Spotlight on LDA-SI Grantee: Red de Ciudades Cómo Vamos and Fundación Corona, Colombia (2018-2019 cohort)
Written by Jay Neuner with Sandra Ruckstuhl
In 2018, TReNDS launched a microgrant program through SDSN’s Local Data Action Solutions Initiative (LDA-SI). During this calendar year, the program is supporting five sub-national SDG data and monitoring efforts. Through real-world examples, these projects are generating a series of adaptable models that can be utilized in locations around the world to improve local SDG achievement. Learn more about the program here.
Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is being supported by significant efforts to make relevant data open and accessible–as evidenced by the advent of public, online data dashboards and indices detailing SDG achievement in various regions. But how can more granular data be showcased to better compare and contrast localized SDG monitoring and achievement?
In Colombia, such efforts are underway. 2018-2019 LDA-SI grantee Red de Ciudades Cómo Vamos–a privately-led accountability network comprised of 16 city programs and its main national partner, Fundación Corona–is developing such a tool. It will compare SDG achievement across 36 municipalities–including those containing Bogotá, Cartagena, and Medellín–covering over 60% of the country’s urban population. This tool will be available publicly as an online data dashboard.
The primary aim of this project is to unify Colombia’s city-level SDG initiatives and link them to national efforts. (National-level SDG monitoring in the country is showcased in its own public dashboard.) A key lever in the project’s implementation will be identifying and contextualizing related indicators or targets relevant to multiple municipalities, while still accounting for the varying capacity and development within these diverse contexts.
Red de Ciudades Comó Vamos is creating a tool to compare SDG achievement across 36 municipalities, covering over 60% of the country’s urban population. Source: Flickr.
This tool is a unique example of a civil society-led project to create a common set of sub-national indicators, in contrast to many efforts led by governmental agencies or stakeholders. It will ultimately prove valuable in providing Colombian citizens the opportunity to learn about, track, and monitor SDG progress at the local level, and will hopefully inspire similar efforts in other regions.
Follow updates on the 2018-2019 microgrant cohort here.