From aquaculture to waste recovery, community voices drive inclusive pathways to sustainable development

From aquaculture to waste recovery, community voices drive inclusive pathways to sustainable development | Photo: Louwel Nicolas

Development strategies are often drafted in boardrooms, yet their impact is felt most strongly in communities on the margins. Surigao City’s “Localise to Realise” initiative challenges that distance by ensuring that those most affected are also those shaping the solutions. Rooted in dignity and cultural respect, the programme brings sustainable development closer to people’s daily realities, proving that progress need not come at the expense of heritage.

Building knowledge and ownership

The Localise to Realise (L2R) initiative has focused on equipping communities with the tools to understand and engage with the Sustainable Development Goals. Workshops and consultations have given residents practical knowledge of how these targets relate to their own struggles, whether in accessing basic services, preserving culture, or creating livelihoods.

Among the proposals that emerged were sustainable aquaculture projects, the establishment of a materials recovery facility, and even a neighbourhood store with potential e-commerce expansion. Each reflects both a pressing local concern and an eye towards long-term resilience, offering a blueprint for how small-scale initiatives can link directly to broader sustainability ambitions.

One of the initiative’s most notable achievements lies in its cultural sensitivity. The Sama Bajau, often sidelined in mainstream development plans, were not just beneficiaries but co-designers of solutions. By respecting their maritime traditions while supporting access to modern services, the programme reframes inclusion as recognition rather than assimilation.

This approach resonates with global concerns over the loss of indigenous knowledge.

According to the World Bank, around 370 million indigenous people worldwide are disproportionately affected by poverty, yet they safeguard 80 per cent of global biodiversity. Integrating their voices into development strategies is not only equitable but vital for sustainability itself.

From local lessons to wider models

The ceremonial close of L2R’s initial phase in August 2025 brought together city leaders, national agencies, and international partners. Beyond symbolism, the event marked the institutional embedding of community-driven planning into Surigao’s urban framework. The presence of senior government officials underscored that the lessons here could inform wider policy shifts.

For cities across Asia grappling with rapid urbanisation and inequality, Surigao’s experiment suggests a model worth examining. By balancing cultural preservation with economic opportunity, it demonstrates that localised action can advance sustainability targets without erasing community identity.

The strength of Surigao’s Localise to Realise initiative lies not in its scale but in its method. By starting with conversations in fishing villages and informal settlements, it shows that global sustainability can be built from neighbourhood meetings as much as from national policies.

Rather than treating marginalised groups as passive recipients, the city has placed them at the centre of design and decision-making. This inversion is significant, it reframes development as a partnership where dignity and cultural identity are non-negotiable foundations.

As the 2030 horizon approaches, such localised efforts may prove decisive. Surigao’s experience is a reminder that the path to resilience is not a straight line from policy to practice, but a dialogue, one that begins at the water’s edge, in the voices of those too often overlooked, and carries outward to shape the cities of tomorrow.

For further reading on community-driven sustainability efforts, see jointsdgfund.org and UN-Habitat Philippines.