Localizing the Agenda 2030. The ICLEI network’s five pathways as a driver for local governance

This work analyzes the phenomenon of SDGs localization paths in an international networking process through one of the main network drivers of sustainable local development (ICLEI). To favor the localization paths means to increase the ability of the single territories to construct new forms of coordination between the different institutional levels, in line with the principles of vertical integration. Sustainable development cannot be just a vague and indeterminate concept and it cannot be considered just as the passive implementation of rules or standards resulting from international guidelines often irreconcilable with local contexts, but it should be a participatory action of local institutional bodies, citizens and multistakeholders. There is a strong demand for social participation in the definition of collective and individual behavior, which cannot be disregarded.