UCLG at the DeLOG meeting on Decentralisation and Local Governance in the Post-2015 Global Development Agenda

 

 

On June 4, UCLG participated in the Development Partners Working Group on Decentralisation and Local Governance (DeLog) meeting in New York. The 8th annual meeting took up the theme of “Effective Multi-Level-Governance for improved development results.”

Member organisations, and local government associations and forums gathered to discuss the inclusion of decentralisation and local governance in the Post 2015 global development framework. The members of DeLog gave their support to the Global Task Force of Local and Regional Governments for the Post-2015 and Habitat III agenda, created by UCLG at its World Council in Dakar in December 2012.

Participants concluded that local governments are key actors for achieving sustainable development goals. However, to fully unlock the development potential of local governments, a properly designed and implemented multi-level-governance framework - incorporating the subsidiarity principle - needs to be put in place.

Such a framework must enable local governments to fully assume their role in the delivery of basic services such as water and sanitation, waste management, education and health, but also in urban planning, public transport, disaster risk management, food security, natural resource management, land use and promoting inclusive and sustainable local development, including employment creation.

In order to achieve this, good local governance must be implemented. This requires development-oriented, responsive, transparent and well-resourced local governments. Financial, social and democratic accountability mechanisms are also necessary to ensure the inclusive participation and civic engagement of all citizens, including women, young people, and marginalised groups.

DeLog also recognised the need for fiscal decentralisation and local resource mobilisation to enable local governments to play their role in reducing income, gender and structural inequalities, and in promoting pro-poor local development. This also requires building better-planned and more sustainable and resilient cities.

UCLG participated in the discussion on entry points for integrating local Governments in the post-2015 framework, making the case that subnational actors also need representation at global level. The Global Taskforce of Regional and Local Governments is advocating for a more prominent role for subnational levels of government in the emerging global sustainable development agenda.

Read the full document “Closing statement” here.