The Moscow government will prepare a review of the capital's achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Moscow, with the support of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), will prepare a Voluntary local Review of the capital's achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The relevant agreement was signed during a meeting between the Moscow Government and a UN-Habitat delegation led by Erfan Ali, Director of the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The Voluntary Local Review is a format recognized at the UN level for an urban report on progress towards achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The document will present to the international community the results of Moscow's systematic work on sustainable development in all areas of urban life — from healthcare and education to transport, infrastructure and ecology.
"The quality of life of Muscovites and long-term sustainable development are key priorities of the Moscow Government: all 13 state programs of the city are aimed at achieving sustainable development goals, while each of the Moscow state programs contributes to the achievement of several SDGs at once, which ensures an integrated and cross-sectoral nature of the implementation of a sustainable agenda in the capital. Thus, in 2025, 97% of Moscow's budget program expenditures corresponded to the UN SDGs, while annually about half of city expenditures are directed to the social sphere — education, health, social protection, culture and sports," said Maria Bagreeva, Deputy Mayor of Moscow, head of the Department of Economic Policy and Development of the capital.
Moscow is an active participant in the global discussion on sustainable urban development. The capital actively participates in international projects, including those held under the auspices of UN-Habitat, and also implements its own research and analytical projects to identify and replicate the best practices of urban development, such as the global study "Trends in global Urban Development" and the series of studies "Climate Agenda of Cities" on the largest megacities of the world, BRICS countries and cities with half a million inhabitants in Russia.
"We are closely following the initiatives of UN-Habitat and consider them as important tools for the dissemination of effective urban solutions and mutual learning of cities. The agreement signed today is the result of our long-term collaboration. The voluntary local review is not only a demonstration of Moscow's achievements in the international arena, but also an important practical tool. It will help us identify "growth areas" where the Moscow Government can strengthen efforts to improve the quality of urban life in the interests of Muscovites," the deputy mayor emphasized.
