safe Cities Initiative
UN Women's Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces program demonstrates how localization can transform global initiatives into meaningful change for individuals. Rather than treating women as passive beneficiaries, the program engages them as co-creators from the design phase.
In Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, market women faced daily safety challenges that limited their economic opportunities. By including these women in the planning process and training local police, the program has enhanced their access to markets and economic empowerment.
"Women need to be brought to the table from the very beginning and design creation," emphasized Juncal Plazaola Castaño, UN Women Policy Specialist, showcasing how human-centered approaches lead to more effective outcomes.
Tanzania's Seaweed Farmers: Local Voices in Climate Adaptation
In Tanzania, women seaweed farmers face mounting challenges as climate change forces their operations further offshore. Beyond economic concerns, these women experience immediate physical impacts including eye problems and skin rashes from prolonged exposure to salt water and sun.
"These are the things that need to be considered as part of the empowerment of women," noted Yussuf Ibrahim Yussuf, Commissioner of External Finance, President’s Office – Finance and Planning, Tanzania , highlighting how sustainable development must address daily human experiences.
Tanzania's approach incorporates village-level governance where local committees ensure farmers' voices influence decision-making. "The governance requires that these representatives are always present during decision making," ensuring policies reflect actual lived experiences.
Circular Economy in Cabo Verde: Women-Led Local Value Chains
In Cabo Verde, women's associations in agriculture and livestock demonstrate how sustainable development can center human aspirations. These groups have developed local value chains for goat cheese and dairy products, working within a circular economy framework.
"They participated in the design of the project... they addressed their aspirations and their needs," explained Nádia Sofia Lima Santos, Boa Vista City Councillor, Cabo Verde, illustrating how development initiatives succeed when they incorporate local priorities from the outset.
Ethiopia's Call for Human Connection
Ethiopia's powerful observation that discussions often miss "the human face beyond the institutional level" serves as a reminder that behind every policy and program are individuals whose lives are directly affected.
"Institutions represent people," noted Tsigereda Fekadu Tullu, National Government Lead Executive Officer, Livestock & Fishery Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia, “but sustainable development ultimately succeeds or fails based on its impact on individual lives and communities.”
As we move forward with localizing sustainable development goals, these human-centered approaches provide a roadmap for translating global ambitions into meaningful change. By ensuring that the voices of those most affected—particularly women and marginalized communities—are not merely heard but actively shape our collective efforts, we can develop solutions that are both locally relevant and globally impactful.
The path to sustainable development is not merely technical or institutional—it is deeply human. Our success will be measured not by the policies we create, but by how these policies transform lives in communities around the world.
Note:
All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and our private sector funding partners, for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.
