Global compacts set direction, but outcomes hinge on how knowledge is mobilized and governed locally. This panel showcases the innovative model of pairing doctoral research capacity with city-level “Local Labs” in Jordan and Tunisia—to interrogate when and how local actors become effective policy shapers in different contexts marked by heterogeneous institutional capacity and socio-political transitions. We welcome theoretical, empirical, and mixed-methods papers along four deeply intertwined axes that can be freely combined:

1. Community-led planning. Studies of co-planning and co-design that surface local priorities, link SDG targets to service delivery, and translate “genius loci” into implementable plans.
2. Multi-stakeholder, multi-level governance. Analyses of co-produced policies among municipalities, national agencies, UN platforms (e.g., Local2030 Coalition), civil society, and private actors; papers may assess institutional coordination, enabling environments, and vertical–horizontal coherence, including Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs).
3. The role of academia (with PhD cohorts). Evidence on how universities and early-career researchers function as knowledge intermediaries, generating policy-relevant research, building monitoring systems, and strengthening evaluation cultures through structured training and embedded fieldwork. 
4. Grassroots protagonism. Case studies of community-based innovation and inclusion (gender/youth), and how these practices interface with municipal instruments, financing, and data systems. 

Submissions that compare multiple Arab countries or that draw North-South contrasts are especially welcome. We also invite papers linking local experiments to innovative initiatives and the six 2023 UN transitions ((1) food systems; (2) energy access and affordability; (3) digital connectivity; (4) education; (5) jobs and social protection; and (6) climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution), to test transferability and scaling pathways. 

By centering the knowledge-policy interface and concrete action-research experiences, the panel advances an evidence-based agenda for SDG localization that is participatory, data-literate, and aligned with national frameworks 

This is a Harvest Panel designed for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. It will feature completed or near-completion research, with draft papers uploaded in advance; conveners will provide structured feedback,

This panel is organised by the EADI Working Group on “SDG localization and global cooperation in theory and practice”