About us

It was 2017, when Universidade Católica Portuguesa publicly presented the newly created applied investigation unit CESOP-Local. The 2030 Agenda started on January 1st 2016 e, along with it, started the CESOP-Local Project for Sustainable Territories in Portugal.

CESOP-Local has the mission to make applied studies on administrative territories, based on the 2030 Agenda’s 17 Goals and the 169 Targets, unanimously approved by the 193 State-Members of the United Nations (UN) on September 25th 2015 and in effect since January 1st 2016.

We monitor the level of sustainability of the territory, the dynamics of stakeholder involvement and the level of organizational performance of each municipality.

We investigate, capacitate and instruct.

The Sustainable Territories project, supported by national and international entities, is an opportunity of a joint investigation with Portuguese municipalities, where municipal technicians and academia, through the CESOP-Local Network, work with the main goal of creating quantitative and qualitative measurement tools for the multiple dimensions of municipalities’ activity focusing on the sustainability of the territories. It allows to add value to the community dynamics, by giving relevant information to support responsive, inclusive and participatory autarchic decision, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to the 2030 Agenda implementation

A CESOP-Local Network for Sustainable Territories member, is a municipality committed to pursuit the 2030 Agenda and an enhancer of Good Practices for Sustainable Development.

You can read our Letter of Principles, publish on march 21st 2017. An open letter for all entities who share our ambition

Mission, Vision, Values

 Mission

The CESOP-Local's mission is to carry out applied studies in administrative territories, using the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets contained in Agenda 2030 as a reference framework, through knowledge generation, and involvement and participation of citizens in transition measures for local sustainability.

 Vision

The CESOP-Local aspires to deepen and develop studies that increase and diversify the gathering of information to support strategic decision-making and thus contribute to the improvement of Local Governments' performance.

 Values

The CESOP-Local bases its research and its practice on the values of citizenship, active participation and shared responsibility, as supports for the implementation of transition measures towards sustainability in administrative territories.