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INTRODUCTION David Satterthwaite
Progress in local democracy must be measured in terms of improvements to quality of life. After all, local governments are ultimately judged on their ability to meet the needs of their citizens. Basic services are fundamental to improving living standards and, in general, local governments have the responsibility for their provision. Even when local government institutions are not officially assigned responsibility for basic service provision, they often deal with the health, economic, social and environmental consequences of unmet basic needs. Improving the delivery of basic services has been a key component of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aim to eradicate extreme poverty worldwide. The issue of basic services will also be central to the Post-2015 Development Agenda. With this in mind, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) has dedicated this Third Global Report on Local Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD III) to reviewing the current state of basic local service provision across the world. The report examines the provision and governance of local basic services across seven regions of the world. It describes gaps and deficiencies in access, and seeks to draw conclusions and propose solutions about how to address them. It places a particular focus on the actual and potential role of local government in guaranteeing universal access to quality basic services. What are basic local services? As GOLD I demonstrated, local governments throughout the world tend to have responsibility for a number of basic services
(see Box 1). The UN Habitat Agenda provides the following definition of local basic services: “Basic infrastructure and services at the community level include the delivery of safe water, sanitation, waste management, social welfare, transport and communication facilities, energy, health and emergency services, schools, public safety, and the management of open spaces.”1 The services included within this definition can be organized into the following three categories: Basic infrastructure services: water and sanitation, waste collection and management, transport, energy. Social services: education, health, housing, and elderly and child care. Quality of life services: public safety, urban planning, culture and entertainment, sport, public spaces. While the second category also includes services that are fundamental to human development, the services in the first group form the foundation on which human settlements are built and function. Everyone needs water, a toilet, energy, and a way to dispose of household waste and to get from place to place. Thus, this report focuses on the following local services: Potable water delivery;2 Sanitation, including the collection, treatment and disposal of waste water and runoff; Solid waste management, including collection, disposal and recycling3 Urban transportation;4 Energy5 (usually electricity)
UN Habitat Agenda Goals and Principles, Commitments and the Global Plan of Action Article 84, New York, 1996. 1
The report focuses on the management and distribution of potable water for domestic purposes. It does not address the management and protection of resources or supply of water for agricultural or industrial purposes. 2
See international reference texts on the definition of locally managed domestic waste. Domestic waste is distinguished from industrial waste and hazardous hospital waste, where management is often a national responsibility. Also see reference on methods of waste treatment (landfill, incineration, recycling and composting, etc.). 3
The report focuses on system management and the regulation of public transport and related urban infrastructure (train stations and terminals). In some countries or regions, the management of urban roads is also included. 4
Energy is not often a local responsibility, but local management of energy distribution is an important debate in some countries and regions. Furthermore, the issue of energy conservation has implications for transport, waste and water services. 5