Local Institutions and Technical Experts Analyze Indicators for Updating Bolivia’s 2026 Municipal SDG Atlas
Originally published in Spanish by SDSN Bolivia.
On May 28–May 29, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s Bolivia Network (SDSN Bolivia) brought together representatives from public institutions, international organizations, and technical specialists for the Technical Workshop on Indicator Validation for the Municipal Atlas of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bolivia 2026, a key forum for strengthening the generation of place-based evidence to support sustainable development.
Over the course of the two days, participants worked in technical groups organized around institutional complementarity and thematic alignment among the SDGs. Each group conducted a detailed analysis of eight goals and their respective indicators, evaluating their relevance, methodological consistency, and data quality.
A total of 80 potential indicators were analyzed for the new version of the Atlas. Each indicator includes a baseline value close to 2012 and a final value approximate to 2024, covering all 343 Autonomous Municipal Governments and Autonomous Indigenous-Native-Farm Laborer Governments (GAIOCs), the nine departments, the Gran Chaco Region, and Bolivia as a whole. While some indicators were discarded during the workshop, new ideas also emerged; consequently, the new version of the Atlas will feature approximately 88 indicators.
The Municipal SDG Atlas serves as a strategic tool enabling local governments to make evidence-based decisions, guide resource allocation, design public policies tailored to local realities, and strengthen basic service delivery. It also acts as a key resource for research and analysis on municipal development. The new version will also allow for a comparison of territorial progress over more than a decade, identifying advances, persistent gaps, and areas requiring immediate action.
For Adhemar Esquivel, of the Social and Economic Policy Analysis Unit (UDAPE), the Atlas update comes at a particularly critical time for the country. “Updating it is highly relevant, as we have new municipal authorities who will need information to engage in evidence-based planning, set budgets, and advance toward meeting the SDGs,” he noted. He also highlighted that this effort strengthens coordination across levels of government: “This work fosters a dialogue between national and subnational levels based on SDG indicators, enabling joint efforts to achieve the goals.”
Milenka Ocampo, from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), emphasized that access to up-to-date local data is essential for effective planning. “Municipalities need information to develop their planning instruments and design public policies that improve living conditions, especially for the most vulnerable populations,” she stated. She added that targeting actions is a major challenge: “It is crucial to identify where needs exist and which populations require the most attention. This municipal data provides precisely that perspective.”
Fabiana Argandoña, leader of the SDSN Bolivia technical team, explained that the update is based on the international SDG Index methodology, adapted to the national context and the availability of municipal data. “The estimation of the Municipal Sustainable Development Index is based on the targets and indicators established by the United Nations, adjusted to the Bolivian reality and using national and global reference thresholds that allow for measuring progress in each territory,” she explained.
Key innovations in this version include the incorporation of more than 20 new indicators and the ability to compare two analysis periods. “This will enable municipalities, GAIOCs, and departments to evaluate their progress, identify strengths and weaknesses, and recognize which actions have been effective and which require adjustments,” she stated.
Lykke Andersen, Network Manager of SDSN Bolivia, emphasized that the value of the Atlas lies not only in its technical aspects but also in the collaborative process that makes its creation possible. “This workshop demonstrates that generating data for sustainable development requires the joint commitment of individuals and institutions. Technical validation, knowledge exchange, and inter-institutional collaboration are fundamental to strengthening the indicators, improving their relevance, and ensuring the Atlas continues to establish itself as a useful tool for decision-making in Bolivia. This is an important step toward continuing to build robust territorial data that is of service to the country.”
Following this validation process, SDSN Bolivia will proceed with final methodological adjustments to present the new edition of the 2026 Municipal SDG Atlas, a tool that will provide a more precise understanding of the state of sustainable development across Bolivian territories and guide concrete actions toward achieving the 2030 Agenda.
Learn more by visiting SDSN Bolivia’s website.
