Press Releases

Commissioner Of The NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, Aissata M.B. Camara, Announces New York City’s 2025 Voluntary Local Review (VLR) Submission To The United Nations

For Immediate Release: December 22, 2025

Contact: IAmedia@cityhall.nyc.gov, 212-319-9300

NYC reaffirms its role as the birthplace of the VLR, inspiring a global movement for accountability, equity, and resilience

NEW YORK — Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, Aissata M.B. Camara, today announced New York City’s 2025 Voluntary Local Review (VLR), submitted to the United Nations as part of the city’s ongoing leadership in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

First created by New York City in 2018, the VLR has transformed how local governments engage with the world. What began as a bold municipal innovation is now a global movement: more than 330 cities and regions worldwide have adopted the VLR to measure progress, confront challenges, and share solutions on the SDGs.

“The Voluntary Local Review is New York City’s gift to the world,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “It shows how local action drives global change, and it challenges cities and nations alike to hold themselves accountable. From the Bronx to Staten Island, we are proving that getting stuff done at the local level strengthens the global community.”

The 2025 VLR: Getting the Global Goals Done for New Yorkers highlights the city’s progress on five Global Goals — Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Life Below Water (SDG 14), and Partnerships for the Goals (17) — while reaffirming that local governments are indispensable leaders in tackling global challenges.

“Subnational diplomacy, the work city governments do to create local solutions to global challenges, is driving progress across the international community,” said Camille Joseph Varlack, Deputy Mayor for Administration and Chief of Staff. “Our work has focused on translating the Sustainable Development Goals into meaningful municipal policy to benefit the lives of New Yorkers, and our 2025 Voluntary Local Review shows that work has been and continues to be successful. New York is proud to be an international city that continues to lead on this front because global change will come from the ground up.”

Modeled on the Voluntary National Reviews submitted by UN member states during the annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development in July, the VLR allows local governments of all sizes to showcase achievements and challenges in advancing sustainability, equity, and prosperity. As urgent global issues increasingly unfold on the local level, the VLR gives local governments a concrete tool to become directly involved with the work of the United Nations.

“When New York City launched the first VLR in 2018, we showed that diplomacy and accountability cannot stop at national borders, they must also be lived locally. Today, as we stand at the intersection of the United Nations’ 80^th anniversary and the 400^th year of the founding of the City of New York, we renew that leadership,” said Commissioner Aissata M.B. Camara. “This report is more than a document. It is proof that cities are not just participants in the global agenda, we are architects of it. And we invite governments everywhere to join us in making the SDGs real for people, in their neighborhoods, in their daily lives through the exchange of good solutions.”

The 2025 VLR demonstrates New York City’s commitment to turning global ambition into local impact:

• Health Equity: Expanding HealthyNYC, maternal health initiatives like the Citywide Doula and Midwifery programs, and new strategies to close racial health disparities.
• Gender Equality: Scaling Women Forward NYC, strengthening survivor-centered services, and embedding equity into city systems and workplaces.
• Economic Growth: Investing in life sciences, green industries, and workforce pipelines that have already supported many New Yorkers, including immigrants, young people, and low-income residents.
• Life Below Water: Protecting 520 miles of shoreline through coastal resilience and restoration projects that serve both environmental justice and climate adaptation.
• Global Partnerships: Expanding city diplomacy through new agreements with international partners, leadership in global city networks, and convenings on AI, climate, and inclusive growth.

“It is imperative for cities around the world to stay in close dialogue and share solutions to shared challenges,” said Dan Steinberg, Director, New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations, “The SDGs provide a common language, and New York City is proud of its pioneering role in compelling other cities around the world to submit SDG Voluntary Local Reviews.”

The 2025 VLR was developed through deep interagency collaboration led by the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs and the Mayor’s Office of Operations, in consultation with more than 20 city agencies. It reflects the voices of New Yorkers, the commitment of city government, and the urgency of building a greener, fairer, and more resilient future.

The Voluntary Local Review is accompanied by the Voluntary Local Review Declaration, a non-binding agreement that encourages signatories to identify how their existing strategies align with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, provide at least one forum for stakeholders to exchange best practices using the SDG framework, and submit a Voluntary Local Review to the UN during the High-Level Political Forum.

“As a city on the global stage, New York is proud to lead by example in our pursuit of being the safest city in the world for women, girls, and transgender and gender-expansive people,” said Saloni Sethi, commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV). “ENDGBV’s survivor-centered, public health approach to gendered violence, which focuses on keeping survivors, their families, and communities safe, is driving measurable progress across the city. Through our work delivering services for survivors and people who cause harm, advising the New York City Police Department on gender-based violence, developing and implementing workplace policies, and creating a Street Harassment Prevention Advisory Board, we and our partners remain steadfast in building a safer, more equitable New York.”

“New York City is leading the way with the most ambitious climate agenda in the United States, and with one of the largest economies in the world—bigger than most countries—what we do in New York City matters,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson. “If we focus on how we can use climate and adaptation to make New York City a better place to live and raise a family, we can improve the everyday life of New Yorkers and support the vitality of our diverse communities.”

The full report, 2025 Voluntary Local Review: Getting the Global Goals Done for New Yorkers, is available at https://www.nyc.gov/assets/international/downloads/pdf/2025-voluntary-local-review-vlr-final.pdf

About the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs
The New York City Mayor's Office for International Affairs fosters positive relations and encourages collaboration between the international community, New York City's agencies, and local neighborhoods. The Office is focused on promoting NYC's economic development opportunities, sharing New York City's policies and best practices globally, and responding to foreign governments, the United Nations, and the U.S. Department of State requests. For more information, follow us on Twitter (now X), Instagram, and our website.