ABSTRACT
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015, are the latest manifestation of what Gillian Hart has termed 'big D development'; that is, intentional interventions to achieve progress and modernity. Because the focus is on more than poverty alleviation, the SDGs are aimed at all governments, not just as partners in international development cooperation, although this is covered in SDG 17, but as responsible for achieving the SDGs in their own countries. This chapter focuses on two aspects of the SDGs which have particular resonance in the region; reducing inequality and environmental protection. It investigates the institutional infrastructure that has been implemented in the region since the launch of the SDGs, focusing on regional cooperation, national government action, the role of city authorities, and civil society organizations. The chapter outlines how national governments, regional organizations, and civil society in Latin America have engaged with the SDG process.
